Category Archives: Censorship

YouTube is now demonetizing videos from content creators deemed too controversial for the platform, and conservatives and independents are being heavily impacted.

The move follows YouTubes announcement earlier in August to catch and flag controversial religious and supremacist content hosted on the popular video-hosting website. Political and social commentators on YouTube are feeling the hurtand they believe that they may be on a blacklist for having the wrong opinions.

The Daily Caller previously spoke to several popular commentary YouTubers who expressed skepticism of the system when the move was first announced last week.

Affected creators are unable to make money from their work, which is automatically flagged or vetted by volunteer experts. In addition, the new system incorporates tougher standards for controversial videos that do not break YouTubes terms of service, which are placed in a purgatory state that effectively censors them from being recommended to YouTube viewers.

The Daily Caller spoke to conservative and independent YouTubers whose channels are now being affected by the new policy. Conservative journalist Lauren Southern believes there is a drive to stifle politically divergent voices.

I think it would be insane to suggest theres not an active effort to censor conservative and independent views, said Southern. Considering most of Silicon Valley participate in the censorship of alleged hate speech, diversity hiring and inclusivity committees. Their entire model is based around a far left outline. Theres no merit hiring, theres no support of free speech and there certainly is not an equal representation of political views at these companies.

Independent journalist and activist Luke Rudkowski, who runs WeAreChange, told The Daily Caller that hundreds of his videos were demonetized in a single day on Thursday, effectively killing his ability to earn a living on YouTube.

Having had 660 of my videos demonetized in one day left me a little stunned since this is the core for my income but left me with the impression that this was done on purpose, said Rudkowski, who said that the videos included some of his most popular videos from years ago. This was videos from years ago predominately targeting the most viewed videos which has eviscerated my income.

Rudkowski, who believes it isnt a coincidence that he was targeted, says that he has experienced repeated issues with YouTube.

After dealing with all the repeated issues with YouTube it is clear that this is a campaign to de-incentivize any critical thinkers and anti authoritarians from their platform, he said.

Daniel Sulzbach, better known as MrRepzion, told the Daily Caller that YouTubes demonetization of his videos has hurt his incentive to make new content. He says that it hasnt been the first time his videos were demonetized, but when the issue happened previously in early 2017, he was able to successfully appeal for them to be restored.

The difference now is that my videos are not being restored with monetization when I file for manual review, said Sulzbach.

The YouTuber, who is known for his blistering culture critiques, discussions about atheism, and video game topics, says he doesnt understand why so many of his videos were flagged.

Some of them make zero sense, especially my video game streams, he said. This is just conjecture at this point, but I think my channel could be on a potential blacklist or list of some sort where my content is looked upon more than others?

I dont make any crazy radical videos, he continued. I hardly even do videos regarding feminism, social justice, etc. anymore. He says that even a 2-year old video response to an Instagram was demonetized without explanation, as well as content from when he was still a Christian.

Sulzbach told the Daily Caller that he plans to rely solely on Patreon to keep making videos, for now. If I fall below a threshold, Ill just quit, he said.

Edgy YouTube comedian Razorfist says every single one of his videos was demonetized. His biggest issue with the site was how the platform values progressive voices over everyone else through biased algorithms. Razorfist cited a video rebuttal to Sam Seder (a left wing comedian) as an example of the bias. He claims that Seder posted a reply containing Razorfists video in its entirety, but the algorithm flagged the original video for demonetization.

If leftist channels are being white-listed, someones going to have to explain to me how this algorithm is functionally any different than a conservative blacklist, he said.Razorfist tells the Daily Caller that he knows his content is edgy and profane, and understands why large family-friendly companies wouldnt want to advertise on his videos, but he wants to know why Google allows for leftist comedians to perform the same humor without any backlash.

Googles going to need to explain to me why John Oliver can engage in weekly invective punctuated by a hail of profane epithets, skew it leftward, and still have ads for Pampers and pimple cream adorn the margins of his unwatchable videos, he said.

Conservative vlogger and cultural pundit Mark Dice told The Daily Caller he believes YouTube is upset at the rise of conservative channels on YouTube over the past year, and that the new policies are designed to squelch dissenting voices.

I think YouTube is furious that so many conservative channels have gotten so popular in the last year, and they dont want us to be able to work full-time doing what were doing because our message is at odds with almost everything that Google and YouTubes leadership stands for, said Dice, who says that even his monetized videos are underperforming as a result of the changes.

