No one else. The 1st Amendment only states the government cannot ban you from speaking, protesting, etc. Private citizens/companies can do that. We have separate laws that protect people from discrimination, which only work in theory, but the 1st Amendment doesn’t. People are not denying Chick-fil-a their 1st Amendment rights by saying we should boycott them and not eat their anymore. Congress cannot pass a law stating no one can eat at Chick-fil-a because of their stance on same-sex marriage. However, the public can tell everyone not to eat their because surprise they have the right to do that. You know, the 1st Amendment applies to them as well. It’s embarrassing how few people understand how the 1st Amendment works.
Emphasis mine because I seriously can’t believe how often I have to explain this to people.
Oh, now we’re saying that requesting Comedy Central not air Daniel Tosh’s show is a violation of his freedom of speech?
…I think some folks on tumblr need a lesson in what “freedom of speech” actually means.
Free·dom of speech
Noun: The right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint.
But you see, no one is stopping him from saying anything he wants. Everyone has the right time say whatever they damn well please (barring some exceptions like hate speech and slander), but no one has the RIGHT to be broadcast on a PRIVATE television network who controls their own content (and to get paid by them for it, on top of that). Having that job and amplification of his voice is a privilege. Otherwise anyone and everyone else in the US would have the right to their own television shows on Comedy Central or any other network they like.
But that’s not how it goes. Tosh can do whatever they hell he wants- with his own time and money. If he WERE to get canceled by Comedy Central, there’s nothing stopping him from doing a new show online or elsewhere, especially if he owns and distributes it fully himself. But if he’s using privately-owned enterprises to distribute material, those enterprises can decide for themselves whether or not they want to do so, and certainly their patrons can ask for content they like.
So I say again: some people need a lesson in what “freedom of speech” means. Tosh’s only RIGHT is that he can say what he wants without facing legal trouble.
(Source: lostgrrrls)
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