Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuepee
That is exactly the balance captured in the video link debate and I largely agree.
That said, when certain groups (the rise of more progressives) can pretty much shut out any opportunity for opposing views to be presented in certain venues from political speech to comedy just by knowing they can show up en masse and scream and shout and shut down the ability of anyone to hear, that is a problem.
is it a problem akin to gov't doing it? No. Not even close. And that is tool the deplorable right likes to yield the most while talking about free speech and freedom.
But it is a problem, none-the-less and I think the university Dean captured it appropriately with this line "If such a "hecklers veto" is allowed to the only speech that occurs will be that which no one cares enough about to shout down.
I don't think the dean has to worry about the scenario you described in his quote, as people will tire of such protests long, long before that could ever happen. There is also the point that if it becomes the norm, then it wouldn't get attention, so there would be no point to it.
A scenario we actually see happening in many countries around the world is that protesting is punished and disobedience is outright dangerous. We also see liberal democracies encroaching more on citizen freedoms, so I'd be more vary of going in the direction of trying to clamp down on these things too much.
As for cancel culture itself, I don't have much to say. I think a few of the things it brings to the table are good points, but for the most part I find it very stupid.
It narrows political discourse, as even well-meaning politicians and pundits fear accidentally saying the wrong things, so we get a lot of statements and reactions that are done by script. Most people can smell that a mile away, so the discourse just seems fake. Similarly, attacks on language itself and manners of speaking often seem misguided, I'd focus on people who persecute or want to harm others.
A worry I often see touted is that cancel culture can make it into law. In some countries that is probably a bigger concern than others, depending on how solid their rights to free speech is. I'd say the concern is warranted, the western world is just now slowly emerging from 300-400 years of conservative moral censorship of expression and discourse, where completely non-harmful sexuality, nudity and artistic expression has been forbidden, even to the point of jail or having your life ruined. We shouldn't be naive to the idea that many want to make their moral outrages into law. However, the rabid frenzy about how cancel culture will end of society as we know it that gets touted by certain politicians and pundits is excruciatingly stupid, and a large reason why I just zone out when cancel culture is debated (this thread exempted).