To deal with the demonetization of his channel, Dice said that he plans to continue producing videos and supplementing his income through Patreon and merchandise sales, and a new book. He says that his videos performed better when he had a 10th of his subscriber count, years ago.

Dice believes that despite the seeming hopelessness of the situation expressed by so many other YouTubers, Google and YouTube may have made have shot themselves in the foot by censoring conservatives.

YouTube has kicked a bees nest by going after Diamond and Silk [a channel of two black female Trump supporters]. I think it wont be long before President Trump is commenting on YouTubes censorship, he said.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at@stillgray on Twitterand onFacebook.

The rest is here:
Conservative And Independent YouTube Channels Hit By Censorship And Demonetization - The Daily Caller

Goodbye, old friend.

This is a big moment for Indian cinema, and for me personally. If youve been following along these last two years, you might recall the Central Board of Film Certifications decisions about the length of the kiss in Spectre, censoring drugs and the state of Punjab in a film about the drug crisis in Punjab, banning a feminist film for being lady oriented, among a whole host of other decisions that range from silly to outright homophobic. You may also recall my bizarre interview with CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani in January, which ended with me being kicked out of his office. Hes been a thorn in my side and in the side of artistic expression here in India. Heheld the word "intercourse"ransom, claiming he would only restore it to the film Jab Harry Met Sejal if 100,000 married people above the age of 36 voted for it on his Twitter poll (after a poll open to everyone was cleared with ease), and he even recentlyannounced cigarettes and liquor would be blurred out of movies entirely, in addition to the recent blackening out of partially nude bodies.

So it is with great pleasure that I now report Pahlaj Nihalani just been fired and replaced as the head of the CBFC.

The news broke on Times Now earlier today, but its been a long time coming. Once Udta Punjab beat an 89-cut mandate in the courts last year, and once Alankrita Srivastavas Lipstick Under My Burkha made it to Indian cinemas last month after being banned entirely, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Nihalani. Nothings a sure thing until its a sure thing, so the months worth of rumblings about him losing his job didnt necessarily inspire confidence (nothing eventually became of that parallel certification committee proposed in 2016 either), but here we are. Hes gone, and hopefully the boards regressive attitude will follow.

Nihalajis successor is Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, poet, screenwriter,CEO of McCann World Group India and Asia Pacific chairman of McCann Erickson. Its hard to say whether or not things will improve under him just yet; he was, after all, a communications manager for Prime Minister Narendra Modis campaign, and you may recall what silliness Nihalanis affection for Modi, whom he once called his action hero, eventually resulted in. Pragmatically speaking though, so long as Joshi doesnt want to try and ban the word lesbian and censor any and all forms of sexual content even from films rated A (Adult), its a step up.

Joshi is notably forward-thinking when it comes to depictions of women in cinema. Whether that manifests as artistic dialogue or restriction remains to be seen, but by all accounts, things look good. Its worth noting that Joshi was involved with the film Aarakshan, which was banned in several states back in 2011. Hes also worked on several films (like the anti-authoritarian Rang De Basanti) with actor Aamir Khan and an ad with Udta Punjab producer Anurag Kashyap, both strong vocal opponents of censorship, and according to filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt, whos been publicly embroiled in censorship debates since things began to worsen, Joshi understands the necessity of creative freedom.

Given that Nihalanis term was set to end in January 2018, his early removal feels like a positive sign. The problem as a whole isnt going to go away overnight, since its a combination of the widespread social inability to disagree on art and the continued ability of the Government to make these decisions for cinema via the Cinematograph Act of 1952, but this feels like a step in the right direction. The general attitude towards censorship as a means of cultural preservation can best be summed up in this exchange from my interview with Nihalani:

PN: As a filmmaker youre protected, I will say the certificate is very important for the movie, and its the responsibility of the filmmaker when we are projecting heritage property.

SA: Sorry?

The government protects heritage property, the Red Fort and other things. So isnt it the Governments job to protect Indian culture? Which is also heritage?

It is, but if were talking about specific monuments versus this nebulous idea of Indian culture

No, no, see, its life! When there is nothing, its only the heritage property which supports Indian culture.

So are we talking just about physical monuments, or

Im talking about when its the responsibility of the government to protect them! So the same way, its the governments job to protect our Indian culture.

And who defines what Indian culture is?

Thats the government.

