I think I am one of 17 or so people on this site who has never tried to get anyone fired or silenced. Many of you need to grow (much) thicker skins & learn to accept that not everyone will agree with you.
Will add that, if you have ever been exposed to people in politics (whatever side) & journalism, you realise that many of them have major personal problems, messy personal lives, addictions, and a narcissism, that makes them & their needy feelings the centre of any universe.
Free societies are hard work. They require, actually, much less 'love' (and all that) & much more of a willingness to let things go & ignore minor idiocies & slights. We let these things go because we think, overall, more speech helps illuminate problems we may otherwise conceal
I am not a free speech absolutist, esp in a war or a crisis, but, generally, the idea that someone disagreeing with you on a public issue makes you feel 'unsafe' & 'unsupported' is a juvenile and silly approach, worthy of some soy Komsomol. Worse it tempts others into silence.
Worst part of this era of 'cancellation' (apart from its embarrassing habits of public recantations of perfectly sensible viewpoints) is the desertion of 'the elders', who know better & should be saying more, but whose dreams of a TV green room spot to flog a book drive them now
To this end: the @mattyglesias @mtracey @mtaibbi @ZaidJilani etal have all commendably taken risks to defy the demented mobs. Hopefully, those true conservatives - whose aim must include conserving a free society - will come to their defence and the others who did not waver.
