When I was in high school in the 1900s, I was an editor of my school newspaper. My senior year I was the Editorials Page Editor and had a monthly column where I wrote about whatever issue was on my mind. One month I wrote about the sex-ed curriculum our district was implementing and how ridiculous it was, that it was something that would have been taught in the 1950s (it called making-out “petting” and had a graphic that said “pet your dog, not your date.” I’ll never for get that). My teacher thought it was pushing it a little, but let me print it. The day after the column came out, my principal called me to her office and I thought, “oh, shit, this is the end of my journalism career.” I walked up the stairs to her office, working up my censorship speech I’d been working on since my journalism teacher said the column was a little much. I’d practiced quoting the 1st Amendment, ready to defend the my brilliant words, only to find out that my principal was so impressed she’d sent the column to our town’s newspaper and they wanted to meet with me. What?
I was so caught off guard and almost hurt that I wouldn’t be able to give my censorship speech that I stood there, in my black and pink wide-leg jumpsuit and wooden clogs, not knowing what to say. What about my daring article? What about pushing the envelope? What about fighting the man and showing them how much smarter I was than they? They wanted to reward me — what did I do wrong?
It turned out my censorship speech wasn’t necessary because I wasn’t as edgy as I thought I was and moreover, because it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. High schools have the right to censor newspapers, but colleges do not. Freedom of the press does not cover high schools. And it shouldn’t in my opinion. What’s funny looking back as an adult is that I didn’t understand the 1st Amendment any more as an 18-year-old than grown-ass people do now.
It seems like half of the country is up in arms about censorship. I’ve seen it on the news, in podcasts, on Twitter, on Instagram, and by friends in my Facebook feed for the past week. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and PINTEREST of all things shut down the President’s accounts. “Censorship!” the people cried. “My rights!” NO! It’s not censorship. Not remotely.
For a refresher, here’s what the 1st Amendment is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
So, no, Twitter is not censoring you because Twitter is not run by the government. I don’t see what’s hard to understand about that. Any site, ANY SITE, you use that you have to login to — that you accepted that long Terms and Conditions policy you didn’t read (I KNOW YOU DIDN’T READ THEM!) does not grant you free speech. No, not even Parler. Terms and Conditions. You can’t post anything you want because a site could be held libel for what happens after you post something. It should be common sense. And the funny thing is that when Parler was taken down from Amazon’s web servers, it was because THEY violated their TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Come on. It’s not censorship.
Then there was this today and after everything that has happened and while the impeachment was announced.
That’s Rep. of Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a known Q-Anon supporter (if you don’t know what that is, go give it a Goog, I’ll wait), standing at a lectern, speaking into a microphone, while wearing a mask that says CENSORED.
Honey, no. I say “literally” a lot, I know, but honey, you are literally in the US Capitol — the literal House of our government — speaking freely. That’s the complete opposite of censorship. Lord, help us. This woman is writing the bills that may become laws for our country and does not understand the basics of our democracy. Is it any wonder that most of my conservative friends are asking about Parler, WeMe, and other “free speech” social media sites? They don’t understand the 1st Amendment.
And honestly, if you need to say something so toxic that gets you thrown off of a site, you don’t need to be on social media in the first place.
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