Can the Left Take a Joke? Satire, Censorship, and Free Speech

Please do not bring any bags, liquids, food, or containers. 

On Wednesday, September 30, at 7:00pm, the Buckley Institute will be pleased to host Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, for a presentation titled "Can the Left Take a Joke?: Satire, Censorship, and Free Speech."

Free speech is under increasing pressure. Cultural tides and institutional forces can determine which ideas are amplified, suppressed, or silenced. But humor and satire have long been powerful tools for challenging and exposing this kind of censorship. Drawing on his experiences with The Babylon Bee, Seth Dillon will consider what it takes to defend the freedom to speak--and to laugh--even when the speech and jokes might be controversial.

Join the Buckley Institute for a conversation about the importance of protected speech and the role satire plays in our public discourse.

This event is free and open to the public and is made possible by Young America's Foundation's Irving Brown Lecture Series.

Seth Dillon is the CEO of The Babylon Bee, the world's most trusted, factually accurate news source. Taking on the tone of a traditional news media publication, the Bee satirizes real-world events and public figures. Dillon's experience with censorship and deplatforming has placed him on the front lines of the battle for free speech in the public square. He now speaks on college campuses and at conferences across the country about the effectiveness of humor, the moral imperative of mockery, and the dangers of censorship. He occasionally signs off Twitter to enjoy time with his wife and two sons in Juno Beach, Florida.