
Canadian free speech advocate John Ralston Saul discusses how censorship is creeping back into Western society as a result of a prioritization of economics. The dangerous “culture of managerialism,” in which “people are reduced to stakeholder status,”prevents citizens from freely voicing their opinions, he warns. Instead, individuals are constricted to stay loyal to certain groups; the employment contract, for instance, binds individuals to their workplace. Under these circumstances, Saul reveals, real public debate becomes impossible. To overcome this problem—a result of increased social sophistication and stratification—Saul argues that individuals must renew their commitment to freedom of expression in all its”ugly” and “rough-and-tumble” nature.