Klein and the Lewis family seem like absolute bog-standard champagne socialists, i.e. they propose wonderful equitable policies for regular people that they would never ever ever accept for themselves. Her in-laws (Steven Lewis and Michele Landsberg) advocated that everyone should be forced to send their kids to public school but of course they sent Avi Lewis (Klein's husband) to an exclusive private school ("It was against our principles to do it, but you don't sacrifice your kid to political principles" said Landsberg). So what they really meant was poor people should have to make that 'sacrifice' and shouldn't have any other option via vouchers. Klein herself jet-setted around the world to promote her book about climate change and lecture us about our wasteful capitalist ways, but that's okay because she admitted she was a hypocrite...and then didn't change her behaviour at all. Now off to catch a first class flight to that book festival in Zurich! Again, what she really meant was jet travel should only be available to Important People such as herself who are 'Raising Awareness' Of Critical Issues, not the unwashed masses. So I don't really understand the fascination with her. I suppose someone could hit me with that "And yet you participate in society. Curious!" cartoon but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to live somewhat within their professed values.
I only read about 30 pages of the book before I saw what you describe so well here. That Klein's main purpose is to belittle Wolf and anyone else who doesn't think like her, supposedly grounded in reality though entirely willing to accept the delusion that men can actually become women just by saying so. I also noticed weak research in her description of the truckers, which includes the accusation that they set fire in an apartment lobby, a story long since debunked. Klein was apparently operating from her memory, from how she would like the situation to have been, instead of fact. And so I stopped reading DG.
Klein and Lewis are on the radical but influential fringe of the NDP and were probably instrumental in the campaign to drive BC minister Selina Robinson out of office, largely because of Robinson's pro-Israel stance. It made me wonder how as Jews they could go down this path, but at some point they as a couple must have made the choice to stick with their ideological group and throw a fellow Jew under the bus. It was a distasteful and much underreported affair (apart from Terry Glavin who covered it) in Canadian media.
It’s a very interesting review. I haven’t read Klein’s book (although I am critical of her repeating the myth that residential schools were “genocide”, in a published excerpt). It’s valuable to read two people “of the Left” having differing views (should we press about Gaza?!) but also agreement about Wolf’s sad decline into conspiracy thinking. This I think rang out: “It’s significant that mainstream conversations did not happen in any meaningful way in Canada until recently” (over Covid and protests) but to be fair, it is very difficult to ever know at the moment how accurately any side can be. It’s not clear that the commissions and courts will/did either. Too early even now. But I think you were gallant in recognizing Klein’s balance regarding a potential lab link for Covid origins. Allowing that possibility is a de-polarizer of a sort, an indicator that Klein still has the smarts to entertain options beyond the poles.
Oh i love Literary Review of Canada! I had a subscription…i should renew. I found them via a stunning David Cayley essay. October 2020. Every Canadian should have read.
Good review Tara. Seemed a bit soft or gentle though when I got the impression initially that you were going to find in the Klein book a critique of the shaming class, the bullying blind. Now that would be something worth reading. The integrity of criticism depends on an equal capacity for self-criticism.
Thank you - a really interesting article. Her comment about the source of the Covid virus was revealing: 'If I’m honest, I accepted it because it served my own motivated reasoning and reinforced my worldview.' So, what worldview is that? The most likely explanation was the virus slipped out of a fish market and not a nearby laboratory known to be undertaking gain of function research in Covid. Why did she want the official explanation, as idiotic as it was, to be true? Has her worldview morphed into always wanting to support the loudest voice being broadcast by those in power?
