The woke and cancel culture is plumbing new depths of absurdity and injustice every week.
By my casual count the New York Times, for years the most prestigious and constant media defender of liberal American values, has conducted four professional lynchings in its own ranks.
Donald McNeil, Andrew Mills, James Bennet, and Allison Roman were all forced out by a vote of a number of their fellow workers because of what can only be described as exceedingly minor transgressions of even the most pettifogging and intolerant guidelines against political incorrectness.
In McNeil’s case, his offense was committed while conducting a group of students on a tour in Peru. He was asked if someone had in his judgment committed a professional offense in referring illustratively to an African-American person as a Negro, or variant of Negro, (as I am doing here).
He responded by asking if the individual in question had himself employed the word derisively or was merely citing it as inappropriate usage by somebody else. For this, he was eventually forced out of the New York Times after a petition of 100 of his fellow editorial department members judged his remarks unacceptable by current standards of sensitivity. The other cases, as far as I can discern, were no more fundamentally offensive than McNeil’s.
J.K. Rowling
The eminently successful British novelist J.K. Rowling has been engaged in a lengthy controversy over her references to transgender people. She has been accused of being a TERF (Transgender-Exclusionist Radical Feminist) after a number of incidents, most recently a tweet taking issue with a reference to women as “people who menstruate.”
She has on every occasion been entirely supportive of and empathetic towards transgender people in both directions, but has expressed the view that since apparent men can be so described if they have come to the determination to effect a surgical sex change but have not carried it out, permitting them unlimited access to female public lavatories would be effectively opening them to all men, with resulting increases in sexual assault cases against women.
Agile wordsmith and imaginative writer as she is, Ms. Rowling seems to enjoy tweaking the sensitivities of the most militant and easily agitated guardians of the dignity of the trans community. She often causes them to come snorting out of the undergrowth vehemently accusing her of being a shameless TERF.
Someone as wealthy and successful as Ms. Rowling, and whose comments are as inoffensive to all but the most extreme bigots on the subject, can bear the storms well, and she seems at times almost to enjoy them and retains the support of most of her huge readership.
Jordan Peterson
It is more difficult for someone like my esteemed friend Jordan Peterson, the distinguished professor at the University of Toronto who has attracted much support but aroused great controversy by rejecting the demands of those who claim to be neither male nor female to require people to address them in a special vocabulary.
He also generally objects to the concept of white privilege and the onslaught upon the moral defensibility of being a straight white male.
Of course, the overwhelming majority of people in every civilized country, including non-white countries, would agree with him, but that has not excused Professor Peterson from being compared even by human rights monitors at a Canadian university to Hitler, and being threatened with inquiries by human rights tribunals vested with an unjustified authority to take destructive measures even against the careers of such meticulously logical and immensely civilized people as Jordan Peterson.
In addition to intense professional pressure, Professor Peterson has had serious medical problems in his family and has himself had recourse to prescribed drug use that substantially immobilized him for some time.
While his many admirers and supporters have naturally rallied to him, it has been impossible not to notice the disgusting malice of some of the militant woke cancel-crusaders. Though the cultural and psychological positions taken by Jordan Peterson are not exactly in the same field as contemporary woke American politics, the inhumanity of his opponents does make an interesting contrast with the demands for sympathy of some of the more belligerent contemporary American leftists.
I must have been among tens of millions of people who watched and listened with astonishment as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described her cold terror at the invasion and vandalization of the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, although she was an entire block away in an office building that was not the subject of trespass, because the Capitol police exhibited curiosity to find her. She found this process—the police making sure she was safe—terrifying and expected mass sympathy for her apparently fortunate and serene non-involvement with that outrageous, but to her, physically distant incident.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, another radical leftist who is never shy about soft peddling the violence of her groupthink-mates or pandering to anti-Semitism, gave the House of Representatives such an emotional rendition of her own nervosity on Jan. 6, although she was in no danger either, that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez felt she had to approach the podium and stroke and comfort her as she babbled almost hysterically.
Nonsense
It is obvious that the overwhelming majority of Americans, and doubtless of people in other civilized countries, think that it is time to roll this nonsense back: there are only two sexes, and all adults should decide their own sexuality without coercion, and unless they are sociopathic, they should receive the respect of the entire society in which they live.
There were ample reasons to support President Trump and those who have done so—approximately 48 percent of the country—should not be subjected to any threat of deprogramming or reorientation or reeducation.
Those who adapt totalitarian-speak and techniques to pervert American democracy must be disabused of such behavior, at the legitimately verified ballot box, the only acceptable means of political decision-making, and not by mob rule whether in “peaceful protests” led by arsonists and looters or by hordes of academic, journalistic, or entertainment shamers and black-listers.
