If you were among the group that has minimized the insanity of recent wokeness-gone-mad, and if you have dismissed the concerns of the Harper's open letter as unimportant whining, then this letter too will probably fail to move you the way it moved me. https://www.bariweiss.com/resignation-letter
To those who say that most concerns about so-called "cancel culture" are simply criticism of speech that criticizes *other* speech: Yes, technically the nonsense described below is "speech." But it's speech with a *purpose to silence*. I think that's different. You don't??
Now, a descent into absolutist positions, while attractive, is doomed to failure. It detracts from the fist-pumping "damn right!" reactions this thread might otherwise elicit to note that the dismissal of Blake Neff from Tucker Carlson's show was appropriate. But it was.
And dismissing Neff "silenced" him, to a degree. So the question whether to "silence" speech is not an absolute one -- WE SHOULD NEVER DO IT!!! -- but rather a judgment call. This is an overly nuanced position for a world that demands bright lines everywhere, but it's reality.
But the fact that some speech does merit firings does not excuse the rational observer from his or her duty to note when the firing -- or tormenting a person into resignation -- is unjustifiable. And here, my judgment is that the treatment of Weiss was inexcusable.
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