Those who stand idly by, who do nothing as the
basic freedom of
speech and
expression are taken away, are the ones responsible for
censorship. Whether the
movement originates in the far
left or the far
right, by the
young,
middle-aged, or
elderly, the
secular or the
sacred, it is the complicity of the idle that gives it power.
It matters little when a vocal minority seeks to oppress thought and expression if the majority is strong enough to protect the rights of everyone in the society. But if the majority is meek and seeks to shy away from the debate due to the fear of persecution, it is powerless. Those who sit on their hands and choose appeasement, rather than taking a stand and possibly stir up tension and debate, are ultimately responsible in the alienation of their own rights.
Who is to blame for censorship? It's not Tipper Gore, it's not some little old lady in the house on the corner. It is the idle, those who refuse to stand up for their own rights when they are threatened.