And if someone disagrees with that stance

No, no, no, no, no. Thats not my-- then go and fight with the Parliament. Fight with the government. Ive got the duty to go according to the Act. If they want changes, Ill go with the changes.

Given the way the Indian film industry has vocally opposed every censorship controversy, replacing Nihalani with a seasoned Industry regular feels like something of a victory. Hopefully it means a more positive environment when it comes to art and artistic discourse too.

Now if youll excuse me, Im going to go do this for a while:

The rest is here:
The Head Of Indian Film Censorship Has Been Fired - Birth.Movies.Death.

WATCH LIVE

Lyft apparently doesn't agree with the adage, "Any publicity is good publicity."

In an email, the San Francisco-based ride-sharing giant asked its drivers to pump the brakes before speaking with the press, and instead check in with Lyft officials first, according to the San Francisco Examiner.

The July note states: Email press@lyft.com if youre ever contacted by a reporter. Speaking of Lyft in the news: Were here to help if you get approached for an interview. Shoot a note to our communications team and theyll make sure youre prepared for any questions.

The message has created a stir, raising concerns about censorship.

Some drivers have taken to online message boards, calling it a scare tactic. Others say this is Lyfts way of trying to get in front of bad publicity, which has plagued its biggest competitor, Uber, according to the SF Examiner.

Drivers also wrote that they are independent contractors, not employees, so Lyft cannot restrict their actions.

Scott Coriell, a Lyft spokesperson, shared a statement with NBC Bay Area, which reads: "Drivers are free to speak to the press and we know they do all the time. There are no restrictions or requirements. We often hear from drivers who are approached by the media and have questions or concerns. We wanted to remind them that we're here as a resource. We have sent similar reminders in the past."

Published at 9:44 AM PDT on Aug 10, 2017 | Updated at 10:41 AM PDT on Aug 10, 2017

Continue reading here:
Lyft Sparks Censorship Fears With Email Asking Drivers to Speak to Company Before Media - NBC Bay Area

Trump supporters Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson better known as Diamond and Silk took to Twitter on Thursday to accuse YouTube of censorship and a violation of their 1st Amendment rights (yeah, we know) after the company demonetized a reported 95% of the duos videos:

The pair thinks it might have something to do with their being Trump supporters and conservatives:

YouTube responded with instructions the pair could follow to appeal the decision:

Coincidentally, Hardaway and Richardson met with officials at the Commerce Department on Monday to discuss ways in which to grow their business and build their brand. From Gizmodo:

YouTube stars Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardsonbetter known as Diamond and Silk, respectivelywere invited to the Commerce Departments headquarters this week, apparently to discuss ways in which they could expand their business. The pair runs a political blog aimed at promoting President Trump and denigrating his critics.

The Commerce Department revealed Diamond and Silks visit in a photo posted on the departments official Twitter account, which said the duo had met with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to discuss how to grow their business and build their brand.

A spokesperson for the department later told Gizmodo that the tweet was deleted out of an abundance of caution as the department was not clear it had received permission to post the photo:

***

See the article here:
Diamond and Silk accuse YouTube of 'censorship' after company demonetized '95%' of their videos - Twitchy

While much of the media obsesses over a pointless debateabout whether free speech should protect an employee who abuses his co-workers with outrageous claims masquerading as science (the answer is no), theres a serious assault on real science underway. Conservatives, including those in the Trump administration, are now trying to undermine the ability of scientists and activists to communicate ideas to the public. Climate change, unlike the supposed intellectual inferiority of women, is a genuine scientific finding with a strong consensus behind it. Thats likely why the right is increasingly looking to McCarthyite tactics to demonize and suppress information about it.

On Tuesday, Jane Mayer of The New Yorker reported that James OKeefe, the notorious right-wing hoaxer who tries to pass off his disinformation campaigns as investigative journalism, may have been caught trying to run one of his scams on the League of Conservation Voters. League officials have filed a complaint alleging that OKeefes team at the Veritas Project created an elaborate scheme to ingratiate themselves with the organization, in hopes of baiting someone who works there into saying something that could be taken out of context and used to demonize the group.

That has been the principal and indeed only tactic employed byOKeefe and his comrades since his glory days of 2009, when he successfully hoodwinked both media and elected officials with a hoax video falsely alleging that workersat ACORN were aiding and abetting sex traffickers.OKeefe and his colleagues, includingDavid Daleiden or Lila Rose, have a standard M.O.: Put out a video, using undercover footage taken out of context, to make false claims against progressive organizations or activists, with the hope that the lie spreads faster and farther than the inevitable debunking ever could.

