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The Harper's Letter: How are people split? The Harper's Letter: How are people split?
The Signatories The Signatories
The Antis The Antis
The Divide The Divide
The letter articulates our crisis of free speech The letter articulates our crisis of free speech
Cancel culture threatens democracy Cancel culture threatens democracy
The signatories are fighting back against the culture of fear The signatories are fighting back against the culture of fear
Using a global platform to complain about being silenced is ironic Using a global platform to complain about being silenced is ironic
The signatories celebrate all free speech but that which criticises them The signatories celebrate all free speech but that which criticises them
The entitled elite can't take criticism The entitled elite can't take criticism
We cannot excuse those - even celebrities - who defend prejudice We cannot excuse those - even celebrities - who defend prejudice
The Harper's Letter is tone deaf and offensive The Harper's Letter is tone deaf and offensive
Sides in the debate are talking past each other Sides in the debate are talking past each other
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The Harper's Letter: How are people split?
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The Antis

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Using a global platform to complain about being silenced is ironic

The irony of the Harper's letter is clear: over 150 artists with millions and millions of followers summated, airing their grievances of being "censored." Any suggestion that any criticism of their ideas has made them voiceless therefore smacks of pettiness.
Judd Legum Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Lindsay Ellis
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The Argument

The irony is in the statement: “The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation”.[1] Venting on their repression, a group of elites on the world stage are somewhat undermining actual free speech advocacy. Nations around the world are implementing real infringements on the free speech of their citizens. In Egypt, individuals who speak on the issue of COVID 19 within the population are kidnapped and charged for “disseminating false news” and “inciting terrorist crime”.[2] Not to mention, the numerous new security laws imposed against the will of the people in Hong Kong by China with some of the world's most effective censors. And these are just to name a few! Yet, a group of 150 elite artists in the United States have decided to take a stand via a global outlet to air their own beliefs on what censorship is, bringing up and equating this to ideas of canceled culture, in the eyes of millions who will read their raw, uncensored opinion.

Counter arguments

The complaint of being silenced is not for an inability to deliver speech, but for fear that the consequences will be life-destroying. The signers are not complaining about the current state of affairs. They are expressing that they feel that with the way things are going and the evolving societal norms, there is a chance that eventually, they too will have the inability to exercise their right to free speech irrespective of their platforms!

Proponents

Premises

[P1] A group of elites using a global platform to complain about a lack of free speech undermines the actual free speech infringements that are occurring around the world.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The complaint of being silenced doesn't include only the powerful signatories of the document, but anyone who isn't famous or powerful and could receive disproportionate backlash for their public speech.

References

  1. https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/
  2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/egyptian-activist-sanaa-seif-detained-family-decries-abduction-200623155131565.html

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Sunday, 20 Sep 2020 at 01:09 UTC

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