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> I searched for anything that would support the claims of “bigotry”, “hate”, and “intolerance”, and didn’t see it. Indeed. These words have just become the "h
by seneca 6y ago
> I searched for anything that would support the claims of “bigotry”, “hate”, and “intolerance”, and didn’t see it.
Indeed. These words have just become the "heretic" of the endless neo-puritan witch hunt. They don't mean anything other than "we are labeling you as the outgroup, you are to be shunned".
- wpietri 6y agoI don't think that's true, and I think it's more or less the opposite of the Puritans. The Puritans were interested in enforcing their morality on other people even when those people's behavior didn't hurt anybody. The recent wave of action against bigotry, on the other hand, is specifically about stopping behavior harmful to others. E.g., I generally don't care what the white suburbanites of Georgia get up to. Godspeed, godbotherers. But when they turn to suppressing the vote of black people, I'm going to have some things to say about it. Ditto with RMS. I don't care about him being a toe-chewing weirdo. I care a lot about the number of women he's alienated from open source. I care about his poor treatment of employees. I care that his self-aggrandizement and self-centeredness is harming an important movement.
- andreskytt 6y agoImagine waking up one morning and being considered “harmful”? That your behavior you can’t control or your beliefs that are part of your identity are deemed to be an impediment? Your personality deemed toxic? What do you do? Specific acts can be condemned but a personality? He can’t do anything at all about being what he is. Why is it, then, than others can claim the right to be exactly what they are despite causing discomfort to others? Who has the right to say that “these weird people we like and use their weirdness for good and learn to live with their weirdness but these weirdnesses we won’t learn to live with and turn aside when we accounter them”?
- wpietri 6y agoWhat would I do if people said I was causing harm to others? I would first figure out if that were true. And if I were, I would find some way to stop harming others. That might involved learning new techniques for self control or rethinking my choices on what I identify with. I don't have a right to harm others. If I am, I should change. Why is that hard for some people to figure out?
- a0-prw 6y agoThe puritans believed it was harmful behaviour because it was the "work of the devil". They were religious zealots. Just as the cancel-culture, wokies are religious zealots.
- wpietri 6y agoYou can keep repeating the claim, but I just explained why it's the opposite.