"Cancel culture gives the powerless power. They may not be able to find a job but they can get Nazi bigots fired. They may not have friends but they can participate in mass ostracisms. They can lose the self they hate amidst a mob of voices screaming for righteous revenge."
When all power is placed into a few hierarchies, office politics dominates.
And this is why I have gravitated from pure libertarianism to something which includes progressive taxation and antitrust measures. (Along with radical cuts in the federal bureaucracy, simplifying the tax code, making it easier to start a business, etc.)
But regardless, great piece; it is inspiring to see so many people here on Substack making such substantive and impassioned defenses of free speech while calling out these word-warping authoritarians.
I look forward to reading more and keep it up, good sir!
Excellent piece and I restacked it on Notes. I read it earlier but it got even better on a second reading.
I've tried to remain neutral in the Gaza fight simply because I've found that every time Americans get excited about a cause bombs get dropped, innocent people die, and the situation ends up worse than it was before we started cheering. I assume that a significant chunk of the stuff put out by both sides is propaganda that is either misleading or outright fraudulent. But I also think, based on historical evidence, that there have been lots of atrocities on both sides and are likely to be a lot more until we get to the ceasefire.
I also get the temptation to cheer as the Antifa crew gets a taste of their own medicine and finds that the people who gave them carte blanche to hate White folks aren't so quick to excuse "anti-Semitism." But I know that once you put the Ring on, it always ends the same way. I don't trust myself to censor the Internet to my liking and I damn sure don't feel like handing that Ring over to someone else to do it for me.
This quote nails it:
"Cancel culture gives the powerless power. They may not be able to find a job but they can get Nazi bigots fired. They may not have friends but they can participate in mass ostracisms. They can lose the self they hate amidst a mob of voices screaming for righteous revenge."
When all power is placed into a few hierarchies, office politics dominates.
And this is why I have gravitated from pure libertarianism to something which includes progressive taxation and antitrust measures. (Along with radical cuts in the federal bureaucracy, simplifying the tax code, making it easier to start a business, etc.)
Progressive taxation is a disincentive to work and penalises those who strive to get ahead
This is a fantastic article!
If I may be forgiven the solecism, I have written on this topic as well (including a One Ring analogy haha), and I think you may get a kick out of it. Be curious your thoughts, if you're so inclined: https://honestlyre.substack.com/p/enlightened-gatekeeping-and-elon-756
But regardless, great piece; it is inspiring to see so many people here on Substack making such substantive and impassioned defenses of free speech while calling out these word-warping authoritarians.
I look forward to reading more and keep it up, good sir!
Excellent piece and I restacked it on Notes. I read it earlier but it got even better on a second reading.
I've tried to remain neutral in the Gaza fight simply because I've found that every time Americans get excited about a cause bombs get dropped, innocent people die, and the situation ends up worse than it was before we started cheering. I assume that a significant chunk of the stuff put out by both sides is propaganda that is either misleading or outright fraudulent. But I also think, based on historical evidence, that there have been lots of atrocities on both sides and are likely to be a lot more until we get to the ceasefire.
I also get the temptation to cheer as the Antifa crew gets a taste of their own medicine and finds that the people who gave them carte blanche to hate White folks aren't so quick to excuse "anti-Semitism." But I know that once you put the Ring on, it always ends the same way. I don't trust myself to censor the Internet to my liking and I damn sure don't feel like handing that Ring over to someone else to do it for me.
A self appointed hall monitor.