We would do well to remember, amidst the torrent of false equivalences falling from the pens of the self-appointed arbiters of “liberalism” and “freedom of thought”, that the majority of the world’s voices have been “canceled” since time immemorial and still are today.
There has been a string of editorials and opinion pieces in the last few weeks lamenting this apparently ubiquitous and toxic phenomena, ascribed variously to the “far left”, “progressives”, “extremists” and so on; each article claiming to speak from a position of tolerance and respect for the ideals of free speech, the right to make creative mistakes, to voice unpopular opinions and so on. It is perhaps a worrisome sign of how far to the right the Overton window has migrated that typically sharp minds like that of Noam Chomsky have been woo-ed by this trend.
The authors of these sermon-like appeals to a universally experienced liberalism tend to identify as defenders of the downtrodden and voiceless, claiming to uphold universal values which they tout as the backbone of free and egalitarian society: yet now, when the very same disenfranchised and silenced voices they claim to defend are speaking up and saying enough is enough when it comes to those using platforms to spread violent rhetoric; these so-called defenders of free-speech are the first to reach for a wet blanket to dampen the conversation.
I find it very curious that people who consider themselves “progressive”, “liberal”, “left-leaning” are all too eager to equate the de-platforming of white supremacists with white supremacy itself. Very curious, that these folk see in the calls for reprieve by those who suffer untold misery at the hands of conservative hate-mongers, whose unearned platforms allow them to lie and foment violent ideology to millions, an identical (yet never clearly defined) “authoritarianism” to that of the far-right.
We would do well to remember that the spate of domestic terrorism which has claimed the lives of so many of these historically “canceled” people in recent years has stemmed not from the left, from the “cancel culture” these pundits waffle on about at great length; but from the culture which seeks to cancel others, finally and altogether: that of violent separateness, the ideology of conservatism, of white supremacy, of the hatred of others for simply existing and wanting to be treated fairly and with respect.
These commentators warn of the left slipping into a totalitarian mode at a time when the majority of the world’s governments are run by far-right parties who institute proto-fascist policy on a nigh on daily basis; who have stripped back existing human rights legislation and stacked supreme courts with extremists, who seek to militarize, surveil and criminalize the people.
These are the real threats to freedom of thought and speech that exist in our world today, not a drummed up McCarthy-ist bogeyman which ever escapes precise definition and yet is, according to those who invoke it, waiting around every corner.
As someone who participates in leftist spaces, I have never felt in danger of being “canceled” for sharing my views or for thinking out loud. If anything, I have felt encouraged to do so, and to review and reconsider my ideas on a regular basis; as anyone who values truth ought to do. The culture I have encountered is a “call in”, not a “call out” culture, where if a person offends they are brought into a dialogue where both parties can come to a better understanding and grow from and through the process.
This is not to paint the left as free from problems, or as a space where hasty judgments are never made in error, where there is no such thing as intolerance: we are human beings, we make mistakes and sometimes our intent is not as benign as we would like it to be. That said, I have also seen a great willingness in leftist spaces to be conscious of these failings in ourselves, a strong ethic of forgiveness and unity, and a deep desire to overcome misunderstandings and conflicts and to come out stronger, together, on the other side.
So, let’s step back from the rhetoric and the vogue words for a moment and see if we can’t perceive our situation a little more clearly, climb a little higher than the marketplace of bad ideas up onto the ridge and get a little perspective. These are dark times, and they will get darker still if we allow ourselves to be turned against one another by the half-baked sentiments of the courtiers of empire who play at journalism.
Remember what is at stake. What we have gained. What we still may lose.
And, finally, speak up! The only folk who benefit from us fearing to share our innermost thoughts are those who already hold the reins and the whips at our backs. We are, as always, stronger together; in thought, in speech, and in deed.
Speak what’s on your mind, and fear not some spectre of censorship.