Klein and the Lewis family seem like absolute bog-standard champagne socialists, i.e. they propose wonderful equitable policies for regular people that they would never ever ever accept for themselves. Her in-laws (Steven Lewis and Michele Landsberg) advocated that everyone should be forced to send their kids to public school but of course they sent Avi Lewis (Klein's husband) to an exclusive private school ("It was against our principles to do it, but you don't sacrifice your kid to political principles" said Landsberg). So what they really meant was poor people should have to make that 'sacrifice' and shouldn't have any other option via vouchers. Klein herself jet-setted around the world to promote her book about climate change and lecture us about our wasteful capitalist ways, but that's okay because she admitted she was a hypocrite...and then didn't change her behaviour at all. Now off to catch a first class flight to that book festival in Zurich! Again, what she really meant was jet travel should only be available to Important People such as herself who are 'Raising Awareness' Of Critical Issues, not the unwashed masses. So I don't really understand the fascination with her. I suppose someone could hit me with that "And yet you participate in society. Curious!" cartoon but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to live somewhat within their professed values.
Well said.
Shock Doctrine is a great book (Naomi Klein).
Beauty Myth is quite good too (Naomi Wolf).
Now, I find it hard to read any recent writing by either Naomi.
Both are now polarizing figures who just feed into the perpetual outrage machine.
I do hope you are right Tara that Canada is finally moving into a space where we can talk to each other reasonably about important issues.
I only read about 30 pages of the book before I saw what you describe so well here. That Klein's main purpose is to belittle Wolf and anyone else who doesn't think like her, supposedly grounded in reality though entirely willing to accept the delusion that men can actually become women just by saying so. I also noticed weak research in her description of the truckers, which includes the accusation that they set fire in an apartment lobby, a story long since debunked. Klein was apparently operating from her memory, from how she would like the situation to have been, instead of fact. And so I stopped reading DG.
Klein and Lewis are on the radical but influential fringe of the NDP and were probably instrumental in the campaign to drive BC minister Selina Robinson out of office, largely because of Robinson's pro-Israel stance. It made me wonder how as Jews they could go down this path, but at some point they as a couple must have made the choice to stick with their ideological group and throw a fellow Jew under the bus. It was a distasteful and much underreported affair (apart from Terry Glavin who covered it) in Canadian media.
It’s a very interesting review. I haven’t read Klein’s book (although I am critical of her repeating the myth that residential schools were “genocide”, in a published excerpt). It’s valuable to read two people “of the Left” having differing views (should we press about Gaza?!) but also agreement about Wolf’s sad decline into conspiracy thinking. This I think rang out: “It’s significant that mainstream conversations did not happen in any meaningful way in Canada until recently” (over Covid and protests) but to be fair, it is very difficult to ever know at the moment how accurately any side can be. It’s not clear that the commissions and courts will/did either. Too early even now. But I think you were gallant in recognizing Klein’s balance regarding a potential lab link for Covid origins. Allowing that possibility is a de-polarizer of a sort, an indicator that Klein still has the smarts to entertain options beyond the poles.
Oh i love Literary Review of Canada! I had a subscription…i should renew. I found them via a stunning David Cayley essay. October 2020. Every Canadian should have read.
https://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2020/10/the-prognosis/
So, what is it with Naomis? In addition to Naomi Klein and Naomi Wolf, we have Naomi Oreskes. Post modern science activist.
"Activist" and "Naomi" seem to coincide. I am almost at the point of becoming an anti-Naomi bigot.
Naomi? Pompous ass. Outta here!
Also very funny. Thinkn that myself. Whadya do with a problem like Naiomiii? 🎵
Good review Tara. Seemed a bit soft or gentle though when I got the impression initially that you were going to find in the Klein book a critique of the shaming class, the bullying blind. Now that would be something worth reading. The integrity of criticism depends on an equal capacity for self-criticism.
Sometimes I'm amazed they still let women vote.
Lol. Not for long.
Thank you - a really interesting article. Her comment about the source of the Covid virus was revealing: 'If I’m honest, I accepted it because it served my own motivated reasoning and reinforced my worldview.' So, what worldview is that? The most likely explanation was the virus slipped out of a fish market and not a nearby laboratory known to be undertaking gain of function research in Covid. Why did she want the official explanation, as idiotic as it was, to be true? Has her worldview morphed into always wanting to support the loudest voice being broadcast by those in power?