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I don't understand this article. If Saudi Arabia does not have free speech how is Netflix suppose to up hold it there? Also Free Speech is a right/protection fr

I don't understand this article. If Saudi Arabia does not have free speech how is Netflix suppose to up hold it there? Also Free Speech is a right/protection from the government it doesn't have anything to do with private companies like Netflix. Finally the author acts like free speech is universal, "As America’s new media overlords grow at a stunning rate, expanding into every nook and cranny of the globe where governments will let them in, are they compelled to defend universal values like free speech that their home country was founded on?" The majority of countries don't have free speech like the United States does, so I wouldn't call it a universal value.

pbhjpbhj 8y ago
Freedom of speech is a concept, in USA there is a specific protection to prevent government from inhibiting free speech in certain ways. That doesn't mean that non-government persons are unable to inhibit free speech. It's curious that USA's media corporations' [gamut of] values do get promoted through their productions. In more open societies they're just presented as is.
- 2trill2spill 8y ago
  That's not how it works in the United States. As a non government entity Netflix is perfectly within their right to censor or restrict their customers any way they see fit, as long as they don't discriminate based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Also It seems people in Saudi Arabia have no right to freedom of speech unlike in the United States.
  - pbhjpbhj 8y ago
    Could you say that again, I can't see how it disagrees with anything I said. Also, AIUI Netflix can discriminate so long as it's consistent with the concept of "positive discrimination". So they can say "we're not having your show because you're a white male", or "we want you to include a homosexual lead character", or similar.
    - 2trill2spill 8y ago
      > So they can say "we're not having your show because you're a white male", or "we want you to include a homosexual lead character", or similar. Netflix can't discriminate against anyone for their race, including white males.

pbhjpbhj 8y ago

Freedom of speech is a concept, in USA there is a specific protection to prevent government from inhibiting free speech in certain ways. That doesn't mean that non-government persons are unable to inhibit free speech. It's curious that USA's media corporations' [gamut of] values do get promoted through their productions. In more open societies they're just presented as is.

2trill2spill 8y ago
That's not how it works in the United States. As a non government entity Netflix is perfectly within their right to censor or restrict their customers any way they see fit, as long as they don't discriminate based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Also It seems people in Saudi Arabia have no right to freedom of speech unlike in the United States.
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  Could you say that again, I can't see how it disagrees with anything I said. Also, AIUI Netflix can discriminate so long as it's consistent with the concept of "positive discrimination". So they can say "we're not having your show because you're a white male", or "we want you to include a homosexual lead character", or similar.
  - 2trill2spill 8y ago
    > So they can say "we're not having your show because you're a white male", or "we want you to include a homosexual lead character", or similar. Netflix can't discriminate against anyone for their race, including white males.