Frankly, it's a First-World problem. These "cancelers" have needs of their own, and at the top of the list is a thirst for attention. I just don't get why they are in any way a problem for anybody.
First, get your rump off of social media. I have a Facebook account so I can keep up with my high-school classmates, but I never post; I IM (Is that the right thing to call it?) privately. Always. I don't do Twitter or any of the others. I just don't. If you're not there, they can't gang up on you.
Second: Never, never, never, never apologize. For anything, great or small. If you feel a little scrappy, double down just to tweak their noses a little. And check your feed no more than once a week; if it causes you anxiety, go to three weeks.
Third: the greatest phrase ever invented. Piss off. Don't engage in long conversations. Don't explain yourself; don't criticize the cancellers. Just say, "Piss off," and move on. It will kill their soul. My face-to-face version of that is a vertical finger - "This is for you," followed by the horizontal finger - "This is for your horse." Then walk away. Remember: if you engage, you are saying that what they say matters. Get it through your thick skull: it does not.
Yes, I agree with everything you have said. We all need to guard against becoming control freaks. We can not babysitting and spoon feed everyone . You can not help everyone, and you can not convince everyone that Gaga Leftisms are essentially an excuse to hand over everything to the Dictatorship Thought Police behind Bill C-11. Having Civil Rights means work. Cancel Culture is Communism. There is no middle ground with Communists so "Piss Off" will save you both time and energy. Just be sure to tell them that rigid ideological views are dangerous as they destroy critical thinking. Then say "Piss Off".
"Does the fact that Roman has been bullied into a terror of lentils help anyone in any tangible way?"
Precisely.
I regularly wonder, is anyone actually better off with all the wokeness? Like, do people of colour thrive more now that we're so woke? Is violence, or threats thereof, down?
I don't imagine so. I imagine there's just more segregation and more division and less understanding and empathy.
Thoughtful critiques like yours, Tara, will surely help get us back on track.
It seems Alison Roman's first mistake was to apologize. She should have stuck to her guns. It is within the realm of possibility that she is racist and an apology makes her look guilty of that.
I apologized once during an election campaign because the party didn't have my back and coerced me into apologizing. Big mistake. (I've severed ties to that party.)
Instead, accuse them of lying about you. When asked why they would do so, reply you don't know their motivations and redirect your interrogators to ask the mob members to explain why they are lying about you.
Indeed. I believe it's important to have some awareness of power dynamics at play, but we must reject the notion that _essentially_ we are merely skin color + gender + sexual orientation. We are individuals first and group members second.
Remember Kendi says “racist” or “anti-racist”. You cannot be “non-racist”. In my opinion, the most revolting part of his way of thinking is that you cannot be neutral, you MUST be either his dedicated friend or eternal enemy.
Basically you are his eternal enemy if you think white people deserve a shot at getting a job. Ever. So by definition as a white person if I want to have a shot at survival in our society, I must be a racist.
Yes, the mob now rejects outright the possibility of individuality. The mob says we are members of multiple groups and little more. Even those perpetuating this mentality know it is vapid and destined for collapse.
Here's a personal experience of food culture in the multi-cultural food landscape of USA and Canada, which (until recently, apparently) was thriving. That experience was what the kids on Sesame Street used to call 'sharing.' Learning about each other's cultures over food, and being glad when more people came to love and appreciate that part of your culture, and wanted to share it forward. My South-Asian mother-in-law exemplified this. I LOVED her food, and wanted to learn how to make it. I was, in fact, more interested in learning than her own daughters. So she taught me, with joy. She was glad I wanted to know. She WANTED me to make it for all my European-descent friends and family. If I'd decided to open a restaurant and feature her recipes, I'm 99% certain she would have been incredibly proud.
Same thing, incidentally, with my Bengali music teacher. She was delighted I wanted to learn. She wanted me to incorporate what she taught me about ragas into my western folk/classical style and share it with my own audience. In music, as in food, we call that 'fusion' or 'world influence.' If you hang out with musicians from different traditions for any length of time, it happens by osmosis, you actually can't stop the process.
