Friday 24 July 2020

The cancer of counterproductive cancel culture

In our universities, college campuses and student union bars there is a dark and deeply depressing threat to free speech and open discussion. No platforming and cancel culture along with woke mentalities are curbing free speech by not allowing certain views, opinions and narratives, which do not accord with the prevailing spirit of the age, which I would call "wokeness". This wokeness does not permit or tolerate contrary opinion or any deviation from the supposed and supported orthodoxy. It embraces anti-racism as a sort of new religion, yet can permit and endorse violence and physical assault of any opponents, any enemies of this new creed. Sometimes it is, in fact, racist in condoning intimidation and assaults on white folks, or any folks, who criticize their methods and means of protest. Sometimes they accuse people of white supremacy and fascism without evidence or just cause. There is verbal and physical violence against the Police, Government officials, probation and social workers, voluntary and church workers and various institutions that they believe to be racist, anti LGBTQ +? and fascist. They have set themselves up as arbiters of social justice, social equality, and politically correct positions. They are intolerant and illiberal in stopping others from speaking out and following a different narrative. They wish to be judge, jury and jailers, providers of punishment without a fair hearing. They do not wish to hear and to listen to anything that departs from their position, and they are prepared to use violence and vandalism to obtain their ends. 

There is even an attempt to rewrite history, to remove facts and realities that do not fit into their narrow world view. Inconvenient truths are ignored and opinions with faulty interpretations override what actually occurred. This cancel culture and no platforming intolerance that opposes fair play and decency must be defeated. We need to wake up to the dangers of wokeness.

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Dedham

Dedham
River Stour