OKeefe and his cronies usually go for targets that play off the Breitbart bases racist and sexist anxieties, so its a bit surprising to see them target a group that does the unsexy work of using electoral politics to advocate for reducing pollution and protecting public lands. But this all fits into what appears to be a growing strategy, empowered by Trumps election, of right-wingers seeking to intimidate and silence those who want to educate the public about the reality of climate change.

Also on Tuesday, Breitbart News published a straight-up bonkers piece by Matthew Boylebased on the premise that there is something deeply sinister or even illegal about reporters contacting EPAemployees to ask them how Trump appointee Scott Pruitt a noted climate-change skeptic is handling his job as head of the agency.Boyle was roundly mocked on social media for trying to put an alarmist spin on standard journalistic practice: Trying to inform the public about what their presidents appointees are doing with taxpayer money. But as Matt Gertz at Media Matters has pointed out, there may be something more disturbing here than the usual Breitbart nonsense.

Boyle apparently got his hands on an email exchange between EPA union representativeJohn OGrady and New York Times reporter Coral Davenport, who asked whom she could speak to in order to verify rumors about Pruitts behavior at the EPA. At the end of the article, Boyle published a list of the 34 employees to whom OGrady forwarded the request.

In so doing, Breitbart is serving as the Trump administrations pawn, giving it a roadmap it can use to ferret out potential leakers, Gertz writes, noting that those employees could face recriminations from the Trump administration simply for being perceived as someone who might suggest Pruitt is bad at his job.

Trumps administration loves throwing the word leaker around, equating every bad story shared by a government employee with the release of classified information that threatens national security. In reality, however, EPA employees exposing malfeasance at their agency are protecting national security, which most experts believe is in imperiled by climate change and endangered by Trump and Pruitts efforts to hide the scientific realities.

Despite all the squawking from the right about free speech whenever someone faces social (but not legal) consequences for saying bigotedthings in public, this is what a real attack on free speech looks like. Journalists, activists and government employees are being intimidated, harassed and subtly threatened for trying to get out the truth about climate change and expose the way taxpayer money is being misused by people who want to deny its reality.

There were reasons to worry that the effects are being felt in federal agencies, even before Boyle published his blacklist. On Monday,the Guardian published a report showing that officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture had sent emails to staffers telling them to stop using terms like climate change, greenhouse gases and even sequester carbon. This follows a similar story published by Politico in Marchthatexposed how officials at the Department of Energy were also instructed not to use the termsclimate change, emissions reduction or Paris Agreement.

Under the circumstances, its no surprisethat someone sharedwith The New York Times a draft reportwritten by scientists at 13 federal agencies that chronicles the current not future, but current problems faced by Americans due to rising global temperatures. The leakers, the Times reported, were afraid their higher-ups in the Trump administration would take measures to censor, alter or suppress the findings.

As David Roberts at Vox points out, theres no evidence so far that Trump intended to suppress the report. He may have been planning on doing what he usually does, which is to ignore and/or lie about information that he finds displeasing. But in this environment, there is clearly reason to believe that conservatives have escalated past trying to deny the facts and are moving toward actively suppressing information.

Simply by becoming president, Trump has empowered and energized the most authoritarian tendencies, including bullying and a desire for censorship, found among many on the right. This new report from the government scientists, however, points to another reason: Climate change is no longer some abstractproblem that conservatives can dismiss as hypothetical. People, particularly in rural areas that tend to vote Republican, are starting to see and feel evidence of rising temperatures and the effects they have on weather and agriculture. That might make them more open to hearing a truth that was easier to deny in the past. Under those circumstances, theres good reason to suspect were seeing the beginning of a shift away from straightforward denial of climate change to more aggressive efforts to suppress the truth.

View original post here:
Anti-environment right shifts tactics: From climate-change denial to censorship and intimidation - Salon

San Francisco Examiner

Lyft drivers fear censorship after internal email about speaking to press San Francisco Examiner Scott Coriell, a Lyft spokesperson, wrote that censorship wasn't the intent, and that's not something we would ever do. In a statement Coriell forwarded from Lyft, the company said drivers are free to speak to the press, and there are no ... and more »

View original post here:
Lyft drivers fear censorship after internal email about speaking to press - San Francisco Examiner

Published time: 9 Aug, 2017 22:53 Edited time: 10 Aug, 2017 08:55

Julian Assange is offering the Google engineer fired over a controversial memo, deemed to be in breach of the companys diversity code, a job at WikiLeaks.

