The Harper's Letter on Cancel Culture
• A Letter on Justice and Open Debate (Harper's Magazine, 7-7-2020) This letter, signed by many authors, appeared in the Letters section of the magazine, and provoked a big response.
• A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate (The Objective, 7-10-2020) If you read the first letter, you should also read this response to it, which also has a long list of signatories. This letter was a group effort, started by journalists of color with contributions from the larger journalism, academic, and publishing community. "On Tuesday, 153 of the most prominent journalists, authors, and writers, including J. K. Rowling, Malcolm Gladwell, and David Brooks, published an open call for civility in Harper’s Magazine....The signatories, many of them white, wealthy, and endowed with massive platforms, argue that they are afraid of being silenced, that so-called cancel culture is out of control, and that they fear for their jobs and free exchange of ideas, even as they speak from one of the most prestigious magazines in the country." It addresses these examples from the Harper's letter.
1. Editors are fired for running controversial pieces?
2. Books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity?
3. Journalists are barred from writing on certain topics?
4. Professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class?
5. A researcher fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study?
6. The heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes?