Jimmy Kimmel’s “indefinite suspension” is the latest in a long line of capitulations by broadcasters, law firms, and universities to the political demands of the Trump administration. The response from Democrats has been, to put it politely, pathetic, disorganized; and utterly ineffective.
Since I've been in the US, now more than a quarter century, Fox "News" has lied brazenly, dragging public sentiment to the right. It's right wing bias allowed Trump an outlet for his authoritarian rhetoric which ultimately won him, astonishingly, a popular vote majority. Conservatives who for years bitched and moaned incessantly about “cancel culture” had no problem with Fox because its lies served their political ends. But when comedy shows, not news, not policy forums, but comedy, dare to mock Trump, they’re shut down by threats and intimidation from the Trump administration. And those crusaders for free speech who inveighed against "cancel culture" are, unsurprisingly, nowhere to be found. The one exception is Ted Cruise who was the only conservative brave enough to take his head out of the sand and point out that what is good for the goose might be good for the gander.
What to do? One possibility is to hunker down and hope that the storm blows over. But that's three and a half years and will any of those whose shows have been forced off the air want to wait that long?
A second is to create an internet streaming subscription service (imagine Comedy Central 2.0 a comedy somewhat akin to F1 TV) that isn't beholden to the FCC and so remains out of the immediate clutches of an authoritarian government, clearly committed to silencing any dissenting voices. All the "cancelled" comedy shows would find a home there as bog name "anchor" shows that draw in viewers. The channel would have a variety of other comedy too; sitcoms, stand up routines from up-and coming artists, and comedy specials. Dave Chappelle might even be persuaded to appear.
A third is to get down into the gutter with the MAGA authoritarian venture; when (an assumption to be sure) Trump is ousted and a Democrat sits in the Oval office, take the gloves off and shut down Fox News for its biased disinformation. If Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and (soon Jon Stewart) are canceled by what amounts of blackmailing by the Trump administration, then Democratic leaders should send a very clear message that they will take similar action against what they see as dangerous speech in the media. The dilemma for the left is that their brand is built on playing by the rules; but clearly that isn't working. No one seems to care when the rules are broken when norms are trampled on a long standing precedents are overturned. But abandoning that ordered society will further stoke division and take us further down a path that ultimately leads to another civil war. But the alternative is to acquiesce to an authoritarian regime that wields power for its own self-interested ends.
It is deeply ironic that Kimmel's show was suspended for his on-air comments relating to the murder of Charlie Kirk, someone who was committed to free speech.
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