Further hand-wringin’:
- Did (Mattress Performance Artist) Emma Sulkowicz get red-pilled? — Sylvie McNamara is nonplussed at NYMag.
- “Our conversation reveals four problematic recent norms in academia” — Bruce Newsome at The Critic.
- “I don’t know how to argue in America anymore, or if it’s even worth it” — Jacob Siegel at Tablet.
- “Can we just proceed by acknowledging what literally everyone quietly knows, which is that the dominant majority of progressive people simply don’t believe in the value of free speech anymore?” — Fredrik deBoer has
a modest proposal. (update: it appears Mr. deBoer has removed the content. I'm sorry to see it, as it did nudge my thoughts in helpful directions. Some content, but not the whole quote, available here). - And, just for shits and giggles, The Letter.
Casual observation, made from a morning of scrolling through my social media feed: Reflexive Righties LOVE this relatively recent development among We The Left (and increasingly Left Behind).
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| "...oh well, whatever, nevermind...." |
This is drive-by, and I apologize, but had kitchen-duties time today to listen to Ezra Klein’s conversation with Masha Gessen and found it heartening. Gessen’s post-Cotton/Bennet (pre-Harper’s-Letter) column I’m still reading — but liking a lot.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'll happily settle for drive-by -- no apologies necessary!
ReplyDeleteI listened to the two Know Yer Enemy eps, btw. The weekend before last involved a series of trips to and from CAMH emergency and gave me plenty of listening time. The discussion of the National Review I found to be surprisingly soothing, while the Chicago Stool not-so-much (Hayek begat Friedman who begat Stigler, etc -- I guess I just don't possess the Levitical bent).
It's interesting reading Gessen respond to Sullivan -- a writer I attend to, if only for the spectacle of seeing him given spouting rights in New York's hyper-woke splash-pad. She takes care to elucidate what "moral clarity" ought to look like, and makes a persuasive case for it. But then she rounds on Sullivan in conclusion and employs the dreaded rhetorical feint, "He seems willing to allow..." Well, maybe. What Gessen does not address, in this piece at least, is the threat of cancellation that hangs over ... well, just about any ink-stained wretch who cuts a paycheque in the MSM and falls within a particular intersection. Is utter cancellation of privilege what the moment calls for? Mmmmmmmaaaaybeeee....?
I'm a little lukewarm on both writers, truth be told. But then we know what happens to lukewarm types at the end of the day.
Ah, so you're a subscriber to Freddie's RSS feed as well?
ReplyDeleteI've been following him myself. His usually MO is to delete everything he writes after a couple days. It's by design. He wants to keep a low profile these days, and so he wants a small audience--only the handful of bloggers who bother with RSS feed subscriptions.
One of the main reasons I haven't linked to him more over the past few years is because I know the link will become dead within a few days.
Thanks for the clarification, Joel -- I am a VERY recent subscriber, so was not aware of his MO. Makes sense, particularly given the stresses that seem to attend his proclamations and the responses they attract.
ReplyDeletePaul thanks for the link to the Gessen/Klein chat -- listened to it yesterday as I prepped the house for some extended family. I find myself tempted to parse ("But YOU aren't acknowledging..." etc ad nauseum) but truthfully it helped re-frame some of my difficulties in less difficult ways -- if that makes sense. I'll get around to The Letter yet ... some day. :)
ReplyDeleteI’ve lost the thread here somewhat, as you’ll have gathered. Increasingly jammed up last month. Glad you got that listen in!
ReplyDeleteThere’s stuff I’ve snagged for further reading, possible sharing. Might hit you with one or two more yet — we’ll see.
Cool! I am open for business.
ReplyDelete