Progressives and Cancel Culture

[Maximian]

traditionalist (in that sense)

Will you join my campaign to stop using the word tradition to mean “old custom”?

Outsiders don’t understand…

 

[Bill_B_NY]

Famine is a world-wide problem! Maybe we should stop supporting exploitative economic practices, stop engaging in offensive wars, and stop meddling in the affairs of other nations that are just doing their own thing while we get our own house in order.

There seems to be a contradiction there. Famine is a world-wide problem but we shouldn’t meddle in affairs of other nations. But I agree that making our own self, family, neighborhood, city, region, state … better and better, is the best way to do it. Even our attempts to do good elsewhere, may end up spreading corruption because we have not really worked on our own values well enough. That’s not an excuse for being selfish, but rather in making sure we give something of value, and also less for our sake and more for the benefit of those we want to help,

 

[annem]

ome “cancelling” does become ridiculous or misguided, true, but other times it is because what is being cancelled, whether a form of media or a person, is perceived as harming other people, or influencing others to harm other people.

My husband and I know a number of climatologist researchers in universities across the US. One fled the field, a number of others are too terrified to publish anything that touches on climate change because of the leftist cancel culture:

Professor Fired Over Documenting Increases In Polar Bear Populations

The result of leftist intimidation is that every professor knows he could lose his job, be vilified, be unable to publish anything from now on, or, sometimes worse, even face outright threats of violence if you dare to publish anything that doesn’t utterly agree with the leftist dogma about climate change.

This has simply ruined real science in our university system.

 

[EssentialBeing]

Progressives & Cancel Culture seems ambiguous. As we have discussed, to progress is to have an aim & a goal, moving forward using a combination of new & old strategies to achieve the desired outcome.

Cancel culture is not achievable, not even close, as their will always be a need for rank in any team. The notion of a classless society is simply wrong, it sounds alarmist & extreme.

 

[EssentialBeing]

leftist cancel culture: leftist intimidation, leftist dogma about climate change.

Are you suggesting that the rightest don’t do the same when it is in opposition to their beliefs? We all forget that left & right ideologies are part of the one same body.

My left foot never tells my right hand it is wrong, they simply balance each other to work perfectly together. Through dialogue & compromise we almost always achieve something closer to the middle.

 

[ThinkingSapien]

I’m unable to play the video (yet), but is this really unique to progressives?

I dont think so. Making outcast a person that refuses to conform to some “norms” is a thing humans have long done. Though it may have been called by different names.

This thread has me thinking of the book “The Scarlet Letter.”

 

[EssentialBeing]

Famine is a world-wide problem but we shouldn’t meddle in affairs of other nations. But I agree that making our own self, family, neighborhood, city, region, state … better and better, is the best way to do it. Even our attempts to do good elsewhere, may end up spreading corruption because we have not really worked on our own values well enough. That’s not an excuse for being selfish, but rather in making sure we give something of value, and also less for our sake and more for the benefit of those we want to help,

Extremely well said, we can not force our ideas on anyone, we must lead by example. If we can show that it works then others will naturally follow. Always keeping in mind how our actions may be detrimental to others is a good start.

 

[meltzerboy2]

So you are a globalist rather than a nationalist?

 

[Adamek]

I just cringe when I hear these worn out 60’s slogans played over and over again.

 

[Annie]

Progressives & Cancel Culture seems ambiguous. As we have discussed, to progress is to have an aim & a goal, moving forward using a combination of new & old strategies to achieve the desired outcome.

Those who are called progressive from a political standpoint are those who have specific views about progress and the goals.

For instance, I might think progress happens when there is lots of evangelization and conversions and an increased acceptance through society of Catholic morals.

But no one would call me a progressive because of that, would they?

 

[phil19034]

I’m unable to play the video (yet), but is this really unique to progressives? https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/30/cancel-culture-trump-mcenany/

Trump is a populist, not a conservative or traditionalist.

Populists share the same “cancel” mentality as leftists.

Both populists (like Trump) and leftists like to appeal to raw emotion.

 

[phil19034]

I’m unable to play the video (yet), but is this really unique to progressives? https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/30/cancel-culture-trump-mcenany/

I can’t read the Washington Post article, I’m not subscribed.

Once thing to note: Cancel Culture goes after individuals.

Trump primarily goes after groups/organizations/ideas and/or individuals who are publicly attacking him.

Let’s think about this for a moment: who’s career has Trump ended due to him being the “King of Cancel”? Has Hollywood backed him in canceling anyone? Have the CEOs back him in canceling anyone? Did Niki drop kneeling sports figures? No, no, no.

