Salman Rushdie on censorship in America today

Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie says the attack on free expression now comes from both the left and the right.

"60 Minutes" is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen's Top 10.

[mtnwriter]

"How would we ever challenge ourselves if we were not challenged?" The quote which should be repeated over and over and over today.

[TimHerk]

"Offense industry" - great way of putting it.

[middleclassretiree]

It’s so nice to listen to a intelligent person sharing their wisdom rather than having falsehoods shouted at us by a person of limited intelligence and little regard for the truth and the society we live in

[bailbondsyesbailbonds]

the “orthodoxy” amongst young people in particular is alarmingly real

[LloydBraun]

It's wonderful to hear a humble man talk simply about his legacy.

[ninamo]

There are people who are fervently against books that THEY HAVEN'T READ.

[elizabethpowers]

The first Rushdie book I ever read was Haroun and the Sea of Stories and it was absolutely delightful. People should read Rushdie because he's a high quality writer and these days that is an all too rare thing.

[alfonsomango_suyu]

"Offense has become an aspect of identity politics" So true

[guerillawhite]

His spectacle eyepatch is so badass lol

[godofcycling]

Man, that guy will not give up. Good on him

[drogbaevah]

Sadly, most young people feel that the right to never be offended is more important than the right to free speech. Scary times.

[colleen]

"How would we ever challenge ourselves if we weren't challenged?" Well, that's part of the problem, nobody wants to be challenged. Might make one (gasp!) uncomfortable.

[tommcfadden]

A religion that fears criticism is a weak one indeed.

[Dee-jqob]

I remember right before the book came out and all the controversy and death threats. The first thing my husband and I did was to buy two copies the day it came out. Have to show support whenever anyone tries to ban a book, don’t like don’t read it, but you can’t take it away from everyone else.

[josephtafur]

Mr Rushdie is right about censorship
Both sides are equally doing it
And it does more harm than good

[DrDetfink]

Anderson Cooper’s facial tic after Rushdie condemned American censorship was interesting.

[maruzik]

There are men who struggle for a day and they are good. There are men who struggle for a year and they are better. There are men who struggle many years, and they are better still. But there are those who struggle all their lives: These are the indispensable ones.

Bertolt Brecht

[MrSpock]

I love how Anderson Cooper sits there with the "not me" look!!! He would never censor anything - yeah right....

[renabouj]

I thank Larry David every single day for having introduced Salman Rushdie to me.

[rcisneros]

Hang in there SR! Keep getting better.