Accepting a little bit of socialism is the same as taking comfort in that you are a little bit pregnant.
George Rebane
The 21st century liberal cum progressive retains the same views and definitions of censorship that did their Bolshevik progenitors in the early 20th century. Specifically, if the dissemination of their ideas are not supported by the public purse, then they consider themselves and their message to be victims of censorship. Also if their message is not imposed by the government onto some media that broadcasts other political ideologues supported through private sponsorship, then they consider themselves to be censored. As an example, the current issue of withdrawing government funding from NPR has set off all the usual leftwingers from here to Washington screaming that they are being “censored by the government”.
However, on the other side of their view of censorship, we hear them constantly calling for the silencing of conservative/libertarian voices that have followings which the liberals cannot hope to attract. This occurs at all levels (e.g. even in Nevada County) where frustrated collectivists gather. They do not see these calls for proscribing their opposition as censorship. Instead, they wrap such proposed programming pogroms in notions such as ‘fairness’ and ‘balance’ – cf. the Fairness Act and Net Neutrality. Since only the extreme few will voluntarily listen to their pap, they seek to impose it by the power of the bayonet. If this means denying certain political free speech that the consumers want, so be it. But in their minds, that is never seen as censorship.


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