Well said! All these world events swirling around us. But how can we move forward on them when the basic human right to ask questions and speak our minds without being slandered, gas-lit, censored is under attack? Without this we can achieve nothing of worth or integrity no matter how laudable the apparent outcome.
Enjoy your well-deserved break, Tara. I'm so thankful we have folks like you who look at issues objectively and aren't scared to stand for the truth. Keep up the first-class work!
Yesterday I had to explain to my son that, when Rushdie went into hiding, the public still supported freedom of speech, even when the speech in question was offensive to some people. If anything good can come out of this, it may be that people start to remember how that line of thought used to work. If Trudeau can come out in favor of freedom of expression, anything is possible!
Enjoy your vacation, Tara! Thanks for all the great writing!
Hopefully you can unplug and recharge your batteries as you have been running them at high energy consumption lately.
Jordan Peterson in a recent visit to the Bill Maher's show, when asked by Maher "how did we get to this place where we are so fragile... the safe space people?" Peterson responded: "Oh I think it is the universities."
This seems correct to me. We have a weed that has taken seed in the places of higher learning and has spread to not only threaten the US, but all of civilization. When you are back, I think you might consider expanding your list of interviewees and articles to focus on this weed... and to discuss some required weed-whacking.
I don’t think I have ever been as affected by a news story as I have been about Salman Rushdie. It is definitely bound up with my love of liberal open society, pluralism, and the rights that underpin both. The attack on Rushdie feels acutely like an attack on everything I deeply value. And I have been grappling with the fact that Mr. Rushdie’s attacker probably feels the same way—as though the great writer’s entire career boils down to an attack on his faith and values. How should I react to people who hate liberty and pluralism and people of different faiths and beliefs living amongst each other and getting along? As angry as I get, I know the answer cannot be violence, or I’m no better then they are. But how to defend ourselves against those who use violence to silence and intimidate others? I feel powerless thinking about this dilemma. I can only pray that others will take Salman Rushdie’s courage (as well as his humour, genius for language, and incredible imagination) as an example and stand up to hate and violence. They can’t stab all of us.
I would say that *ideally* the answer is not found in violence. History has demonstrated otherwise. All efforts to suppress expressions of human liberty lead, ultimately, to violence. (Those who would make peaceful protest—or expression—impossible make violent protest inevitable.)
Excellent post that highlights the plight we are in right now. The tweet from the PM is absolutely heartbreaking. The pummeling of freedom of expression in our country during the last three years in particular leaves me very worried for our collective future.
If any of you are subscribers to the DailyWire, this is a great article and really touches on what's happened to our country starting with post WWII and going forward.
Have a fine vacation. Thank you for a summer of diverse and thoughtful communication, Tara!
Well said! All these world events swirling around us. But how can we move forward on them when the basic human right to ask questions and speak our minds without being slandered, gas-lit, censored is under attack? Without this we can achieve nothing of worth or integrity no matter how laudable the apparent outcome.
Enjoy your well-deserved break, Tara. I'm so thankful we have folks like you who look at issues objectively and aren't scared to stand for the truth. Keep up the first-class work!
Yesterday I had to explain to my son that, when Rushdie went into hiding, the public still supported freedom of speech, even when the speech in question was offensive to some people. If anything good can come out of this, it may be that people start to remember how that line of thought used to work. If Trudeau can come out in favor of freedom of expression, anything is possible!
Enjoy your vacation, Tara! Thanks for all the great writing!
Hopefully you can unplug and recharge your batteries as you have been running them at high energy consumption lately.
Jordan Peterson in a recent visit to the Bill Maher's show, when asked by Maher "how did we get to this place where we are so fragile... the safe space people?" Peterson responded: "Oh I think it is the universities."
This seems correct to me. We have a weed that has taken seed in the places of higher learning and has spread to not only threaten the US, but all of civilization. When you are back, I think you might consider expanding your list of interviewees and articles to focus on this weed... and to discuss some required weed-whacking.
It sure as hell is the universities.
Just thought I’d share here, why not.
I don’t think I have ever been as affected by a news story as I have been about Salman Rushdie. It is definitely bound up with my love of liberal open society, pluralism, and the rights that underpin both. The attack on Rushdie feels acutely like an attack on everything I deeply value. And I have been grappling with the fact that Mr. Rushdie’s attacker probably feels the same way—as though the great writer’s entire career boils down to an attack on his faith and values. How should I react to people who hate liberty and pluralism and people of different faiths and beliefs living amongst each other and getting along? As angry as I get, I know the answer cannot be violence, or I’m no better then they are. But how to defend ourselves against those who use violence to silence and intimidate others? I feel powerless thinking about this dilemma. I can only pray that others will take Salman Rushdie’s courage (as well as his humour, genius for language, and incredible imagination) as an example and stand up to hate and violence. They can’t stab all of us.
I would say that *ideally* the answer is not found in violence. History has demonstrated otherwise. All efforts to suppress expressions of human liberty lead, ultimately, to violence. (Those who would make peaceful protest—or expression—impossible make violent protest inevitable.)
And thank you for all you do, Tara, in making space for the values of the open society on your newsletter.
Excellent post that highlights the plight we are in right now. The tweet from the PM is absolutely heartbreaking. The pummeling of freedom of expression in our country during the last three years in particular leaves me very worried for our collective future.
If any of you are subscribers to the DailyWire, this is a great article and really touches on what's happened to our country starting with post WWII and going forward.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/klavan-who-do-you-think-you-are
https://www.thewhitereview.org/feature/nude-in-your-hot-tub-facing-the-abyss-a-literary-manifesto-after-the-end-of-literature-and-manifestos/