But both my mother-in-law and music teacher were 1st generation, working class/middle class folks, and that was the 90's/early Oughts. So what elites decide now in 2022: well, maybe the decadent western world has nothing better to concern themselves with. Climate challenges; war in Ukraine involving nuclear super-powers; inflation, rising housing costs, economic crisis; in Canada the fact that many indigenous communities don't have access to basic clean water--meh. Let's spend our energies on virtue-signalling about who has the rights to lentils and broth, that will solve all of the world's problems and let us feel good about ourselves for about 10 minutes.
Yup, it softens people up so that some day they will cheer on the elimination of their foes. The sin they tried to correct was Discrimination but they will replace it with Extermination.
"Avoid restaurants where the proprietors are not the same ethnicity as the food. That is cultural appropriation, which is punishable by public lynching under Karenland FUPAZ sharia law." https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-visit-karenland
How many Chinese cook staff at Pizza Pizza or Chipotle or the Keg would have to be fired simply because they are the wrong race? Thousands. But that is what they want: racial purity.
Imagine if McDonalds and Denny's put up a Help Wanted sign " No Blacks or Asians need apply" because their food is original All-American white people food. The people who saber rattle about food appropriation haven't thought it all the way through.
How many of the leftist food prudes would say pizza is strictly a food for Italians and must not be consumed by other people with different languages or cultures? Would they tell a Chinese person they may not have a taco because tacos are not of their own specific culture? What would happen to America's melting pot if America's white people do decide to voluntarily give up Chinese food, pizza, and tacos? "No sir. No egg roll for me., No thank you". It would be woke antiracism, yet still be utterly racist. Such fascist food rules are strictly for white people to choke on because everybody else is exempt.
The cultural appropriation critique is moronic but the sustainability of tuna has nothing to do with politics. Chefs should indeed know where their raw materials come from and the environmental and social impact of what they are cooking. Otherwise, why not just work at McDonalds? Fortunately, most chefs at higher-end restaurants do indeed incorporate ethical sourcing into what they do -- and that's a good thing that needs to be encouraged, not framed as a working class vs. elite issue.
You have a good point, but it’s the disallowing of individuality, and therefore the chance for personal growth, that’s the problem with the elites. They don’t ‘encourage’ ethical practices or anything else. They just punish, cancel, demand apologies and don’t forgive. They are an extremely negative and counterproductive force. It's all about totalitarian conformity and control.
Virginia native makes history as the first Black female performer in 'Riverdance' Morgan Bullock will be the first Black female dancer to perform in "Riverdance," which hits the Kennedy Center this March as part of its 25th anniversary North American Tour.Feb 3, 2022
There was a big controversy when Morgan Bullock posted a video of her Irish dancing on line. They said it was an "appropriation of Irish heritage" and that she was Black so she should not dance like the Irish. She is very young to be facing up to this type of ludicrous bullying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0CeaiaQ1TY
Nice. Thanks for sharing. I wonder though if some of the negative comments she got weren’t a from an anti woke tit for tat perspective. Cause usually the cultural appropriation charge goes against the ‘dominant’ culture. Not good if that’s the case. Whoever it comes from.
It is also worth noting that Wokists would never dream of accusing the Black dancer with "racist appropriation" but that they are perfectly happy to do so if it is a white chef cooking daal. The hypocrisy is glaring once you point this out. Their excuse is that the Black dancer should not be accused because she is "not part of the dominant culture". This absurdity is like saying that Civil Rights only apply to Black people and not to White People because White People are White.