The WikiLeaks founder and chief tweeted, Censorship is for losers, before adding that there was a job for fired Google software engineer James Damore at his whistleblowing organization.

Damore came under fire after an internal memo he wrote, arguing that women are underrepresented in tech not due to bias, but because of inherent psychological differences from men, was published online.

EntitledGoogles Ideological Echo Chamber,it suggests that the companys political bias has created the effect of shaming into silence.

This silencing has created an ideological echo chamber where some ideas are too sacred to be honestly discussed, and the lack of discussion brings about the most extreme and authoritarian elements of this ideology, the memo says.

We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism, Damore adds, suggesting that men have a higher drive for status and women have a higher agreeableness, leading to difficulties in salary negotiation.

READ MORE: Gender gap is natural, Google employee says in 10-page internally viral memo

The memo caused a media storm over the weekend with many branding it sexist.

On Tuesday, Damore confirmedhe had been let go by the company in an email which stated the reason for dismissal was perpetuating gender stereotypes.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees Monday that parts of Damore's memo "violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace."

Assange posted a series of tweets criticizing Google for firing someone for politely expressing their ideas.

He included a link to an extract from his 2014 book, When Google met WikiLeaks, in the tweets.

The excerpt, entitled, Google is not what it seems, outlines Assanges understanding of the relationship between Google and the US State Department.

READ MORE: Putting people at risk': Assanges lawyer criticizes new documentary on WikiLeaks founder

Here is the original post:
'Censorship is for losers': Assange offers fired Google engineer job at WikiLeaks - RT

Sen. Debbie Stabenow(Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Washington Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, wrote Tuesday to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue demanding an explanation for news reports that agency officials had instructed staff to use weather extremes instead of the term climate change.

The Guardian reported on a series of emails among staff at the USDAs Natural Resources Conservation Service that also suggested avoiding the phrase reduce greenhouse gases in favor of build soil organic matter or increase nutrient use efficiency.

Censoring the agencys scientists and natural resource professionals as they try to communicate these risks and help producers adapt to a changing climate does a great disservice to the men and women who grow the food, fuel, and fiber that drive our economy, not to mention the agencys civil servants themselves, Stabenow wrote to Perdue.

This censorship makes the United States less competitive, less food secure, and puts our rural families and their communities at risk.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday but has pushed back against the news reports, telling POLITICO that there was never a directive from the Natural Resources Conservation Service that using climate change was prohibited, and indicating it was unclear why the officials who wrote the memos had brought up the issue with staff.

Stabenow in her letter asks Perdue whether other USDA officials have issued directives regarding the removal of climate change and related terms.

She also wants to know what impact the terminology change could have on implementation of USDA programs and activities, and whether USDA intends to pursue a formal rule-making or other process to accompany the policy change. She asked for a response by Aug. 23.

As a firm believer in the science that underpins the urgent imperative to address climate change, the content of these emails is of great concern to me, Stabenow wrote.

USDA ought to be unequivocal in pursuing polices that uphold scientific integrity, yet these emails from senior USDA staff appear to run directly counter to such a pursuit. USDA should be open and transparent regarding the findings of agency research and the components of agency program activities that involve the topic of climate change.

President Donald Trump has questioned the whether climate change exists and has not said whether he believes it is caused by human activity.

mburke@detroitnews.com

Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/2vL9qXL

Excerpt from:
Stabenow questions 'censorship' of 'climate change' - The Detroit News

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has offered a job to James Damore, a Google employee who was fired after he wrote a scathing internal memo criticizing the company's diversity policies .

"Censorship is for losers, WikiLeaks is offering a job to fired Google engineer James Damore," Assange wrote on Twitter Tuesday. In the same post, Assange also linked to a WikiLeaks article he wrote called "Google Is Not What It Seems."

Damore, a now-former engineer at Google, accused the Silicon Valley web giant of suppressing conservative voices in a 10-page memo called Googles Ideological Echo Chamber ," which was circulated over the weekend.

[W]hen it comes to diversity and inclusion, Googles left bias has created a politically correct monoculture that maintains its hold by shaming dissenters into silence," the memo, which was initially published anonymously, said. He later confirmed in an email to Bloomberg that he had been dismissed for "perpetuating gender stereotypes."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees on Monday that parts of Damore's memo "violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace."

