[ editorial note: Like most pages in this section: all work is "in progress" and you are free to add. Just send us an email or post]
Building on some exchanges in our "adda" group,
Are enough Indians willing to place basic moral norms above their (party) political preferences? Almost the entire political spectrum judges a person not by their adherence to basic norms but by the “side” on which they stand regarding any specific issue. Therefore, arrests of anti-CAA protesters are a moment of reckoning for all of us. Making excuses for those who are on “our side” of a political position is an old problem. It afflicts people across the spectrum — from “left” to “right”, though there may be differences in tonality. This partly explains why there is no public clamour for the criminal prosecution of those who openly advocated violence against those opposing the CAA. - Rajni Bakshi - Arrests of anti-CAA protesters are a moment of reckoning for all of us
A week later, there is this letter by Left Liberal stalwarts by 150 leading intellectuals here: https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/
Ed: The reason why I choose to connect this article with the "cancel culture" debate, is that most people refuse to talk about Basic Human Rights, as in the case of Dubey encounter, or the incarceration of "urban Naxal" for fear of being "cancelled" in some form or the other. This has been exacerbated by the media, as even a slight utterance of dissent, is slowly driven to the opposing political camp..
While stating in sub-headlines, that “cancel culture” debate is stale are real threats to civil liberties in society today, https://jacobinmag.com/2020/07/cancel-culture-harpers-letter-free-speech reminds "When appeals to academic freedom and due process are raised in all these cases, the response from the .. right has echoed the “no platform” rhetoric from the Left, arguing that criticism of the ... government is hate speech ( take Harsh Mander's speech asking people to maintain peace and love, while " coming to the streets and the opindia piece Meet Harsh Mander: The ‘PIL Activist’.. ) and thus should not be protected. ...They also copy the liberal-left’s demand for “stay in your lane” identitarian deference (in which only the oppressed group concerned may speak to an issue), asserting that (non-oppressed) (my interpolation) cannot comprehend suffering (of the oppresses) and so must shut up and listen.
Shekar Gupta explain the issues as Liberals v/s illiberals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPZ5b7k04UY
Bari Weiss's resignation letter here: https://www.bariweiss.com/resignation...
Dave Rubin's response on cancel culture: https://youtu.be/_xnVyLc76U8
Steven Pinker's criticism of cancel culture: https://youtu.be/-erKC_TT9dQ
At a slightly less toxic, though more significant plane, One of the big tendencies is to "cancel" fake news. and put shackles on social media platforms. It is far more dangerous to give authorities to ban or regulate social media than learn "how to read" it. But that is the subject of another set of conversations ..see