Thank you for your reply and for pointing out the hypocrisy. That is why I posted this Case. White people are also playing the "appropriation game". The core issue is one of Civil Rights. The young dancer in this Case has every right to participate in any dance she wants to as long as she states who wrote the choreography. This is the same as quoting a source for a university essay in order not to be a plagiarist. Is it tit for tat ? Probably. But again, that is their problem. It does not in any way take away from her Right to dance any piece she chooses. We need to be very sharp with all of this stuff and call it out, because otherwise we end up with "death to the unvaccinated" mob rule stuff - which of course was said. It was a big spread page in The Toronto Star which the Editorial Board eventually apologized for after a massive outcry. All of this tribalism is being used as an excuse to try and bring in Bill C-11 - which is essentially Govt babysitting to stop "racism" - apparently choosing to be "unvaccinated" is also "racist" according to Trudeau. Other Civil Rights such as free speech are also being attacked as "racism" if it is critical of "The Narrative". The Senate stopped Bill C-10 earlier. Hopefully, they will also stop Bill C-11. WE ARE BEING DELIBERATELY MANIPULATED.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. - Oscar Wilde...nope...I guess he was wrong....cultural appropriation is the highest form of cultural division....thanks political correctness...you managed to infiltrate into food that is supposed to be shared, celebrated and enjoyed by all around the world.....but franchising is ok...opening up a McDonald's In Russia or China that's capitalism.....no one has a problem eating there even when the owners aren't American at all in those different countries........hypocrisy in real time....food is supposed to bring people together...breaking bread, anyone?
The most ironic thing about this whole thing is how it assumes complete homogeneity of race/culture/ethnicity/genetics. Intermarriage and childbirth across races is so common these days. As are mixed families across races. As is adoption. If a Latino family adopts a Chinese child, who is allowed to eat what? What about a white child whose white parent remarries a black person- what food is that kid allowed to eat? Also — where do you draw the line for development of each cuisine, historically? The global trade of spices & goods his hundreds if not thousands of years old; nearly every cuisine we perceive to be “pure” or “authentic” (i.e. “authentic Mexican”) is only authentic inasmuch as you put a time stamp on that cuisine’s globalized, intercultural development in the context of trade and commerce.
As noted in the linked podcast, the biggest issue is not the nominal “use” of “someone else’s” cuisine; it is how class, power, and privilege are implied and conducted in the context of these exchanges. A white person buying & eating local Mexican food or appreciating it is different from that person deliberately exploiting Mexican farmers & cooks, or extracting their cultural heritage while underpaying them. It’s never as simple as “race x + race y”. It’s about the power dynamics, exploitation vs. equality, and how people frame their interaction.
Jasmine, there is a logical disconnect somewhere in that North America in particular has more immigration and multi culturalism than any where else and yet the host culture is ostracized? Hate is just what it is, a lot of people have nothing better to do than attack the host culture. Instead of attacking the Kleptocrats who rule over us all.
Tara, I have to say, your substack and your podcast have been a real breathe of fresh air to me. I had often found myself in the category of "right wing" for a long time, then I started listening to your podcasts and reading your substack. I'm noticing that the left-right paradigm is becoming less and less relevant today, but what is still relevant is the class struggle going on. And you've definitely shone a light on that for me. I have started to read some of the books that you've recommended (ones I've been able to find at my local library) and it really allowed me to realize that the problems in our society run far deeper than the "racial" aspects, and other common arguments.
The reality is that the working class is being left in the dust, so to speak. This has been an issue since time immemorial and it continues to this day, but just taking different forms.
Thank you so much, Tara. May God bless you and keep fighting the good fight.
This piece seems to be about aggression posing as virtue, specifically reputation destruction, which psychologists have described as a typically female form of aggression.
Frankly, it's a First-World problem. These "cancelers" have needs of their own, and at the top of the list is a thirst for attention. I just don't get why they are in any way a problem for anybody.
First, get your rump off of social media. I have a Facebook account so I can keep up with my high-school classmates, but I never post; I IM (Is that the right thing to call it?) privately. Always. I don't do Twitter or any of the others. I just don't. If you're not there, they can't gang up on you.
Second: Never, never, never, never apologize. For anything, great or small. If you feel a little scrappy, double down just to tweak their noses a little. And check your feed no more than once a week; if it causes you anxiety, go to three weeks.