Here is one point where President Biden has at least in general terms been clear and emphatic. That has not prevented him from gratuitous and inaccurate reflections upon his predecessor, but he has been a proponent in general of civility; it is his supporters and not Trump’s who are failing the civility test now.
Conrad Black has been one of Canada’s most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. He’s the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently, “Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other,” which has been republished in updated form.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
There is a planet wide war on ALL cultures and peoples. The old must be destroyed to make way for the trans-humanist AI ROBOT slaves..
The woke/cancel culture is an extension of the democratic party. The dems will continue their attacks on anyone who doesn’t agree with them. We’ve got to pull together and make this happen.
“Political correct” thinking by the woke public is a bunch of bull roar. Same goes for people attacking others for “white privilege”. “Cancel culture” bullying is beyond the pale. How can we live our lives in this or any society with fear of stepping out of line for this nonsense? This is, as the article implies, a lynching of sorts when you dare say anything that offends the leftists. These people are no better than thugs on the corner that want to steal your wallet and your life. If they would stop and realize what harm they are doing to others, emotionally, financially, and psychologically, they would mind their own business. Is it any wonder that there are suicides reaching all time records because these woke idiots just don’t let up.
Good common sense. Great article. Keep them coming.
If you lined a birdcage with the slimes, what the bird “deposits” on it would be sheer redundancy. That rag has been tripe for over 70 years.
The woke/cancel culture is an extension of the democratic party. The dems will continue their attacks on anyone who doesn’t agree with them. The only way to stop this is to take back the House and senate in ’22 and the Presidency in ’24. We’ve got to pull together and make this happen.
I miss the days when a person could say what was on their mind without being bullied. Miss the days when a man was a man and a woman was a woman. Lord, please help us all.
Black writes, “there are only two sexes, and all adults should decide their own sexuality without coercion,” That is abject stupidity. Does he not know that a person’s gender is established at birth? A person who is 5′ 3″ tall cannot become 6 feet tall just by declaring he is 6 feet tall. In like fashion, a person of one gender cannot become the opposite gender simply by declaring it to be so. It’s time we take the hocus pocus out of gender identity and realize that our gender is decided at birth, not in adulthood.
Not until the conservatives start playing hardball with the socialists will this attitude change. This is what happens to societies that become complacent and blind to what is going on in the world.
My thoughts earlier this morning before reading this article were, “we need our own country, where we can live freely.” I suppose this means either a civil war to take back our freedom, or enough people must decide to secede and start over. Either way appears to precipitate bloodbath and probably a great deal of destruction.
I pray that enough people will stand firm to roll back this tide of insanity before we get to the point of violence, but I fear it’s too late.
Great article! Thank you. But if the Time mag article is to be believed who can be sure voting really works anymore? How do you put the genie back in the bottle? But still, your article was a good read!
The Leftists will settle for nothing short of complete destruction of anything or anyone that doesn’t agree AND actively support their “Causes”. We are all in their cross-hairs, and will either fully submit, or as Chuckie Shumer said, “…pay the price!” Be ready.
Thanks for the word inflated thinking. Boils down to there are persons who Hate God and The Bible and are doing their best to eradicate any existence of those who Believe. A very sad crew.. and nothing new about their desires..
At the cost of sounding like a “conspiracy theorist” , it’s imperative people research everything they can find on Ajenda 21, also it’s checkpoint Ajenda 2030 ” Because everything thats going on right now is for nothing more than to divert the attention of the global population from what these globalists have in store for US!
Considering the fact that the bumbling bafoon they injected in to the Whitehouse has reinstated the WHO back into the Q where as their first official statement is to take your attention off the lab at at wohan after every piece of investigation points to it as the source of the virus.
I know no one wants to hear it but it needs to be said ” WAKE UP!
When are people going to wake up and realize what is really happening? And when are we going to stop this idiotic behavior?
This administration is getting more and more psychotic!! A man is a man and a woman is a woman! PERIOD! End of story! I was reading some of the comments (below) and possibly having a Civil War caught my attention. But…is it Democrat against Republican, socialist against conservative, elder against younger. In my opinion this administration is not serving but attempting to totally rule. That goes against the Constitution.
I forgot to add the following comment. I am sending a letter to the Supreme Court tomorrow; I am asking them to look into the voter fraud that we experienced last November. I suggest that others do the same. Maybe thousands of letters to SCOTUS will get them to “do their jobs” and enforce proper election procedure. No more mail in ballots except for those who cannot attend the voting booth; i.e. Seniors, election workers, those who will be out of the country during election day and, last, but certainly not least, those in the Armed Forces. I was an election worker years ago; now I am a senior and registered to vote by Absentee Ballot.
