Despite the fact that I despise essays that begin with “The dictionary definition of [something] is [blah blah blah],” I will start by reminding everyone what the First Amendment says. Here it 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.
This clearly means Congress can’t limit freedom of speech or freedom of the press. The government can’t tell you what you can or can’t say. Or what you can or can’t print on paper or online. It does not mean you can say anything you want to say without consequences.
I’ve been thinking about this because the despicable, execrable, and loathsome Steve Bannon (who has connections to Breitbart and the Trump mafia) was invited to be a headliner at the upcoming New Yorker Festival in October. Then he was disinvited. The New Yorker magazine withdrew the invitation. Apparently, several other invitees (including John Mulaney, Judd Apatow, Jack Antonoff, Jim Carrey, and Patton Oswalt) objected to sharing a stage with him.
Here’s the article from the NY Times:
New Yorker Festival Pulls Steve Bannon as Headliner Following High-Profile Dropouts
I imagine various Republicans and racists and bloggers will call this censorship. And they’ll quietly whine (or loudly shout) about freedom of speech. Maybe they’ll claim it’s a violation of the First Amendment.
Censorship is something the government does. The First Amendment says government can’t limit your speech. Here’s what does NOT count as censorship:
If my sister kicks me out of her house for saying the f-word in front of her three-year-old granddaughter. (My sister isn’t the government.)
If my boss fires me for using the n-word in an email. (My company isn’t the government.)
If Roseanne Barr says something offensive in a late-night tweet and gets fired from her TV show. (The network isn’t the government.)
If a comedy club owner tells a comedian not to do a certain joke. (A comedy club isn’t the government.)
If you don’t follow the rules on Daily Kos and you encourage people to vote for the Green Party. (A website isn’t the government.)
Not one of those things counts as censorship. And the New Yorker magazine isn’t the government. Cancelling Bannon’s invitation isn’t censorship.
I’m glad the New Yorker saw the light.