A short thread about 'cancel culture' and leftist 'censorship', after some thoughtful friends over on FB agreed that while they did not like the tone or signatories of That Letter they really did have to support the contents of That Letter. /1

I have been, albeit briefly, 'cancelled'. A few years ago, in the middle of a shitstorm of right wing abuse - death threats, people trying to get me fired (thanks for leaving that petition up, http://Change.org ! Nice to know any students who google me will find it!) - /2

I also fell afoul of some people on the 'left', who I would have thought of natural allies. Without going into detail, there was a fair amount of public shaming online and some repercussions with people I work with, and it was all very upsetting. One of the major consequences /3

was that I am now extremely wary, as a white woman, of voicing certain ideas in public. It was a horrible experience and made me seriously question whether I belonged in academia. There are now a lot of conversations I don't have and spaces I don't enter into. BUT!!!! /4

While the liberal moral panic about censorship might call this a threat to free speech and academic freedom, I was NEVER ACTUALLY SILENCED. I still have my job, I still teach and publish. No one tried to get me fired (other than racist trolls, thanks http://change.org ) /5

I chose to stop talking about topics and in places where I might be attacked, partly because I thought (and still think) the attacks were unjustified, but partly because they upset me a lot. I was not silenced, I was SHOUTED AT, and I could have shouted back if I was braver. /6

The point I'm trying to make here is that as much as this experience wounded me, my hurt feelings and inured pride do not equate to the real world consequences of losing your livelihood or even your life, destroying your mental or physical health, risks faced by people who /7

are *actually* silenced, without being given a platform to discuss it by a famous American magazine. Sure, we need to talk about these issues, bit if the conversation you're having is with a bunch of highly paid famous writers/scholars in the west /8

rather than with people whose *actual* freedom of speech is threatened, then you are missing the point by a country mile, and should go re-read Rob Nixon's Slow Violence to remind yourself of what it looks like when ideas are ACTUALLY silenced - people die, Felicia. /end

Rage typos are so embarrassing