The irony here is particularly thick. First Avenue has long been known for promoting controversial artists, most notably, Prince, the artist whose work is arguably most responsible for prompting the 1980s-era congressional hearings on music decency and even the “Parental Advisory” label on albums. First Avenue even featured in Prince’s film, “Purple Rain.”

Would critics who argue Chappelle should’ve been canceled also celebrate the cancellation of Prince and other artists of the eighties as a victory for the free speech of Tipper Gore or the Parents Music Resource Center? I doubt it.

Comedians like Chappelle are unique in their willingness to wade into sensitive topics like race and transgender issues, which most people are unwilling to talk openly about for fear of social consequence. They depend on institutions that are willing to tolerate or even embrace envelope-pushing. Publishers canceling book contracts, record stores pulling albums from the (real or virtual) shelves, and venues canceling artists of all descriptions may be within their constitutional rights, but that’s no reason to celebrate them. These businesses are not self-contained. They are cultural institutions, and every decision to drop a writer, artist, musician or comedian because some members of the community do not like their work is a loss for both freedom of expression and artistic freedom.