1/
See these screenshots? This is Cancel Culture.
Cancel culture doesn't just attack free speech. Cancel culture attacks the very foundation of civilization and democracy itself and we need to understand it if we want to fight back effectively.
A thread:
See these screenshots? This is Cancel Culture.
Cancel culture doesn't just attack free speech. Cancel culture attacks the very foundation of civilization and democracy itself and we need to understand it if we want to fight back effectively.
A thread:
2/
here we see cancelers go after their targets by getting them fired, How? by finding where they work and pressuring their bosses to fire them.
How and why they apply pressure is going to tell us EXACTLY what we need to know to beat cancel culture. So...
here we see cancelers go after their targets by getting them fired, How? by finding where they work and pressuring their bosses to fire them.
How and why they apply pressure is going to tell us EXACTLY what we need to know to beat cancel culture. So...
3/
The main method of pressure to hold the company hostage by saying: "Your employee is racist. Fire them or we'll smear you as racist and everyone will boycott you."
Companies usually find it's easier to fire a person then to defend them.
The main method of pressure to hold the company hostage by saying: "Your employee is racist. Fire them or we'll smear you as racist and everyone will boycott you."
Companies usually find it's easier to fire a person then to defend them.
4/
Now, this looks a lot like guilt by association, but it's actually worse.
Woke people think if someone is racist, and you aren't aggressively fighting them every chance you get, you aren't just wrong, you are as guilty of racism as the actual racist.
It's this:
Now, this looks a lot like guilt by association, but it's actually worse.
Woke people think if someone is racist, and you aren't aggressively fighting them every chance you get, you aren't just wrong, you are as guilty of racism as the actual racist.
It's this:
5/
In their minds you are either destroying and fighting racism (they call this dismantling), or you are spreading racism. Racist or anti-racist: there is no other option.
Now here is the key: they think this about EVERYTHING.
In their minds you are either destroying and fighting racism (they call this dismantling), or you are spreading racism. Racist or anti-racist: there is no other option.
Now here is the key: they think this about EVERYTHING.
6/
There is no compromise, there is no withholding judgement to wait for more information. None of that
Because wokies think this way, they will brand you as a racist (regardless of your actual beliefs) if you agree to work with any person who they deem to be racist.
There is no compromise, there is no withholding judgement to wait for more information. None of that
Because wokies think this way, they will brand you as a racist (regardless of your actual beliefs) if you agree to work with any person who they deem to be racist.
7/
So, lets turn to the logic behind WHY they apply pressure.
When we discuss free speech there\s usually at least these two rights in play:
1. A right to associate with who you want without government interference
2. A right to say what you want without government censorship
So, lets turn to the logic behind WHY they apply pressure.
When we discuss free speech there\s usually at least these two rights in play:
1. A right to associate with who you want without government interference
2. A right to say what you want without government censorship
8/
Note those rights protect you from GOVERNMENT retaliation, not the judgment of your fellow citizens.
To be fair we need laws to protect our speech from governments because they often try to censor people.
For example: Here's Lindsey Graham throwing free speech under the bus
Note those rights protect you from GOVERNMENT retaliation, not the judgment of your fellow citizens.
To be fair we need laws to protect our speech from governments because they often try to censor people.
For example: Here's Lindsey Graham throwing free speech under the bus
9/
Once the government is out of the way the question is this:
"what is the appropriate method of engaging with ideas that I disagree with?"
And this is what I think people are trying to talk about when they talk about cancel culture: "How do we engage with ideas we do not like?"
Once the government is out of the way the question is this:
"what is the appropriate method of engaging with ideas that I disagree with?"
And this is what I think people are trying to talk about when they talk about cancel culture: "How do we engage with ideas we do not like?"
10/
Most of us think we should use reason and evidence to determine if an idea is true. Then, if someone comes to a different conclusion then us, we engage that person in a discussion about the content of the idea in to see if it is true.
