EDITORIAL: Amazon cancels a Clarence Thomas documentary

You don’t have to agree with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ political philosophy to recognize that he is one of the most accomplished African Americans in U.S. history. One might think, then, that his achievements — his rise from poverty to a seat on America’s highest court — would be celebrated as an example of the strengths inherent in this nation’s diversity.

But for all their high-minded talk about inclusion, practitioners of the new “woke” culture are actually more interested in advancing an agenda of mind-numbing conformity. And Justice Thomas, a prominent and successful Black conservative with a wide libertarian streak, represents a threat to those who believe minorities should view the world solely through the lens of oppression and victimhood.

Thus Amazon has canceled Justice Thomas.

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley reported this month that the e-tail behemoth in February deleted a film about Justice Thomas from its streaming service. Michael Pack, director of the documentary “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” said no explanation was offered. “Our distributor, who’s the one who made the deal with Amazon, has repeatedly asked them for explanations but they haven’t given any,” he told Mr. Riley.

The film, which aired on PBS last year, was the product of numerous interviews with Justice Thomas and attempts to explore his thoughts on various issues, including race. At one point, Mr. Pack said, it was the No. 1 documentary on Amazon.

Mr. Riley notes that this isn’t the first time Amazon has attempted to suppress a documentary critical of “liberal social policies.” Last year, the company delayed showing Eli Steele’s film “What Killed Michael Brown,” which challenged the Black Lives Matter interpretation of Mr. Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. The company eventually backed down when Mr. Steele went public with his complaints.

Amazon officials have a right to dictate the content they offer, of course. But it’s worth noting that CEO Jeff Bezos is also the owner of The Washington Post and — at least in that capacity — should have an appreciation for the value of diverse viewpoints. In addition, Amazon’s move, irony of ironies, came at the onset of Black History Month.

“If you are a prominent Black figure who has been more focused on Black development than on black victimhood (Clarence Thomas, Shelby Steele, Robert Woodson ), or someone who is more interested in the results of a policy than in its intentions (Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams ), there is an attempt to write you out of Black history,” writes Mr. Riley, who is Black. “Wittingly or not, Amazon has used its power to abet this effort.”

That’s a shame, and it raises an important question: What is it about diversity of thought that so frightens the modern “progressive”?