David Mamet: When People With An Opposing View Are Cancelled, We’re Going To End Up With A Totalitarian State
David Mamet appeared on Bill Maher's HBO program to discuss his latest book, "The Recessional On The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch," and what the impact of cancel culture could mean for the future of America. Tweet
Playwright, screenwriter-director, and author David Mamet appeared on Bill Maher’s HBO program to discuss his latest book, “The Recessional On The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch,” and what the impact of cancel culture could mean for the future of America.
“Let’s be honest, a lot of your book is calling out the left for their goofiness,” Maher said to his guest.
“I’m not here to flog the book, which is called ‘The Recessional On The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch,’ people, but the point is we have to have free speech,” Mamet said. “Without free speech we have nothing because if one group takes the high road. It doesn’t matter which group it is. If they’re in power long enough, we’re going to have a police state. So when it’s not acceptable to have an opposing view, when people who state an opposing view are not disagreed with but are marginalized and canceled, we’re going to end up with a totalitarian state because that’s the way human nature works.”
“We see in the book that you do like Trump, which is fine,” Maher said to Mamet. “We’re not there together on that one but I’ve said many times on this show you cannot hate everyone who likes him. It’s half the country and I understand why people are driven into his arms because of the goofiness.”
“God Bless you,” Mamet responded. “Seriously. Because if we don’t have free speech, what do we got?”
Mamet also clarified a position that he thought the 2020 election was stolen in favor of President Joe Biden. Mamet said the media suppressed any negative stories about Biden, such as Hunter Biden’s laptop, in order to push the election in Biden’s favor.
“The more important point as I think about it is that a lot of the information that might have influenced the election was suppressed. And that’s true. For example, the ‘New York Post’ came up with an article about the Hunter Biden laptops two weeks before the election and Twitter shut them down,” Mamet said.
“Which was way wrong, I mentioned that on this show last week. Absolutely,” Maher said.
“What happened in Bush v. Gore everybody on the left, including me at the time, said ‘Wait, they stole the election!’ And perhaps they did, I don’t know. But this is not a moment in American politics,” Mamet said.