Only a matter of time until the loons come after the old rocker Alice Cooper for his 70’s hit song, “Only Women Bleed”…When will the insanity end??
All this nonsense is insanity! Without God and prayer, everything is temporary and pulling us to insanity and horror! We have the light of Christ to shine into all this darkness! Pray people for the strength of God and humble ourselves to Him who will win this war with insanity and evil!
I sure wish the powers that be would put the argument to rest once and for all. Quit using the so-called ‘controversial’ terms, ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘boy’, ‘girl’, or any other previously accepted nomenclature used to describe gender or sex when designating sports teams, bathrooms or locker rooms. Just put up signs that say “Y chromosome facility only” or “NO Y chromosome facility only” (the circle with a Y in the center and a red diagonal slash across it).
You can call yourself anything you want. You can dress any way you want. You can surgically change any outward manifestations of gender that you want. You can use whatever gender enhancing chemicals you want. No matter how hard you try, you cannot eliminate “Y chromosomes” from your body. The “Y” chromosome is the ONLY thing that irrefutably determines the difference between the genders, whether there are only 2 or 57.
People will say that we can’t possibly determine who carries “Y” chromosomes by observation so it would be impractical and impossible. I don’t know of ANY school sports team that doesn’t require a physical before a student is allowed to participate. The determination of the presence of “Y” chromosomes could be determined during that physical. If the physical involves a blood test, that can be used. If it doesn’t, a non-invasive hair or fingernail sample could be used. Once the presence or absence of “Y” chromosomes has been determined, the student will be allowed to participate in sports teams with the corresponding designation.
For the use of bathrooms and locker rooms, just as has been going on for decades before this controversy began, you cannot necessarily determine if someone who presents themself as a certain gender is actually that gender unless a problem presents itself. If a “Y” chromosome person enters a facility designated as “NO Y chromosomes” and just enters a stall, performs their bodily function, washes their hands and exits, no one will be the wiser. No harm, no foul.
I could see this problem escalating to the point we are at now when it first began to rear its multi-pronged head 12 to 15 years ago. It would have been awfully nice to nip it in the bud right at the beginning before it had become as inflamed as it is now. Just put it to rest, once and for all, by using the ONLY designation that cannot be changed. Does the individual contain “Y” chromosomes in their body or not?
If it isn’t settled, women’s rights, sports teams and Title 9 are all null and void.
Male & Female. There are those who are born with both genitalia. But, that is the extent of the difference. The blood test indicates the dominant gene toward male or female. Medical science has made it possible to do surgery, give hormones etc to make the change and individual wants to make.
That does NOT change the physical condition of what that human was born with or without. The DUMBING down of Americans and the world has been going on since the 70s.
It is time the United States (and maybe the World) retreated to a more normal time in our lives when words were taken with a large dose of common sense. In my opinion, we have gone way, way overboard in worrying about offending everyone with what we say. In fact to the point where I am offended. I grant you some of what has said in the past was offensive and should be stopped, but let’s draw a line of common sense in the sand and not become ridiculous in chastising everyone who opens their mouth.
Cancel the Cancel culture alone refocus on them
ID Cancel Culture sources
This whole mess is nothing more than a socialist plot to keep “the airwaves” clear of ANY TRUTH and cause harm to anyone who dares to challenge thier HATE! because that is what drives these lunatics, they live in terror of being found out to actually be a VERY SMALL part of the total population, unfortunately they control the “airwaves” so the vast majority does not realize they have the numbers on thier side, the only way the HATERS can win is by CHEATING, they have used thier corrupt voting machines for decades to steal local and state elections, they have now moved up to the federal level and if “WE THE PEOPLE” DO NOT PUT A STOP TO THIS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, WE WIL DESERVE ALL THAT WILL RESULT FROM ALLOWING THESE CRIMINAL TO GET AWAY WITH THIER CRIMES.
Where are the “Archie Bunkers” of the world??? Remember the tv show “All in the Family”, Archie spoke his mind and if you didn’t like it…TOO BAD!!! I’m sick of the gender words, life is hard enough being who you are without being someone else! God made me a woman and I’m happy about that, wouldn’t want it any other way!
One point I forgot to add, TRUMP RECEIVED 75,000,000 VOTES, THERE ARE 130,000,000 REGISTERED VOTERS, THAT LEAVES 55,000,000 VOTES, WHERE DID THE EXTRA 25,000,000 VOTES COME FROM?? SEVERAL MILLION WERE STOLEN FROM TRUMP, WHO PROBABLY HAD CLOSER TO 100,000,000 VOTES. “WE THE PEOPLE DESERVE THE TRUTH!!!
Not rodents…sheep.
