You see that Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin conversation, it is striking for many reasons. And I wonder if two writers or intellectuals can sit and talk like this today and disagree without one accusing the other of some ism or ing or ist. Everyone is too careful now.

Fake conformity everywhere. We only know what our friends truly think and believe in the DMs and private WhatsApp Chats. Things that however liberal they may be they feel too afraid to say publicly. Because some idiot will accuse them of something and they will get dragged.

I have heard writers male female straight gay and bisexual all express fear of saying what they really think on an issue. Which is why I am bored of most of the "debates" and "conversations" happening now which mostly consist of people parading their virtues and others nodding.

Quite a few serious thinkers are avoiding public debate and conversation. Because difference is now offence. And everyone is now forced to conform or be some weird version of an ally. Nothing in between. Sterile public declarations and manifestoes masquerading as conversations.

You differ with a popular person, it is called dragging or calling out, that stupid combative phrase and killer of thought and debate. Calling out. Not interaction. Not debate.
You differ with someone loved, it is called disloyalty or some other ism. I am bored, bored, bored.

I remember being sad listening to a well known writer who was worried that a thing she said might cause another writer to be upset. And I wondered if there was any real honesty in our public conversation if someone of this caliber was self censoring because of a colleague.