Kerby Anderson

Earlier this month, Netflix posted a memo to its employees that suggests that some companies are pushing back against progressive culture warriors within their organizations. The memo explained that: “If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you.”

Charles Cooke responded with the comment: “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Of course, it shouldn’t be that hard. As he observes, “If you don’t like soft drinks, it should be perfectly obvious that a job at Coca-Cola is not ideal. If you don’t like cattle, it should be clear that ranch life isn’t for you. And if you don’t like people saying things with which you disagree, then you shouldn’t work at one of the world’s largest streaming services.”

Karol Markowitz says that this Netflix memo and other reactions within the corporate world illustrate that “Americans have had enough of woke speech policing.” She explains that the Netflix memo “made news because it’s now seen as bold to stand up for free speech and open discourse. It seems so novel, letting viewers, and not 23-year-old gender-studies majors in their first job, pick what to watch.”

The temptation to censor comes easily for the digital generation. If they saw a comment from one of their Facebook friends they didn’t like, they could merely “unfriend” that person. If they received a text message, they thought was offensive from someone, they could block that person.

This digital generation grew up being protected from speech they didn’t like. And they exercised great control over what information came to them through their smartphones and computers. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Netflix employees protested Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy special last year.

That is why this Netflix memo was long overdue.