Reason's 17th annual Webathon is just about over. But it's not too late to give!
So before this once-a-year give-us-your-money party concludes, I want to make one more appeal: Give us your money, because Reason will always stand on the side of open debate and free speech.
Over the last decade, Americans have seen a notable degradation in the culture of free speech, especially online.
The desire to shut down speech isn't limited to one party or side. From campus shout-downs to online cancellations to social media shadow bans and various forms of demonetization, our cultural and political discourse has been overtaken by self-appointed censors who think that the best way to promote good speech is by stopping others from saying what they believe. Somehow, we've even gotten to the point where some people think it's a mistake for journalists to interview politicians with beliefs they find objectionable.
Often this impulse has been justified on the grounds that the speech in question is hateful, impolitic, or part of a campaign of mis- or disinformation. The censors insist that it's not really censorship, because it's for the public good.
The problem is that censorship doesn't stop bad speech, it just pushes it into the shadows. It's a form of prohibition, and it creates what is essentially a black market for ideas. In the process, it fuels demand for ideas that have been labeled dangerous, sometimes with ugly results. Censorship paves the way to distrust, institutional decay, and social unrest.
At Reason, in contrast, we believe that the best way to respond to bad speech is with more speech—with argument, with persuasion, with humor, with evidence, with civil but forceful debate about the big ideas that define our world.
When you support Reason, you support free speech, open debate, the politics of persuasion—and even, now and then, some feisty arguments.
We believe in the value of debate so much that later this month we are starting a brand! New! Debate series!
It's called Reason Versus.
Reason Versus is a live, in-person, butts-in-seats debate series that pits Reason against other organizations on big ideas that divide us. The inaugural edition will be hosted by me, and it will take place at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, December 18. The first! Ever! Reason Versus will pit Reason's Editors at Large Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie against Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller of The Bulwark. The proposition? "You don't have to take sides in politics."
This isn't our only debate series: Reason also sponsors The Soho Forum, a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City.
And when we're not hosting debates, we're having conversations on shows like The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie and Just Asking Questions.
Our goal, always, is to put more good speech—more good ideas and arguments and evidence—into the world. Because the hard but valuable work of persuasion, not censorship or shutdowns, is how you ultimately win the battle of ideas.
Donate to Reason today to help us host more debates and more conversations. Your support helps us fight those battles—and win.
The post Support <i>Reason</i> To Support Free Speech and Open Debate appeared first on Reason.com.