Honestly, I waiting for them to begin stumbling all over themselves. Just like the lady tell not to touch our face as she licked her fingers and turned the pages of her notes.
When all is said and done; nature will take its course. I saw a guy trying to go into the women’s restroom and a group of four women told him no way buddy and push him into the men’s room. I’ve never seen a female try to use the men’s room. Actually at home we only have two bathrooms, both multi-sex use or you just have to go and pee in the back yard….????
Woke, cancel culture it’s all horse dung to me. There are only two sexes, of course there are
wanabes and cross dressers. I think the best policy is don’t ask and don’t tell.
This really doesn’t involve me, as long as you don’t try and pick me up, I’m cool. I care less about your color or “sexual orenitation”(and yes, still can’t spell). What matters to me is what’s between your ears (your brain). Everything else doesn’t matter, that’s either your issue or somebody else’s issues. The sooner we all grow up and realize this is a F—ed up world we live in and the sooner everybody realizes everybody is different. The people that “hit” on me respected me and didn’t push the issue (you wouldn’t really like me if you pushed me in a direction I don’t want to go), therefore those people deserve the same amount of respect they gave me.
All this other stuff is just BS to justify somebody’s BS that has no clue, just out for their 15 minutes of fame. It’s really kind of sad. Let people be people and all will be cool.
SAVE THE U.S.A….SEND ALL DEMONRATS, LIBTURDS AND ALL OTHER GROUPS THAT HATE AMERICA TO DEATH ROW FOR TREASON!
I believe you missed a few
Time to begin working toward removing ALL anti American socialist democrats with their 50 year failed policies.
2022 take hack the house, the senate and rid every state of the dictator governors who violated people’s freedom!!
Let’s go America take back Our Government and Our Country!
Well said Patriot Will. Sounds like alot of “common sense” and reality is nice to see in writing.
Obviously these useless democrats are filled with hate and un- controllable rage for anyone who doesn’t subscribe to their self serving and exploitive nonsense.
So tell me what clear thinking rational human being behaves in this manner??
Petchulant, spoiled un-educated,intolerant people like these are EXACTLY what America does NOT need in its government!
Anyone who voted for them are the ones who the cancel culture should expose and hold accountable.
Absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous.
Knowing of no official reference books or laws which establish, either, a vocabulary to be used, or behaviors which are proscribed due to the sensibilities and sensitivities of liberal diversity, I make no pretense of, even, an attempt to placate or pander to them. Collective tradition will have to serve the purposes of communication which, until very recently, achieved those purposes through discipline to conformity which was grounded in reasons which were proven by experience to be effective for societal and social benefit. The pandemic has proved that it is the commixing of persons with acquired incompatibility factors which is the cause of systematic problems requiring their strict differentiation and segregation for purposes of constructive quality of life. The left should remember that they are the ones who established the choice to be morally and ethically wrong as a legal choice. Therefore, the concept of choice, individual, personal choice, particularly, the choice to disagree or to refuse to be a part of a collective whole, must be respected. The choice to home-school, for example, as contrasted with the choice to educate in a public school, the choice to avoid the controversial issues which are the subjects of constant debate or litigation, the choice to make choice as supreme as the left would like to have it must be equally recognized in legitimacy for all parties to disputes over it. After all, there is nothing, including experience, which establishes any criteria for the validity of immoral or unethical choices on the part of left-wing liberals as traditionally defined by religion from which the concepts of morality and ethics are derived. It is the lack of cause-and-effect logic which spells the doom of cancel-culture.
Well, it appears I will have to consign my beloved “Harry Potter” books to the flames.
Clearly J.K. Rowling’s lack of “political correctness” must be punished.
All isn’t lost, however, since I have been reliably informed that a “Middlesex ” endures in Britain.
Does anyone get the feeling that George Orwell and Aldous Huxley passed by?
It feels like these leftists are in a contest to show others how “woke” and “tolerant” they are. But all they’re really doing is showing what idiots they are. This article is a prime example. It does not matter if someone is trying to offend, it only matters that someone else takes offense.
How do such people deserve to “receive respect” just for exhibiting aberrant behavior? Respect is earned not given as a reward.
The people that came up with “Woke & Cancel” culture is a total waste of words in my opinion. Why would woke mean anything to me now or in 20-years???
Let’s be honest and call cancel culture what is it: liberal fascism on steroids. I ignore this stuff regularly because it’s idiotic. I haven’t read the New York Times in years because of their idiotically biased “news”. Nobody else will either if they keep it up,
So folks like these can’t understand ‘trangender’. Maybe just call them queer! That says it all.
This is madness. JK Rowling deserved to be “canceled” because she taught children witchcraft — not because she is “transphobic”!