The power of the mobs is tremendous: Bret Weinstein
The American podcaster and author responds to uproar at Netflix over Dave Chappelle's controversial special
The American Civil Liberties Union is heading in the "exact opposite direction" of its original mandate in what appears to be an "extremely alarming" shift by the group, commentator and podcast host Bret Weinstein said Wednesday.
Weinstein was asked about the recent amicus brief filed by the ACLU in an appearance on "Fox News Primetime," which argues against Loudoun County Circuit Court's decision to reinstate teachers who have refused to use "gender-affirming" pronouns in the classroom. The action follows a refusal by three teachers to go along with the district’s requirement to use the preferred pronouns of students who identify as transgender.
Weinstein said the ACLU's recent actions have signaled a troubling leftward shift by the very group tasked with defending U.S. civil liberties.
Supporters of the academic doctrine known as Critical Race Theory and transgender students meet outside the Loudoun County School Board headquarters before a school board meeting, in Ashburn, Virginia, U.S. June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
THE ACLU HAS NOT FILED ONE LAWSUIT AGAINST BIDEN IN FIRST 100 DAYS, DESPITE CRISIS AT BORDER
"We have to be a little careful, because there is the question of the teachers right to speak without being compelled, we also have children in the line of fire here," he said, "but I must say that I am increasingly alarmed to see the ACLU not only fail to live up to its mandate, but appear to act in the exact opposite direction.
Weinstein said the group is now "functionalizing history."
"It did when it altered Ruth Bader Ginsburg's quote to make it gender-neutral. It acted on behalf of sensors as it did when it supported Amazon in it’s barring of Abigail Shrier's book, and now we see them coming out in favor of compelled speech," he explained. "It’s extremely alarming, because the ACLU is effectively the last line of defense of these civil liberties."
People rally in support of the Netflix transgender walkout and others in support of comedy and free speech, on October 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California - Netflix bosses braced for an employee walkout and rally in Los Angeles on October 20, 2021 as anger swelled over a new Dave Chappelle comedy special that activists say is harmful to the transgender community. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Weinstein was asked earlier about the tensions outside a Netflix headquarters where employers clashed with counter-protesters over standup comedian Dave Chapelle's right to freedom of speech amid his controversial comedy special.
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"I think fortunately for Dave Chappelle, he is big enough to endure whatever they throw at him," the podcast host said, "but most people are not and the amount of pressure that can be exerted by these mobs is absolutely tremendous."
"It is actually reshaping what we can say to each other and eventually," he warned, "it will shape what we are able to think."
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