Hope this article hasn't already been posted: Billy Bragg wrote a piece in The Guardian on Friday about Cancel Culture. He says it doesn't stifle debate, but does challenge the old order. Speech is only free when everyone has a voice, he thinks, and this is why young people are angry.
https://www.theguardian.com
I certainly don't agree with everything he says. George Orwell said in the preface to Animal Farm “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." The way Billy interprets this is the opposite of what I think.
He says "Orwell’s quote is not a defence of liberty; it’s a demand for licence." I don't think it is.
It's an interesting piece though.
"Before the rise of social media, the anger of young people was restricted to pop music. Print and broadcast media kept youth corralled on the margins ...
"The ability of middle-aged gatekeepers (who signed the open letter) to control the agenda has been usurped by a new generation of activists who can spread information through their own networks, allowing them to challenge narratives promoted by the status quo. The great progressive movements of the 21st century have sprung from these networks: Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; Extinction Rebellion. While they may seem disparate in their aims, what they have in common is a demand for accountability."
Jack