[Vision2020] Disturbing trends

[Bob Hoffmann]

At 10:06 AM 4/16/2003 -0700, Tim Lohrmann wrote:
>Joe,
>    Exactly. The truth is that everyone, especially those in the public 
> spotlight, have always "paid a price" for what they say and do.
>    That's not censorship. The government isn't involved at all.

Censorship doesn't always include the government.  This is not as simple as 
an issue of boycotting someone because of a bumper sticker.  Remember the 
blacklisting of actors in the 1950's?  Witch hunts, are you now or have you 
ever been a member of the Communist Party, have you ever met a Communist, 
do you wear red underpants?  Destroyed careers, destroyed families, and, 
let's not forget, a totally oppressive atmosphere across the country.  This 
was just one small part of McCarthysim.  At a time when people are talking 
about renaming anything "French," boycotting the products of a number of 
countries, and punishing people in our country for their beliefs, this is a 
complex that needs to be examined in its broadest scope, not simply a 
matter of "so-and-so's show got cancelled."

And while individuals are free to withhold their dollars from whatever 
business or product, institutions are not so free in our country.  Any one 
of us can decide that we don't like "a certain ethnic group" so we won't 
patronize their businesses.  When our institutions start discriminating on 
the basis of one's political views, how is that much different from 
discriminating on the basis of race, religion, gender, etc.?  Again, as 
individuals, we have some latitude to do so.  Institutions have less 
"freedom" in this matter.  Decades of civil rights activism have made it so.

Food for thought....

Bob Hoffmann
820 S. Logan St.
Moscow, ID  83843

Tel: 208 883-0642