If Trump is the “King of Cancel,” the he’s not good at it.

There is a difference.

 

[annem]

Are you suggesting that the rightest don’t do the same when it is in opposition to their beliefs?..’’’'Through dialogue & compromise we almost always achieve something closer to the middle.

Actually, I very much agree. It is not possible to find the truth about climate change without being able to present the facts from both sides of the issue.

But right now we can’t. Leftist professors attack, censor, and seek to fire anyone who presents any findings from the other side. Look at the poor woman who produced the actual facts about the polar bears, who ended up fired fore presenting the truth. As if facts had a political side.

Without freedom of speech and without freedom to investigate any aspect of a problem, how can science even be said to exist in our university system?

We are in serious trouble.

 

[blackforest]

Once thing to note: Cancel Culture goes after individuals.

If you want a great example of Right-wing cancel culture, look at Colin Kaepernick and how the NFL kowtowed to demands that such expressions be censored.

To be clear, I’m against cancel culture and its dirty tactics - e.g. censorship, professional censuring, demanding apologies, etc. I just don’t think it’s limited to the Left.

To that end, opposition to cancel culture also spans the ideological spectrum. Noam Chomsky is as Left as you can get and signed that famous letter against it.

 

[phil19034]

If you want a great example of Right-wing cancel culture, look at Colin Kaepernick and how the NFL kowtowed to demands that such expressions be censored.

Yeah, I don’t know about that. I was giving him lots of consideration.

The truth is that Nike never dropped him. If he was a true victim of “cancel culture” Nike would have dropped him.

I think as far as NFL teams were concerned, he just wasn’t worth the baggage. Kaepernick was known as “high maintenance” BEFORE all of this transpired. He was never a good “locker room guy.”

If he was a standup locker room guy before this whole kneeling situation took place, I don’t think he would have had trouble finding another team to play for.

In his situation, I honestly think that NFL teams viewed that his level of play wasn’t worth his locker room behavior PLUS the social justice antics.

After all, he played for the San Francisco 49ers, who have a female (and lesbian) coach (not head coach). The 49ers are not a conservative team by any stretch.

The fact that he was dropped by the 49ers makes it seem to me that he wasn’t “canceled.“ He was simply cut.

 

[annem]

I just don’t think it’s limited to the Left.

Well, I don’t see how there could be any canceling by conservatives in our universities now, since conservatives are pretty much nonexistent. Do you mean 50 or 100 years ago?

 

[blackforest]

The truth is that Nike never dropped him. If he was a true victim of “cancel culture” Nike would have dropped him.

Not true. It only takes one entity to exemplify “cancel culture.”

I think as far as NFL teams were concerned, he just wasn’t worth the baggage. Kaepernick was known as “high maintenance” BEFORE all of this transpired. He was never a good “locker room guy.”

Irrelevant.

Did you happen to read that letter against Cancel Culture?

Well, I don’t see how there could be any canceling by conservatives in our universities now

We’re talking about everybody, not just universities.

 

[annem]

We’re talking about everybody, not just universities.

Well, let’s see…you can’t be talking about how there are conservatives in Hollywood who are canceling anyone, since, given the tone of all the celebrity remarks recently, it appears a conservative risks being torn apart, limb by limb, by merely stepping into a room with any of them

And, again, in the universities, all we see are leftists canceling conservatives. Getting them fired, attacking them, etc. A very grim situation. So, no conservatives canceling anyone there.

Then how about the news media? Once again, yes, once again, there is an almost daily report of a conservative being fired, attacked, etc.

In the sports world, again, same situation.

I am sorry, but the evidence of leftists canceling people is overwhelming.

 

[phil19034]

I agree with their letter (except the part they throw in their about Trump being a threat to Democracy). It’s fine, something that I would expect from legitimate liberal professors (I mean the good kind of liberal).

I just don’t think Colin was “canceled.” If you follow sports close enough, his situation was more complicated.

The point is, he simply wasn’t a good employee.

There are plenty of NFL & NBA players who took part in these kinds of protests WITHOUT being a bad teammate and employee.

If he was good enough or worth the locker room issues, a team would sign him.

After all, if Michael Vick was able to return after dog fighting & other players can return after domestic violence; Colin could return after protesting during the anthem.

If the protest during the anthem was the only issue, he would be playing by now.

But it wasn’t. He’s a cancer in the locker room - even before / without the protesting.

 

[Adamek]

Noam Chomsky is as Left as you can get and signed that famous letter against it.

He and other leftists signed the letter of protest only after the leftist mobs started going after the lefties. Before that, chompsky and company were perfectly happy to go along with the mob.