Absolutely best quote so far from the Dorian Abbott story. But I’ll bet someone will top it. Stay tuned.
Absolutely best quote so far from the Dorian Abbott story. But I’ll bet someone will top it. Stay tuned.
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October 22nd, 2021 at 5:17AM
Yes, that quote captures excellently how imprisoning it is to force all aspects of human life to be viewed primarily through immutable physical characteristics.
However, I find the unrelenting, unchallenged racism at the heart of all these cancellations to be the most pernicious aspect. The MIT leadership asserts the public nature of the speech is what made the cancellation necessary: “Dr. van der Hilst speculated that Black students might well have been repelled if they learned of Dr. Abbot’s views on affirmative action.”
The racism inherent here, and throughout all similar justifications, is of two kinds:
1. Black individuals think with one mind on the issues of DEI and affirmative action. Because some Black people say they will be offended, the entire “community” of Black people will be. Contrarian views held by Black individuals must reflect internalized white supremacy, etc.
2. Black people are too fragile to tolerate hearing views they find disagreeable (or in this case, simply being in the presence of someone giving a scientific lecture unrelated to DEI) –their emotional resilience is simply too flimsy to withstand such an “assault.” Consequently, their minds must be protected by those who know what’s best for them.
These are the unspoken, unchallenged assumptions underlying so much of these cancelleations, and they are simply infantilizing, even dehumanizing, of Black people.
October 22nd, 2021 at 6:36AM
ProtoSomething: Yes. John McWhorter is terrific on the self-defeating nature of the repressed culture you’re evoking.
November 1st, 2021 at 5:00PM
That “pinnacle of intellectualism” gets the recognition it so richly deserves.
November 1st, 2021 at 7:56PM
Stephen: Hilarious, and well-written. And indeed what a richly deserved award.