THIS IS THE PLAN OF COURSE: Americans Are Self-Censoring at Record Rates. As usual, it’s the worst for the Outer Party: “So what does predict who is reluctant to speak up? The answer is that Americans are more likely to self-censor the more urban and educated they are. In a surprising reversal of the usual trends of political participation, in which citizens who have more resources feel more empowered to take an active role in civic life, it is the urbanites and the highly educated who are most afraid to speak their mind.”