by Dr. Susan Block.

Who are the worst censors—the Rightwing or the Left?

There’s no denying Free Speech is under attack, but which side causes more carnage and shuts down more expression in today’s Battle of the Bans?

Who dishes out more bans, restrictions, termination and censorship—the lunatic Right or the faux-“woke” Left?

In terms of sex, politics, war, peace, “freedom,” universalism, “bonoboism,” art or culture, and in the “commons”—that is, social media— our virtual public squares, who truly honors Free Speech?

Not that we definitively answer these burning, and potentially very divisive questions on this lively show, but we have a great, uncensored time speaking easy at the Speakeasy on the subject.

Who’s Censoring YOU?

Throughout civilized history to the present, the Right, especially the Religious Right, is pretty clearly the worst in terms of censoring facts, reason, diversity, justice and fairness, as well viciously and fascistically censoring millions of people’s very lives.

Though liberal Democrat Harry Truman certainly censored a lot of innocent people’s lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just to scare the Soviet Russians.

Furthermore, when it comes to censoring ME—and perhaps you—on social media, the Leftwing has been worse than the Right. Though calling the faux woke Silicon Valley corporate billionaires of META and YouTube—and their AI (artificial ignorance) handmaids—“Left” is an insult to true Lefties like me—and perhaps you.  

But they’re not Right either—at least not Elon Musk Right. Lately, in the whacky world of social media, the Left has gone Right, the Right has flown off the charts, and everything is upside down.

Most of my Lefty friends consider Twitter to be the WORST major social media, but for me, it’s been the best (so far). After all, when you’re being punched, kicked, terminated, ball-gagged and disabled by the “good guys,” and the bad guy offers you a hand—or at least leaves you alone—you appreciate it.

At least, I do.

That is, I did when Capt’n Max and I broadcast this show live. Then, within less than 24 hours, everything was not just turned upside down, but also inside out. As I said on this show (twice!), I hoped I wasn’t jinxing Twitter by praising it. Did I tempt fate? Turned out I did.

No, Twitter isn’t banning me (for now). However, Mr. Richy Rich Elona Musky, aka the treacherous Elon Musk has suddenly—as if jinxed… or like an abusive boyfriend who knows I have no place else to go—decided to change Twitter’s world-famous brand name of “Twitter” and its crowd-pleasing symbol of the beautiful Blue Tweety-Bird to “X.”

Last night, I was thanking the Bird for never having attacked me. Now there is no Bird. No Leftwing, no Rightwing; Elon has clipped Twitter’s wings, causing all of us Tweeters to crash to earth with a site-breaking thud.

Bye-bye Birdie! The Block Curse wasn’t meant for you. Though its target, Threads, can’t fly either, or even find the eye of a needle to push through its corporate brand-bloated butt.

Of course, Elon’s taboo and obviously sex-saturated letter “X” has some intriguing possibilities for sex educators like me. We shall see what enticing opportunities and fresh horrors we “woke” folks wake up to tomorrow.

Frank Moore & Friends

I continue to receive touching comments and letters of solidarity that warm my heart, even as I am frozen out of the META/YouTube/Reddit/Spotify Commons.

On this show, I read aloud my latest missives from Linda Mac and Mikee, friends who are carrying on the legacy of the great artist Frank Moore (who ran for President in 2008 with me as his proud running mate):

These corporations are not Conservative Republican organizations. They are Silicon Valley “liberal” organizations. These are the people who rallied in support of the rights of the Neo-Nazis to march in Skokie in the 1970s. When they so freely and easily censor what used to be considered free speech covered by the First Amendment and the Liberal half of the country supports it, who is going to support the work that we do that involves nudity, human intimacy or sexual content? The work we do is more dangerous than misinformation. By promoting human interaction and physical contact we undermine their ability to control us.

Then this came in from Paul Artman:

Thank you for this update. I am so sorry to hear and angry to know that Susan Block is being censored – Of all people!

I remember the Nazi march in Skokie. Skokie, Illinois was a mostly Jewish suburb just outside of Chicago. At the time I was living in Rogers Park just four miles away. If I am recalling correctly (it was over forty years ago) Skokie allowed the Nazi rally but encouraged everyone to stay as far away as possible. The rally was meant to be an intimidation tactic, and it scared many, but it ultimately failed as no one attended and the Nazi’s never returned. That was long ago – I maybe misremembering and history may have recorded it differently.

Max, if you are in contact with Susan Block please let her know I stand in solidarity with her.

Of course, Max let me know. Funny what people know and don’t know about us.

The more we learn, the less we know, and who knows what can crack the META bots or YouTube’s cruel and cold artificial ignorance (AI)? But we figure the more grassroots support, the better, so please sign the petition to reinstate my IG and Facebook accounts!

Meanwhile, we are taking Instagram to arbitration and starting up a union for social media content creators.  Join us!

RIP Tony Bennett

We also bid adieu to Tony Bennett, who has taken his final bow at the age of 96. Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in 1926. What a great musical artist, lover of life and decent human was the man we will always remember as Tony Bennett.

