As Mark Steyn noted last week on his spot on the John Oakley show, the goal nowadays is not to win the argument, and nobody even has a concern about losing the argument because it's all about shutting down the argument, and making certain topics forbidden and giving every non-conformer and every free thinker, and every contrarian a nice, big, fat, steaming cup of Shut Up.
If you think I'm kidding, sit down and read the story of Professor Erika Christakis, a registered Democrat, who shares her harrowing tale.
Here's how she describes the Thoughtcrime environment on campus:
"For seven years I lived and worked on two college campuses, and a growing number of students report avoiding controversial topics — such as the limits of religious tolerance or transgender rights — for fear of uttering “unacceptable” language or otherwise stepping out of line. As a student observed in the Yale Daily News, the concept of campus civility now requires adherence to specific ideology — not only commitment to respectful dialogue."
"Light and Truth"
"There was no official recognition that the calls to have us fired could be seen as illiberal or censorious. By affirming only the narrow right to air my views, rather than helping the community to grapple with its intense response, an unfortunate message was made plain: Certain ideas are too dangerous to be heard at Yale."
As a result of her sending one, single, solitary e-mail about Hallowe'en (yes, you read that right), her and her husband were hounded, calls for their dismissal were made, their colleagues (save a few brave souls) threw them under the bus, and she ended up resigning her post. Naively, she had some kind of misplaced faith in her administration. When push came to shove, ultimately and predictably, Team Shut Up won. The bloodthirsty social justice warrior mob wanted a scalp, and a scalp was got.
Christakis:
"There was no official recognition that the calls to have us fired could be seen as illiberal or censorious. By affirming only the narrow right to air my views, rather than helping the community to grapple with its intense response, an unfortunate message was made plain: Certain ideas are too dangerous to be heard at Yale."
How quickly Yale evolved from "Light and Truth" to Lights Out, No Truth.
No truth, no conversations. No actual intellectual exchanges or legitimate triumph of ideas through reasoned, adult discussion. No debate and therefore: no freedom and no liberty.
This is a terrible story, and it is repeated all over the Western world on a daily basis in every city in every work place.
More people need to stand up to this nonsense and stop being afraid.
If more people simply put their names to their views, the baying throngs of bullies would immediately find their power significantly deflated.
You want to neutralize the evil instead of just snivel about it? Then you have to stand up even for the small stuff, because the bullies are never satisfied. And by the way, the "small" stuff is always the big stuff. Always.
No they will not "just" leave you alone and it will always get worse.
Anonymity is for losers. Anonymity is a big part of the problem.
You have to live unafraid and take your lumps.
To live in constant fear, cowering before the altar of proscribed speech, thought and behaviour is to 'live' barely half a life.
That is the Light, and that is the Truth.