Third: the greatest phrase ever invented. Piss off. Don't engage in long conversations. Don't explain yourself; don't criticize the cancellers. Just say, "Piss off," and move on. It will kill their soul. My face-to-face version of that is a vertical finger - "This is for you," followed by the horizontal finger - "This is for your horse." Then walk away. Remember: if you engage, you are saying that what they say matters. Get it through your thick skull: it does not.
All best to you.
Yes, I agree with everything you have said. We all need to guard against becoming control freaks. We can not babysitting and spoon feed everyone . You can not help everyone, and you can not convince everyone that Gaga Leftisms are essentially an excuse to hand over everything to the Dictatorship Thought Police behind Bill C-11. Having Civil Rights means work. Cancel Culture is Communism. There is no middle ground with Communists so "Piss Off" will save you both time and energy. Just be sure to tell them that rigid ideological views are dangerous as they destroy critical thinking. Then say "Piss Off".
Good for you! It's so rude to forget the horse...
"Does the fact that Roman has been bullied into a terror of lentils help anyone in any tangible way?"
Precisely.
I regularly wonder, is anyone actually better off with all the wokeness? Like, do people of colour thrive more now that we're so woke? Is violence, or threats thereof, down?
I don't imagine so. I imagine there's just more segregation and more division and less understanding and empathy.
Thoughtful critiques like yours, Tara, will surely help get us back on track.
It seems Alison Roman's first mistake was to apologize. She should have stuck to her guns. It is within the realm of possibility that she is racist and an apology makes her look guilty of that.
I apologized once during an election campaign because the party didn't have my back and coerced me into apologizing. Big mistake. (I've severed ties to that party.)
Instead, accuse them of lying about you. When asked why they would do so, reply you don't know their motivations and redirect your interrogators to ask the mob members to explain why they are lying about you.
Indeed. I believe it's important to have some awareness of power dynamics at play, but we must reject the notion that _essentially_ we are merely skin color + gender + sexual orientation. We are individuals first and group members second.
Remember Kendi says “racist” or “anti-racist”. You cannot be “non-racist”. In my opinion, the most revolting part of his way of thinking is that you cannot be neutral, you MUST be either his dedicated friend or eternal enemy.
Basically you are his eternal enemy if you think white people deserve a shot at getting a job. Ever. So by definition as a white person if I want to have a shot at survival in our society, I must be a racist.
Pretty interesting.
Yes, the mob now rejects outright the possibility of individuality. The mob says we are members of multiple groups and little more. Even those perpetuating this mentality know it is vapid and destined for collapse.
Here's a personal experience of food culture in the multi-cultural food landscape of USA and Canada, which (until recently, apparently) was thriving. That experience was what the kids on Sesame Street used to call 'sharing.' Learning about each other's cultures over food, and being glad when more people came to love and appreciate that part of your culture, and wanted to share it forward. My South-Asian mother-in-law exemplified this. I LOVED her food, and wanted to learn how to make it. I was, in fact, more interested in learning than her own daughters. So she taught me, with joy. She was glad I wanted to know. She WANTED me to make it for all my European-descent friends and family. If I'd decided to open a restaurant and feature her recipes, I'm 99% certain she would have been incredibly proud.
Same thing, incidentally, with my Bengali music teacher. She was delighted I wanted to learn. She wanted me to incorporate what she taught me about ragas into my western folk/classical style and share it with my own audience. In music, as in food, we call that 'fusion' or 'world influence.' If you hang out with musicians from different traditions for any length of time, it happens by osmosis, you actually can't stop the process.
But both my mother-in-law and music teacher were 1st generation, working class/middle class folks, and that was the 90's/early Oughts. So what elites decide now in 2022: well, maybe the decadent western world has nothing better to concern themselves with. Climate challenges; war in Ukraine involving nuclear super-powers; inflation, rising housing costs, economic crisis; in Canada the fact that many indigenous communities don't have access to basic clean water--meh. Let's spend our energies on virtue-signalling about who has the rights to lentils and broth, that will solve all of the world's problems and let us feel good about ourselves for about 10 minutes.
