What happens when the “culture war” arms race gets out of hand?
Hyperbole leads the day, institutions get caught in the crossfire, censorship reigns supreme, and your opinion might be next on the chopping block. That could be the outcome of a controversy involving Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution if we don’t do something now.
Six state senators from Pennsylvania are calling on the museum to cancel Moms for Liberty's rental of its space next Thursday.
When our political leaders use the weight of their office to pressure an institution to cancel an event with which they disagree, they escalate the conflict and create an environment where we are all less free to speak.
Faced with this pressure, institutions may feel they have no choice but to cave and cancel. But heeding calls for cancellation sets a terrible precedent, only encouraging future attempts to cancel speakers. Next time, when people on the “other side” want to cancel something, they will expect the same results.
To stop this arms race, we have to lay down our muskets.
Tell the Museum of the American Revolution not to cave to demands to cancel this event. Even if you don’t like Moms for Liberty, remember: Your group could be next.