An open letter to everyone who is about to start complaining about Tumblr's proposed plan to prohibit self-harm blogs:
I took a peek at some of the comments on the recent post that Tumblr is considering banning blogs that promote things like eating disorders and suicide. Predictably, many people are whining about how Tumblr is taking away their right to free speech.
If you are of this mindset, please note the following:
Such a policy does not encroach on your First Amendment right to free speech.
Tumblr, as a blogging platform, is literally incapable of violating your First Amendment rights.
The First Amendment, like most of the Bill of Rights, is a restraint on government. It does not grant you the right to free speech. It presumes that right, and specifically forbids Congress from taking it away. Via the Fourteenth Amendment and the doctrine of incorporation, that restraint has been expanded to the states.
Tumblr is not an arm of the government. It is a private entity and it is well within its rights to determine what type of content is or is not permissible on its bandwidth. If you find such restraints unacceptable, your options are twofold:
Suck it up and deal.
Stop using Tumblr.Yours,
Someone who has actually read the Constitution
