Last week, in his speech accepting the Anti-Defamation League’s International Leadership Award, actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen made an impassioned plea for internet censorship. Now, his speech has been adapted for a Washington Post “Perspective” piece, and he’s only too pleased to double down on his call for the government to police speech:
Very odd. Never expected to have an op-ed in The Washington Post. But it’s time to hold #MarkZuckerberg and the #SiliconSix accountable for spreading conspiracies and lies. Congress, what are you going to do?! https://t.co/y8Wz2NIx6W
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) November 25, 2019
Congress shouldn’t do anything. Because the government should not be the arbiters of speech. That may be how it works in other countries, but that’s not the way we do things here.
Your new role – the Censor – is well played but not funny :-/
— Daniel Steigerwald (@steida) November 25, 2019
Pro censorship is an interesting artistic take
— Mic Dre (@mic_p_dre) November 25, 2019
From the author of "Throw the Jew Down the Well" https://t.co/sQ8h0noeuz
— ?It's?Almost ⛄️Christmas? (@jtLOL) November 25, 2019
GP To be safe, we should probably censor all political comedy as well. And comedy routines that make people the butt of their jokes. And people who've made a living off those things should forfeit all earnings to the government. It's only right. https://t.co/I4GFNehWe8
— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) November 25, 2019
the guy who created Ali G calling for restrictions on speech has to be another prank -and could be his best one yet.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) November 25, 2019
It seems pretty clear at this point that this isn’t one of Cohen’s bits, much as it pains us to say it. He really seems to believe that government regulation of speech is the answer to our problems. And there’s nothing remotely funny about that.
Only internet censorship will save our democracy! https://t.co/gI5jjNSZ0v
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) November 25, 2019
Calling on Congress to act means not even pretending anymore about government restraint of speech.
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) November 25, 2019
Everyone thinks the censor will agree with them. Actually, the censor will censor them.
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) November 25, 2019
