Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
tarahenley.substack.com
Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
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Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#2I am a leftie, but the only radio station I listen to is CBC. I have to admit that I get irritated by the organizations narrow focus these days.
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#3> It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change.
I've heard people say something similar, about how they were left-wing when they were young, but found themselves right-wing when they were older, without changing their politics, because the next generation had moved the Overton window, but it's surprising to hear of an environment where the shift happened in the space of 18 months.
I think that many people on the right imagine that identity politics is the true form of left-wing politics, and that it was invented by Karl Marx for some reason, but experiences like Tara Henley's suggest that identity politics is more like an aggressive meme that takes over the brains of some subset of people who happen to gravitate towards left-wing politics, and it perhaps has a disingenuous astroturf form which appeals to people on the right as a way to shield themselves from left-wing criticism.
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#4> It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change. I've heard people say something similar, about how they were left-wing wh…
The article didn't say what happened. Did they turn over everyone but her in the 18 months? Or did everyone but her change their position? Or did everyone but her decide that they had to look and act like they changed their position in order to fit with new directions coming down from on high?
She didn't say. I wish she had; I would like to know what drove the change.
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#5> It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change. I've heard people say something similar, about how they were left-wing wh…
I’ll admit that I’m one of the people who’s increasingly convinced that what she’s describing is the true form of left-wing politics, at least right now, and I’m saying this as a leftist.
I think at its core, true workable leftism is about compassionate pragmatism: trying to make the world better for as many people as possible. What disturbs me most about the ultra-woke brand of leftism is that it isn’t pragmatic at all, to say nothing of compassionate. I believe you’re correct that what Henley describes is very similar to a meme: it’s simplistic, reductive, and easy. You can feel like you made a difference without having to do the hard work of actually making a difference.
That’s what bothers me so much about it. It’s an approach that’s primarily self-focused: venting one’s rage, posturing for the sake of boosting one’s social status. It's not really about helping other people—any more than the moral codes of right-wing religious fundamentalism are about actually being a decent person—and it definitely isn’t close to realistic as far as effectively changing anything.
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#6> "It is to endlessly document microaggressions but pay little attention to evictions; to spotlight company’s political platitudes but have little interest in wages or working conditions. It is to allow sweeping societal changes like lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and school closures to roll out — with little debate. To see billionaires amass extraordinary wealth and bureaucrats amass enormous power — with little scrutiny. And to watch the most vulnerable among us die of drug overdoses — with little comment."
Your movement (progressivism) has been co-opted. The same happened to the religious right a generation ago. Grifters told you that winning was the most important thing, and that politicizing identity was how to do it. Now your views have been reduced to platitudes and slogans meant to mobilize sheep and distract from real issues while the powerful plunder (as they always have). I'd say, "learn for next time," but let's be honest, it will be some other movement (likely one that rises out of opposition to this current one) that will be the next one to be co-opted, and you won't be part of it because it will be ostensibly "right wing."
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#7> It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change. I've heard people say something similar, about how they were left-wing wh…
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Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#8Henley's departure from the CBC is a real blow to that organization. The loss of her reporting on critical issues like "Can hitting snooze and taking a long lunch be the real keys to success?" [0] or "Five West Coast hikes you probably don't know about (but should!)" [1] will be catastrophic to Canadians' ability to understand what's happening in the world around them.
In all seriousness, I imagine that Henley decided that writing sponsored content for CBC wasn't a solid career, and wanted to get on that contrarianism gravy train that folks like Bari Weiss have been pioneering.
Check out the rest of the articles published under Henley's byline—they're all in the same vein: https://www.cbc.ca/life/work-money/author/tara-henley-1.4401...
[0] https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/can-hitting-snooze-and-taki...
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/five-west-coast-hikes-you-p...
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#9> It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change. I've heard people say something similar, about how they were left-wing wh…
The article didn't say what happened. Did they turn over everyone but her in the 18 months? Or did everyone but her change their position? Or did everyone but her decide that they had to look and act like they changed their position in order to fit with new directions coming down from on high? She didn't say. I wish she had; I would like to know what drove the change.
Elite overproduction leads to society-wide purity spirals.
Re: Speaking Freely: Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
#10[deleted]