Harper's Letter on Justice and Open Debate

[T'Chenka]

I have to agree with this. Far left authoritarian "cancel culture" is harmful, especially in a modern context of social media hashtags and mobs that don't allow for nuanced discussion or critique. I'm okay with listening to people with offensive views, as it's a free country with free opinions. If they aren't especially harmful views, I don't see a need to "cancel" somebody. Will I stop supporting them? Yes. Will I vote against them? Yes. Will I lpudly criticize them? Yes. Should they lose their job? In many cases, no.

[T'Chenka]

cancel cancel culture #cancelcultureisoverparty

I don't even want to cancel cancel culture. I just want it to shrink to the point where it doesn't have society by the balls, and to the point where disagreeing with it is a common belief.

[T'Chenka]

Cancel culture is real, and it can be a serious problem (watch Contrapoints' video on it, it's the best examination of the topic I've seen anywhere) but these people are not victims and their entitled whining and sophomoric appeals to empty platitudes bring nothing of value to the conversation.

You just said yourself that it can be a serious problem. Of you or I say it, the average person isn't going to read our critiques of it. If these people say it, average people will see the critiques. If there is a problem in society, even if it's only a problem sometimes, SOMEBODY has to say SOMETHING or nothing is ever going to change.

[T'Chenka]

Cancel culture is real, and it can be a serious problem (watch Contrapoints' video on it, it's the best examination of the topic I've seen anywhere) but these people are not victims and their entitled whining and sophomoric appeals to empty platitudes bring nothing of value to the conversation.

You just said yourself that it can be a serious problem. Of you or I say it, the average person isn't going to read our critiques of it. If these people say it, average people will see the critiques. If there is a problem in society, even if it's only a problem sometimes, SOMEBODY has to say SOMETHING or nothing is ever going to change.

Bad-faith critiques based on misrepresentations, faulty logic and platitudes are not helpful to solving the problem, and if anything are more likely to make it worse.

What are you referring to here exactly? The letter in the OP? I'm not sure what you're talking about specifically.

[T'Chenka]

Cancel culture is real, and it can be a serious problem (watch Contrapoints' video on it, it's the best examination of the topic I've seen anywhere) but these people are not victims and their entitled whining and sophomoric appeals to empty platitudes bring nothing of value to the conversation.

You just said yourself that it can be a serious problem. Of you or I say it, the average person isn't going to read our critiques of it. If these people say it, average people will see the critiques. If there is a problem in society, even if it's only a problem sometimes, SOMEBODY has to say SOMETHING or nothing is ever going to change.

Bad-faith critiques based on misrepresentations, faulty logic and platitudes are not helpful to solving the problem, and if anything are more likely to make it worse.

What are you referring to here exactly? The letter in the OP? I'm not sure what you're talking about specifically.

Yeah, I'm talking about rich, powerful, socially influential people who suffer no meaningful impediment to spreading their ideas (and indeed have been doing so for years) whining that they are being silenced and that the lofty principles of free speech are under threat whenever their views are being challenged. These people are not the real victims (indeed, in some cases they themselves are encouraging harassment) and their criticism only reinforces the underlying logic of these sterile culture wars and therefore provide cover for the continued harassment and dogpiling that does happen in progressive spaces.

I'm not in the mood to go through the letter and point out why this criticism falls flat, but you see where I'm going with this, right? If not, let's pick up this conversation later.

Oh okay. Yeah, in the context of WHO wrote / signed the letter, I can see your point for sure. I just think the letter in and of itself, as it's own seperate entity, is a good thing, at least in theory. Somebody needs to advocate for this. It's a shame if the messengers are hypocrites, as the message us IMO important.