NEWSPAPER THAT SOUGHT TO RECAST AMERICA’S FOUNDING FROM 1776 To 1619 SUDDENLY WORRIED ABOUT “LANGUAGE POLICE:”
The tweet goes to a story headlined: The MAGA War on Speech.
In 1791, the nation’s founders ratified the First Amendment to the Constitution. It would come to offer protections in the new nation essentially never seen before: the right to ask things of and to criticize the government; to express opinions, popular or not; to assemble peacefully; to practice diverse religious beliefs; and to have a free press that publishes information without fear of censorship or retribution.
“New nation?” The New York Times assured me in 2020 that it was actually founded in 1619, so it would have been almost 175 years old by 1791.
This constitutional provision reflects the framers’ intent to establish a society where individuals have the ability to voice their views and participate actively in shaping the nation’s governance while holding their leaders accountable. Together, these five guaranteed liberties continue today to make the people of the United States the freest in the world.
Sounds good! So why the Times’ deep love of the Soviet Union in the first half of the 20th century? Any plans to return Walter Duranty’s Pulitzer?
President Trump and many of his supporters — from tech leaders like Elon Musk to populist politicians like Vice President JD Vance — have spent the past several years portraying themselves as free-speech crusaders. Capitalizing on the censorial strains of the left, they regularly lecture about the necessity of letting people say whatever they want, even if it’s hateful, asinine or corrosive.
Tell me more about “the censorial strains of the left,” including the Times’ role in 2020, please.
Over the past month Mr. Trump and his allies have embarked on an expansive crackdown on free expression and disfavored speakers that should be decried not just as hypocritical but also as un-American and unconstitutional.
In the distorted view of the Trump administration, protecting free speech requires controlling free speech — banning words, phrases and ideas that challenge or complicate a government-favored speech. Officials in Washington have spent the past month stripping federal websites of any hint of undesirable words and thoughts, disciplining news organizations that refuse to parrot the president’s language, and threatening to punish those who have voiced criticism of investigations and prosecutions.
Banning words, phrases, and ideas, that sounds bad. Good thing the left would never do such a thing!
● NYT columnist Farhad Manjoo calls for the abolition of gendered language.
● Professor of ‘art crime’ instructs protesters on better way to topple statues that offend them.
● NYT’s Nikole Hannah-Jones Endorses Riots And Toppling Statues As A Product Of The 1619 Project.
The reckoning for the Jacobin left’s attempt at making 2020 Year Zero was long overdue, and their freakout will be fascinating to watch. This headline will also drive them absolutely bonkers: Trump To Make English The Nation’s Official Language.
UPDATE: VDH asks: Who caused the counter-revolution?