Thanks for reading! It was fun to remember what these women taught me.
Wokeness is a hate movement disguised as social justice. The woke will find reasons to hate no matter where they look. Even cookbooks.
Yup, it softens people up so that some day they will cheer on the elimination of their foes. The sin they tried to correct was Discrimination but they will replace it with Extermination.
Hilarious that Evy Kwong erupts over “cultural appropriation “ while appropriating Black culture, by saying “y’all” and “tryna”.
We have allowed the educated insane to take over the asylum. It is time to take it back. I see signs that this is happening.
We can thank The Freedom Convey for saying out loud what everyone on the planet was thinking - the Emperor Has No Clothes.
life has become to easy , people have to much time with nothing better to do than take down or cancel others that do not sing the same mantra
"Avoid restaurants where the proprietors are not the same ethnicity as the food. That is cultural appropriation, which is punishable by public lynching under Karenland FUPAZ sharia law." https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-visit-karenland
How many Chinese cook staff at Pizza Pizza or Chipotle or the Keg would have to be fired simply because they are the wrong race? Thousands. But that is what they want: racial purity.
Imagine if McDonalds and Denny's put up a Help Wanted sign " No Blacks or Asians need apply" because their food is original All-American white people food. The people who saber rattle about food appropriation haven't thought it all the way through.
How many of the leftist food prudes would say pizza is strictly a food for Italians and must not be consumed by other people with different languages or cultures? Would they tell a Chinese person they may not have a taco because tacos are not of their own specific culture? What would happen to America's melting pot if America's white people do decide to voluntarily give up Chinese food, pizza, and tacos? "No sir. No egg roll for me., No thank you". It would be woke antiracism, yet still be utterly racist. Such fascist food rules are strictly for white people to choke on because everybody else is exempt.
The cultural appropriation critique is moronic but the sustainability of tuna has nothing to do with politics. Chefs should indeed know where their raw materials come from and the environmental and social impact of what they are cooking. Otherwise, why not just work at McDonalds? Fortunately, most chefs at higher-end restaurants do indeed incorporate ethical sourcing into what they do -- and that's a good thing that needs to be encouraged, not framed as a working class vs. elite issue.
You have a good point, but it’s the disallowing of individuality, and therefore the chance for personal growth, that’s the problem with the elites. They don’t ‘encourage’ ethical practices or anything else. They just punish, cancel, demand apologies and don’t forgive. They are an extremely negative and counterproductive force. It's all about totalitarian conformity and control.
Something to make you smile -
Who is the black girl in Riverdance?
Morgan Bullock
Virginia native makes history as the first Black female performer in 'Riverdance' Morgan Bullock will be the first Black female dancer to perform in "Riverdance," which hits the Kennedy Center this March as part of its 25th anniversary North American Tour.Feb 3, 2022
Feb 3 is my birthday, but other than that, how is this relevant to what I said?
There was a big controversy when Morgan Bullock posted a video of her Irish dancing on line. They said it was an "appropriation of Irish heritage" and that she was Black so she should not dance like the Irish. She is very young to be facing up to this type of ludicrous bullying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0CeaiaQ1TY
Nice. Thanks for sharing. I wonder though if some of the negative comments she got weren’t a from an anti woke tit for tat perspective. Cause usually the cultural appropriation charge goes against the ‘dominant’ culture. Not good if that’s the case. Whoever it comes from.
It is also worth noting that Wokists would never dream of accusing the Black dancer with "racist appropriation" but that they are perfectly happy to do so if it is a white chef cooking daal. The hypocrisy is glaring once you point this out. Their excuse is that the Black dancer should not be accused because she is "not part of the dominant culture". This absurdity is like saying that Civil Rights only apply to Black people and not to White People because White People are White.