See the original post:
Wikileaks' Julian Assange Just Offered Google's Fired Anti-Diversity Employee a Job - Fortune

By Jonathan Zimmerman

Hey, check out those yahoos in Florida! Theyre censoring textbooks!

My fellow progressives have worked themselves into a good liberal lather over a new law in Florida that allows citizens to object to books assigned in the public schools. Promoted by conservative activists, who accused textbooks of fostering left-wing propaganda, the measure lets anyone in the state raise concerns about teaching materials and entitles those who object to a public hearing of their complaints.

Liberals immediately raised the specter of censorship, worrying that schools would purge information about sex, evolution and climate change.

But we should applaud rather than resist the popular scrutiny of textbooks, which has been a force for social justice and equality in other key moments in our past.

If you think otherwise, Ive got three words for you: Little Black Sambo.

Remember Sambo? He was the jolly, ostensibly Indian figure who dotted the pages of elementary school readers and spellers for much of American history.

Sambo became racist shorthand for a docile and childlike African-American who cheerily accepted his subjugation to the white master.

Hes gone from our textbooks, thankfully. And the reason is you guessed it citizen pressure on the schools. Starting in the 1940s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other African-American organizations issued a steady drumbeat of protest against Little Black Sambo and other types of racism in textbooks.

History books valorized the Ku Klux Klan. Music books featured the original lyrics of Stephen Foster songs, including the N-word and darky. Geography books described Africa as a dark continent of barbarity and superstition.

And in New York City, home to millions of Jews and African-Americans, schools taught an anti-Semitic and racist play called The Kings English.

It told the story of a boat shipwrecked on an island where a black cannibal Kawa Koo threatens to eat all 20 of the survivors.

Eventually, Kawa agrees to let a single passenger survive. The boats white captain, Ripley ORannigan, decides to select the person who speaks the best English. That draws gripes from the boats lone Jewish passenger, Perlheimer, who talks with both hands as he denounces Ripley.

Inklish? Vat for I speak Inklish? Perlheimer asks. I read Yiddische papers. I talk Yiddish mit mein friends. Ripley cuts him off. You may have him, Kawa! he tells the cannibal. America doesnt want him. Hes indigestible.

Black and Jewish protests led the New York schools to drop The Kings English in the early 1950s. Little Black Sambo held on a bit longer, but he mostly disappeared from our textbooks by the late 1960s.

Does that mean racism has been purged from school materials? Of course not. Just two years ago, a Texas citizen discovered that her sons history textbook described slaves as workers who came from Africa to America to work on agricultural plantations.

She objected, of course, and the publisher agreed to revise the offending passage. And that provided an object lesson in American democracy, which is always enhanced by citizen participation.

That doesnt mean every objection is valid, of course. Supporters of the new Florida law took aim at biology books describing evolution and human-made climate change, although both concepts are embraced by almost every informed scientist.

Others condemned history textbooks that allegedly praised government services at the expense of individual initiative and self-reliance.

But the answer to this challenge isnt to cut off citizen challenges, which would also prevent complaints of the sort that the Texas mom made. Nor should we squawk about censorship, which is the ultimate red herring in these debates. Im glad Little Black Sambo and The Kings English were censored, if by that term we mean their removal from the official curriculum. Arent you?

Instead, we liberals should use this occasion to call for more public engagement not less in school affairs. The Florida measure specifies that school boards must conduct an open public hearing about every citizen complaint before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer.

Theres our opening. When conservatives move to eliminate material about climate change or evolution, we need to flood these hearings to defend it. Weve got knowledge on our side, just as we did in the case of Little Black Sambo.

Depictions of slavery as a benign institution werent simply racist or offensive, although they were surely that. They were false.

Condemning the new Florida measure, one Democratic state legislator warned it could let anybody come in and complain about the history of slavery, or the fact that maybe we shouldnt have evolution in our textbooks. He was right, but it would be wrong to prevent that.

If you dont like what the schools are teaching, raise your voice. In America, thats the only way we get closer to the truth.

Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania, is the author (with Emily Robertson) of The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools (University of Chicago Press, 2017). Email at jlzimm@aol.com.

2017, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

See more here:
Jonathan Zimmerman column: Liberals worried about censorship forget about Sambo and the KKK - Richmond.com