This is not how the woke think
Most of us think we should use reason and evidence to determine if an idea is true. Then, if someone comes to a different conclusion then us, we engage that person in a discussion about the content of the idea in to see if it is true.
This is not how the woke think
11/
The woke don't think which idea wins is a matter of which IDEAS are TRUE.
The woke think that which idea wins is a matter of WHO has POWER.
Wokies think decisions about which ideas win are entirely about who has the power to decide what gets seen as true.
The woke don't think which idea wins is a matter of which IDEAS are TRUE.
The woke think that which idea wins is a matter of WHO has POWER.
Wokies think decisions about which ideas win are entirely about who has the power to decide what gets seen as true.
12/
Woke people think words and ideas can contain "traces" of racist and sexist ideas. And like a virus those traces can infect you with racism and sexism. This is why they won't debate, they think if they debate you, you might infect people with racism while you are speaking...
Woke people think words and ideas can contain "traces" of racist and sexist ideas. And like a virus those traces can infect you with racism and sexism. This is why they won't debate, they think if they debate you, you might infect people with racism while you are speaking...
13/
And since wokies think that if a racist idea gets spoken it might infect someone and cause that person to commit murder you get a bunch of stuff like this:
And since wokies think that if a racist idea gets spoken it might infect someone and cause that person to commit murder you get a bunch of stuff like this:
14/
Do you see that?
They think any idea that they deem to be racist can't be discussed. That's a problem because at that point you can't even have a discussion about whether or not the idea in question is actually racist.
THAT is where democracy and civilization break down:
Do you see that?
They think any idea that they deem to be racist can't be discussed. That's a problem because at that point you can't even have a discussion about whether or not the idea in question is actually racist.
THAT is where democracy and civilization break down:
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One of the foundations of our society this: The proper way to engage with idea I disagree with is to pick which ideas win by using debate and discussion to find out what is true.
The woke do not accept this......
One of the foundations of our society this: The proper way to engage with idea I disagree with is to pick which ideas win by using debate and discussion to find out what is true.
The woke do not accept this......
16/
The woke think the proper way to engage with an idea that they do not agree with is to use social power to ensure that their idea wins by imposing social consequences of anyone who dares to speak for a view the woke don't agree with.
See the difference?
The woke think the proper way to engage with an idea that they do not agree with is to use social power to ensure that their idea wins by imposing social consequences of anyone who dares to speak for a view the woke don't agree with.
See the difference?
17/
The point here is the woke don't use free speech and free association to discuss ideas to determine what is true, they use free speech and association to impose social consequences on those they disagree with.
The woke don't try to win with truth, they try to win with POWER
The point here is the woke don't use free speech and free association to discuss ideas to determine what is true, they use free speech and association to impose social consequences on those they disagree with.
The woke don't try to win with truth, they try to win with POWER
18/
and THAT is the problem with cancel culture:
They have used the excuse of "holding people accountable" as an excuse to win debates by exercising power rather than by debating and discussing and searching for objective truth.
and THAT is the problem with cancel culture:
They have used the excuse of "holding people accountable" as an excuse to win debates by exercising power rather than by debating and discussing and searching for objective truth.
19
As free speech laws only restrain governments (not fellow citizens) from punishing you for what you say, the woke have realized they can use the legal principle of free speech to shield themselves as they punish people for trying to use the democratic principle of debate.
As free speech laws only restrain governments (not fellow citizens) from punishing you for what you say, the woke have realized they can use the legal principle of free speech to shield themselves as they punish people for trying to use the democratic principle of debate.
20/
That is how cancel culture works. If you want to beat them you need to know how their game is played: they are using the principles of democracy to give themselves the space to play social power games and punish anyone who disagrees with them.
Don't let them.
/fin
That is how cancel culture works. If you want to beat them you need to know how their game is played: they are using the principles of democracy to give themselves the space to play social power games and punish anyone who disagrees with them.
Don't let them.
/fin
