This "better to curb censorship" issue is a non starter except for among David's group of wonky wokes 'cos censorship occurs at the first attempt to publish / broadcast... it's not a matter of preventing "free speech" it's all about how free speech gets made public through media... except perhaps thr remaining available free online social media.. Most public awareness is generated by massively capitalised broadcast and print media such as David's fed by and feeds: "Big Media" and that big media is mostly restrictive about allowing access to input from the public therefore although apparently championing free speech is in effect covertly acting as censors... although of course among the professionals, the editors, it's called editing wherever... Russia, BBC , Fox, dah di dah di dah
In my daughter’s school it’s the kids, especially the girls. They’ll happily ostracise one of their own and make their life hell for straying mildly off the party line. Teachers are powerless to stop them even if some want to.
There was also the 'so daft it's funny' instance of a Utah school banning the bible because it's vulgar and violent (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65794363). Pretty soon Americans will have sod all left to look at or read ...
The observation that "the penis-averse Floridian parents would be offended by practically anything Leith Arches puts on stage" is quite important. If each side could see how similar they are to those they think are quite different, they might begin to wonder how soundly based their views are.
Playing devil's advocate, when does offensive speech become hate speech? However, scared bureaucrats will push anyone (else) under a bus before you can say free spe..., rather than have this mutually damaging conversation. As Charlie Munger said, "Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome".
It’s that these “small and petty” incidents from across the globe create a level of self censorship as well as encouraging those that wish to censor. The urge to censor is as strong on the left as on the right, whilst they’d disagree strongly on what to censor they’d seem to agree that censorship is necessary to “protect the public” and whilst the examples from the US seem to indicate a gradual shift towards a theocratic society, in the UK it would seem there is a move (mostly the left/progressive side of politics) to censor based on a version of dogma. In that there is a ‘RIGHT’ kind of free speech and all else should be suppressed or removed . The Right in the UK also wish suppress what they do not like and use examples like the one at the Edinburgh Fringe to ridicule the “offended generation”.
The nature of free speech is that some people will say things that others dislike or find offensive, once you curtail freedom of speech however good your intentions are you set the precedent. The Labour government under Blair started this agenda back in the late 90s with changes to the Public Order Act and since then successive governments have continued to add restrictions.
I fear that self censorship is the biggest concern for those in Education, entertainment, law enforcement and public life is already here and every new example of incidents like those raised here further add to this self imposed censorship. I see no sign that things will change for the better any time soon
What is this new rich Western censorial pathology actually made of? Probably not the OSTENSIBLE 'issue' in most cases. Rich Westerners have been taught to be performative.... 'protest' has been sanctified as a good in itself (irrespective of whether there is actually anything to protest about)....having an 'opinion' about everything is part of the performance. Rampant narcissism really at bottom.
Outside of the rich West - as you rightly say - things are very different. Protesting and being opinionated is dangerous and something you don't do without courage. And of course, like everything in our culture, the petri-dish is academia. Example: "in 2017, at Evergreen State College, a biology professor had his class invaded by a frenzied mob hurling ‘Fuck you, you piece of shit’ type abuse. The professor, ironically a lifelong progressive, “had refused to obey an edict from Evergreen’s Director of First Peoples Multicultural Advising Services that all white faculty cancel their courses for a day and…white students were also ordered to absent themselves from the school to show ‘solidarity’.” Evergreen’s president expressed his “gratitude” for the mob’s “passion and courage”". https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/how-diversity-narrows-the-mind
First they take offence...
This "better to curb censorship" issue is a non starter except for among David's group of wonky wokes 'cos censorship occurs at the first attempt to publish / broadcast... it's not a matter of preventing "free speech" it's all about how free speech gets made public through media... except perhaps thr remaining available free online social media.. Most public awareness is generated by massively capitalised broadcast and print media such as David's fed by and feeds: "Big Media" and that big media is mostly restrictive about allowing access to input from the public therefore although apparently championing free speech is in effect covertly acting as censors... although of course among the professionals, the editors, it's called editing wherever... Russia, BBC , Fox, dah di dah di dah
nic mcGerr
Great piece. Slightly off-topic... I find Michael McIntyre offensive.
In my daughter’s school it’s the kids, especially the girls. They’ll happily ostracise one of their own and make their life hell for straying mildly off the party line. Teachers are powerless to stop them even if some want to.
Thanks for saying this so eloquently
There was also the 'so daft it's funny' instance of a Utah school banning the bible because it's vulgar and violent (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65794363). Pretty soon Americans will have sod all left to look at or read ...
Excellent
The observation that "the penis-averse Floridian parents would be offended by practically anything Leith Arches puts on stage" is quite important. If each side could see how similar they are to those they think are quite different, they might begin to wonder how soundly based their views are.
Totally agree. Well said!
Playing devil's advocate, when does offensive speech become hate speech? However, scared bureaucrats will push anyone (else) under a bus before you can say free spe..., rather than have this mutually damaging conversation. As Charlie Munger said, "Show me the incentive and I'll show you the outcome".
It’s that these “small and petty” incidents from across the globe create a level of self censorship as well as encouraging those that wish to censor. The urge to censor is as strong on the left as on the right, whilst they’d disagree strongly on what to censor they’d seem to agree that censorship is necessary to “protect the public” and whilst the examples from the US seem to indicate a gradual shift towards a theocratic society, in the UK it would seem there is a move (mostly the left/progressive side of politics) to censor based on a version of dogma. In that there is a ‘RIGHT’ kind of free speech and all else should be suppressed or removed . The Right in the UK also wish suppress what they do not like and use examples like the one at the Edinburgh Fringe to ridicule the “offended generation”.
The nature of free speech is that some people will say things that others dislike or find offensive, once you curtail freedom of speech however good your intentions are you set the precedent. The Labour government under Blair started this agenda back in the late 90s with changes to the Public Order Act and since then successive governments have continued to add restrictions.
I fear that self censorship is the biggest concern for those in Education, entertainment, law enforcement and public life is already here and every new example of incidents like those raised here further add to this self imposed censorship. I see no sign that things will change for the better any time soon
What is this new rich Western censorial pathology actually made of? Probably not the OSTENSIBLE 'issue' in most cases. Rich Westerners have been taught to be performative.... 'protest' has been sanctified as a good in itself (irrespective of whether there is actually anything to protest about)....having an 'opinion' about everything is part of the performance. Rampant narcissism really at bottom.
Outside of the rich West - as you rightly say - things are very different. Protesting and being opinionated is dangerous and something you don't do without courage. And of course, like everything in our culture, the petri-dish is academia. Example: "in 2017, at Evergreen State College, a biology professor had his class invaded by a frenzied mob hurling ‘Fuck you, you piece of shit’ type abuse. The professor, ironically a lifelong progressive, “had refused to obey an edict from Evergreen’s Director of First Peoples Multicultural Advising Services that all white faculty cancel their courses for a day and…white students were also ordered to absent themselves from the school to show ‘solidarity’.” Evergreen’s president expressed his “gratitude” for the mob’s “passion and courage”". https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/how-diversity-narrows-the-mind