Almost everyone has a favorite Tony Bennett song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” or dozens more. Having grown up in the key of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll, I was oblivious to Tony Bennett until his sexy, husky voice seduced me with “Steppin’ Out” his 1993 comeback album which provided the romantic soundtrack to Max’s and my newlywed lovemaking. When I spoke at Sex Week at Yale 2006, the songstresses of Whim ‘n’ Rhythm serenaded me with what they deemed my theme song, “Lady is a Tramp.”

Tony Bennett was a great Lefty who strongly appealed to the Rightwing, a well-rounded guy who could go in any direction but always stood (and sang) for love, not war.

Most young people know Tony from his duets with Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, but long before that, he crooned his tunes with Judy Garland. Maybe I have a dirty mind (maybe?), but I always feel like he’s making vocal love with his female singing partners. He did seem to enjoy sex and love; he was married three times (with extras). He met his third wife Susan when she was 19 and he was 59—later realizing that he’d actually *met* her the year before when her mother attended one of his concerts while pregnant with Susan. Many would criticize, or even censor such a May-September union, but this seems to have been a love that lasted: Tony and Susan Benadetto were married for 40 years until he died.

Besides being a great singer (and lover), Tony was a great Lefty. He marched for Civil Rights with Dr. Martin Luther King, Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. He served in WWII and wrote in his autobiography, “The main thing I got out of my military service was the realization that I was completely opposed to war…. My life experiences, ranging from the Battle of the Bulge to marching with Martin Luther King, made me a life-long humanist and pacifist…and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior.”

In keeping with this show’s theme, Tony Bennett was a great Lefty who strongly appealed to the Rightwing, a well-rounded guy who could go in any direction but always stood (and sang) for love, not war.

Universalism, Bonoboism & Porn in Congress

We pick up five passengers on this Love Train over the course of four fun Callin calls, each with their own stories and points of view on censorship, sex and politics.

First on board is our old friend Joe Apollo who always talks up Universalism, but this time we also discuss the Bonobo Way, which he charmingly calls “bonoboism,” the Right, the Left, the tRump (about to be indicted for the perfect charge, the “mob” allegation of “Racketeering” for his brazen attempt to subvert the 2020 election), Joe Biden (riddled with problems, but who else could defeat Trumpty Dumpty in or out of prison?), erotic suppression, interracial sex and porn on the floor of Congress. Thank you for that last current event, Marjorie Taylor Greene, though considering you’re a proven cheater, maybe you shouldn’t be so hypocritical about Hunter Biden’s sexcapades.

Then we talk to Chris G., who sings a little “San Francisco,” promotes his mom’s new “Spirit of Grace” podcast and continues to speak out against my social media disabling. Speaking of which, he wonders, as a “disabled” autistic man, when will the corporate fascist powers-that-be decide to censor him and his life?

Next up is Dre Day, a first time Callin’er who points out that social media takes information from us, but never gives it up. Pretty unbalanced!

Finally, a couple of our favorite people, BeDaLoveLive, aka Chef Belive and Daniele Watts, featured in many DrSuzy.Tv shows and bacchanals, including our Bonoboville Reunion (soon to air on Vice TV…unless it’s censored like Vice’s documentary about Ron DeSantis’ Guantanamo torture experiences)!

As always, they are alive with love and light, as befits their name, currently living on a mountain that is populated with “weedwhackers,” was once inhabited by Jack London, creating “content” as always in their car.

Belive fondly recalls playing tRump in our Splosh show. It’s fitting that we wind up the FDR with them because they’ve always managed to straddle the stratifying Left/Right divide with more grace, humor, artistry, sexiness and a great sense of what Joe would call “Bonoboism” than anyone we know.

As for censorship, they’re not disabled, but they do feel like they’re shadow-banned, which is the opposite of that feeling that you’re being followed. It’s a feeling that you’re not being followed.

Since they’re in and around “show biz,” we namedrop the Barbie and Oppenheimer openings, which run together into Barbenheimer, even though none of us have seen either film. BeDaLoveLive almost saw Barbie but decided it might be too militant feminist/anti-male for their taste. As for Oppenheimer, the most explosive thing about this film on the making of the Atomic bomb seems to be a sex scene where Florence Pugh is topless. Even better for us sexy lefties, her character Jean Tatlock was a dues-paying Communist. Free the nipple and spread the wealth!

Speaking of spreading the wealth, if you haven’t already, please give what you can to our financially strapped friends at 910Weho or just attend one of their kink events.

Join Bonoboville, watch some of our free shows or specialty clips, or call us for erotic hypnosis and we just might fly you to the moon.

© July 22,  2023 Susan Block, Ph.D., a.k.a. “Dr. Suzy,” is a world renowned LA sex therapist, author of The Bonobo Way: The Evolution of Peace through Pleasure and horny housewife, occasionally seen on HBO and other channels. For speaking engagements, call 626-461-5950.