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Yawn… Predictable fake culture war stirring/clickbait from the specTrashy. What a waste the current obsession with empty, half-baked symbolic nonsense/gesture p

Yawn… Predictable fake culture war stirring/clickbait from the specTrashy. What a waste the current obsession with empty, half-baked symbolic nonsense/gesture politics is of both sides’ time and mental energy, especially when there are obviously far more pressing problems (and exciting, positive developments) in the world to report on, discuss and deal with!

helloOperator 5y ago
In what sense is this article fake, or concerned with empty gesture politics? It is essentially an emeritus professor at one of the world's top universities expressing concern about that university's failure to protect its own staff from targeted harassment.
- LatteLazy 5y ago
  I am not OP and we are actually conversing further down the thread but I might be able to answer? The current UK Gov (right wing) has made a lot of noise about "freedom of speech" in regards to cases like this. There have been speeches, a Czar has been appointed, lots of comments critical of "woke culture" are being made etc. I actually agree and really strongly support free speech. However cynics among us (myself included) have noticed how this only seems to be being applied when politically convenient (to avoid discussing other issues or to attack the left). When real issues around free speech actually come up, ones that the government could rapidly act on, they suddenly go silent. One example of this is that a teacher showed some of the Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons in a class recently [0]. He was suspended from his job and has received death threats. But for some reason no one can articulate, those deep free speech commitments don't extend to him. It would be the work of a moment to re-instate him and provide him with some security. But this hasn't happened. It's almost as if "free speech" is being used as a stick to bash leftie students and the Spectator etc don't actually give a shit about it... [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-56524850 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-56524850

helloOperator 5y ago

In what sense is this article fake, or concerned with empty gesture politics? It is essentially an emeritus professor at one of the world's top universities expressing concern about that university's failure to protect its own staff from targeted harassment.

LatteLazy 5y ago
I am not OP and we are actually conversing further down the thread but I might be able to answer? The current UK Gov (right wing) has made a lot of noise about "freedom of speech" in regards to cases like this. There have been speeches, a Czar has been appointed, lots of comments critical of "woke culture" are being made etc. I actually agree and really strongly support free speech. However cynics among us (myself included) have noticed how this only seems to be being applied when politically convenient (to avoid discussing other issues or to attack the left). When real issues around free speech actually come up, ones that the government could rapidly act on, they suddenly go silent. One example of this is that a teacher showed some of the Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons in a class recently [0]. He was suspended from his job and has received death threats. But for some reason no one can articulate, those deep free speech commitments don't extend to him. It would be the work of a moment to re-instate him and provide him with some security. But this hasn't happened. It's almost as if "free speech" is being used as a stick to bash leftie students and the Spectator etc don't actually give a shit about it... [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-56524850 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-56524850