Thank you for your reply and for pointing out the hypocrisy. That is why I posted this Case. White people are also playing the "appropriation game". The core issue is one of Civil Rights. The young dancer in this Case has every right to participate in any dance she wants to as long as she states who wrote the choreography. This is the same as quoting a source for a university essay in order not to be a plagiarist. Is it tit for tat ? Probably. But again, that is their problem. It does not in any way take away from her Right to dance any piece she chooses. We need to be very sharp with all of this stuff and call it out, because otherwise we end up with "death to the unvaccinated" mob rule stuff - which of course was said. It was a big spread page in The Toronto Star which the Editorial Board eventually apologized for after a massive outcry. All of this tribalism is being used as an excuse to try and bring in Bill C-11 - which is essentially Govt babysitting to stop "racism" - apparently choosing to be "unvaccinated" is also "racist" according to Trudeau. Other Civil Rights such as free speech are also being attacked as "racism" if it is critical of "The Narrative". The Senate stopped Bill C-10 earlier. Hopefully, they will also stop Bill C-11. WE ARE BEING DELIBERATELY MANIPULATED.
Yes, exactly. Likewise the comment on rice, a major and affordable staple in many people's diets.
Poor rice...how ever did it survive the harm....
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. - Oscar Wilde...nope...I guess he was wrong....cultural appropriation is the highest form of cultural division....thanks political correctness...you managed to infiltrate into food that is supposed to be shared, celebrated and enjoyed by all around the world.....but franchising is ok...opening up a McDonald's In Russia or China that's capitalism.....no one has a problem eating there even when the owners aren't American at all in those different countries........hypocrisy in real time....food is supposed to bring people together...breaking bread, anyone?
Is garlic non-binary or cis?
I don't like rice either. I'm probably racist.
ricist
SInophobe!
The most ironic thing about this whole thing is how it assumes complete homogeneity of race/culture/ethnicity/genetics. Intermarriage and childbirth across races is so common these days. As are mixed families across races. As is adoption. If a Latino family adopts a Chinese child, who is allowed to eat what? What about a white child whose white parent remarries a black person- what food is that kid allowed to eat? Also — where do you draw the line for development of each cuisine, historically? The global trade of spices & goods his hundreds if not thousands of years old; nearly every cuisine we perceive to be “pure” or “authentic” (i.e. “authentic Mexican”) is only authentic inasmuch as you put a time stamp on that cuisine’s globalized, intercultural development in the context of trade and commerce.
As noted in the linked podcast, the biggest issue is not the nominal “use” of “someone else’s” cuisine; it is how class, power, and privilege are implied and conducted in the context of these exchanges. A white person buying & eating local Mexican food or appreciating it is different from that person deliberately exploiting Mexican farmers & cooks, or extracting their cultural heritage while underpaying them. It’s never as simple as “race x + race y”. It’s about the power dynamics, exploitation vs. equality, and how people frame their interaction.
Jasmine, there is a logical disconnect somewhere in that North America in particular has more immigration and multi culturalism than any where else and yet the host culture is ostracized? Hate is just what it is, a lot of people have nothing better to do than attack the host culture. Instead of attacking the Kleptocrats who rule over us all.
Tara, I have to say, your substack and your podcast have been a real breathe of fresh air to me. I had often found myself in the category of "right wing" for a long time, then I started listening to your podcasts and reading your substack. I'm noticing that the left-right paradigm is becoming less and less relevant today, but what is still relevant is the class struggle going on. And you've definitely shone a light on that for me. I have started to read some of the books that you've recommended (ones I've been able to find at my local library) and it really allowed me to realize that the problems in our society run far deeper than the "racial" aspects, and other common arguments.
The reality is that the working class is being left in the dust, so to speak. This has been an issue since time immemorial and it continues to this day, but just taking different forms.
Thank you so much, Tara. May God bless you and keep fighting the good fight.
This piece seems to be about aggression posing as virtue, specifically reputation destruction, which psychologists have described as a typically female form of aggression.
I was going to pint out than men worldwide just want to eat, not analyze the food.