And not a single one of them have been censored anytime in recent history. https://twitter.com/wilfredchan/status/1280517073190469632

There’s a way to have a nuanced conversation about that topic, but this “huff huff us media elites shouldn’t have to worry that we’ll lose our jobs if we suck at them” bullshit ain’t it.

Here’s what the people who signed that letter want:

They want the return of media as a purely one-way form of communication. These elites tell us what to think, we’re supposed to sit back and keep our thoughts to ourselves.

They want us to respond to their shitty takes by writing a letter to the editor that will either a.) not get printed, or b.) not get anywhere near as wide of an audience.

They want to be paid (handsomely) for their opinions on the world, and they want anything we have to say in response to be provided for free.

This is like when people protest a speaker on a college campus and someone responds “you should just debate them!” but that’s not the opportunity being offered. A lecture is a one-way communication.

They want you to sit down.
They want you to shut up.
They want you to do as you’re told.
By them. Specifically.

They want you not to question anything they say.
They want to be allowed to rewrite history and distort facts.
All without having to engage with criticism.

They are totalitarians in the waiting.
They are bad people.

They don’t care about “debate” or “an open exchange of ideas” or anything like that. They just want to reinforce their position as the deciders of what perspective the world should hear from.

They want to reinforce their monopoly on public discourse.

Don’t write letters to the editor. Demand payment for your work. If a company thinks it’s important to pay a writer to write one thing, that company should be more than willing to pay someone to write a response (the same fee). Anything less than that isn’t “open inquiry.”

Their letter isn’t a call for debate, it’s a call for silence.

The people who signed that letter aren’t advocates for “free speech.” In reality, they’re the worst kind of censor of all.