Censorship Is a Tool of Those in Power

100 years ago you could not read James Joyce's Ulysses. It was declared obscene. Many other books were deemed such so that for liberal authors "Banned In Boston" was a badge of honor. The books were banned because a Conservative worldview was dominant, and preserving "family values" was deemed to be something important.

The Sixties became a hinge-point because this predominant view of "normal" was now being challenged. What was being pursued on all fronts was a new permissiveness, with purportedly new values. Free speech, free love, freedom to protest the actions of our government were all part of this new wave. 

These thoughts came to mind as I read this stimulating article by Ed West, The West's Cultural Revolution Is Over. His premise is very direct: The Left has won.

His arguments are persuasive. One point he makes is that the rules of censorship are defined by those who have the power.  Today, the Left decides what is censored. Cancel Culture is just a nickname that softens things a little because "Censorship" is a bad word. 

The list of trigger words is growing longer by the day. Yesterday the poor Gypsy Moth has to be given another name, according to a NYTimes story. Recently even the word "Trigger" in "Trigger Words" has been banned because of its association with guns. I'm not sure what we're supposed to say, but whatever it is will likely change by next year.

Here's an observation from the article:

The new order has brought in numerous methods used by the old order to exert control — not just censorship, but word taboo and rituals which everyone is forced to go along with, or at least not openly criticize. You might call it the new intolerance, or woke extremism...

No one would satirize the transgender movement today; no one would dare point fun at BLM, or Pride month; no one would dare joke about George Floyd, because like the publishers of Gay Times in 1977, they might face jail for blasphemy.  Instead leading satirist Sacha Baron Cohen makes a living making jokes at the expense of the little people. Indeed the only satire made now pokes fun at the old establishment, like punching the corpse of a once-ferocious zoo animal, or the people who still hold the old beliefs; the elderly, the less educated, the rural and provincial. The powerless.

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THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG POST was to encourage you to click on this link and check out the full essay. I've only shared here a few brief snippets. You'll want to read the piece in its entirety. CLICK HERE

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Related Links

Putting Marxism In Perspective: Brief Interview with Economics Professor Evan Osborne

He Who Controls the Narrative Controls the People

The Brandeis Language Police (Story from The Atlantic)