21–30 of 59 posts
Cancel culture is modern day book burning.
> edit: chatGPT version of my posting: While I acknowledge that the spread of hateful messages online can lead to tragic consequences, such as suicide, it is difficult to determine which political side causes more harm through speech. The impact of speech on individuals varies greatly, and not all individuals are equally resilient to criticism. In my opinion, businesses with a monopoly must serve all customers regard…
I will happily point out that pride in the former empire is exactly what's driving Russian aggression in the Ukraine at this moment.
Was the USSR an "empire" in the imperial sense (genuine question) ? I had thought the revolution was to destroy all that, remove the czar, bring in autocratic states, etc. I feel like there is a distinction here but I can't easily point to it. But they were very anti-empire afaik
If you accept this definition, the USSR was an empire in the exact same sense the Romans or the British were, they just instantiated the template a little differently.
It's sort of extraordinary that the conclusion of the piece is that the book was published and he was paid in full Poor guy
It was successfully cancelled at one publisher, he was just lucky/famous enough to find another. How many people don't get a second chance?
Free association is also an important liberal right.
Cancel culture is modern day book burning.
> edit: chatGPT version of my posting: While I acknowledge that the spread of hateful messages online can lead to tragic consequences, such as suicide, it is difficult to determine which political side causes more harm through speech. The impact of speech on individuals varies greatly, and not all individuals are equally resilient to criticism. In my opinion, businesses with a monopoly must serve all customers regard…
For those not reading the article, this is a tale of failed 'Cancellation' (if it can indeed be called as such). The “Ethics and Empire” project continues and grows, and the book “Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning” was published despite the initial publisher exercising their option to withdraw and not publish. Comments such as "research is only allowed to conclude .. " etc. are not supported here, just adages about twis…
The ability of people to refuse to understand that which they don't want to never ceases to amaze me.
His colleagues abandoned him, and his institution disavowed his work. That on rare occasion academics are famous, foolish, and stubborn enough to get their work out despite such disincentives does not mean such threats are not effective for the vast majority.
They hear the message loud and clear: If you go against the zeitgeist, you better be ready to weather the storm that'll bring upon you.
I will happily point out that pride in the former empire is exactly what's driving Russian aggression in the Ukraine at this moment.
Everything to do with colonialism = bad is such a boneheaded simplification, thank god there are academics brave enough to look at it from a non-hysterical perspective
Also pride leading to invasion is a non sequitur, Germans can be proud of Autobahns without wanting to invade Poland again
For some events, research is only allowed to conclude that they were as bad as we thought, or that they were even worse. Anything else is professional suicide. Like a control circuit only able to correct the system in one direction, it will drift in that direction without limit. It turns history first to myth, then to fairy tale.
What should be of no surprise to anyone, anywhere, is that people are deeply unmotivated to ever see the ends in a positive light if they were on the other end of that barrel full of evil means. Moreover, to say that someone should have pride in colonialism should translate to a tacit acknowledgement that colonialism was a great thing (if it's not great, why have pride in it at all?). And if it's a great thing why shouldn't we do it again?
I mean, does anyone genuinely think any value the Nazis produced would make up for the enormity of their evil? Should Germans have pride in Nazis because they helped pioneer rocketry?
For some events, research is only allowed to conclude that they were as bad as we thought, or that they were even worse. Anything else is professional suicide. Like a control circuit only able to correct the system in one direction, it will drift in that direction without limit. It turns history first to myth, then to fairy tale.
(Interestingly that article starts with mention of the massacre of Namibians by Germans. I don't think anyone is being "cancelled" over that, possibly because everyone involved was "cancelled" a lot harder in the middle of the 20th century for some reason)
I will happily point out that pride in the former empire is exactly what's driving Russian aggression in the Ukraine at this moment.
Was the USSR an "empire" in the imperial sense (genuine question) ? I had thought the revolution was to destroy all that, remove the czar, bring in autocratic states, etc. I feel like there is a distinction here but I can't easily point to it. But they were very anti-empire afaik
The ideals of the exceptional Republic make it the perfect overseer of the implementation of its system upon inferior nations that lack the vision or commitment to find and implement the perfect ideals. My impression from how it is coverred in the US is that the UK's early colonialism was simple feudal empire (the Queen is pleased with your venture) and late colonialism was of the Republican empire sort (they need our assigned administration to at least become a poor model of us).
I will happily point out that pride in the former empire is exactly what's driving Russian aggression in the Ukraine at this moment.
Was the USSR an "empire" in the imperial sense (genuine question) ? I had thought the revolution was to destroy all that, remove the czar, bring in autocratic states, etc. I feel like there is a distinction here but I can't easily point to it. But they were very anti-empire afaik