Wow. Beautifully written. Such an important concept and at such a crossroads in our history. I'm middle-aged and I never thought I would live through a time like this. Social media algorithms and propaganda from nefarious sources are somewhat successfully destroying our society. I hope more of us wake up and smell the coffee!
Academics on substack are a lifeline where they can reach so many people and on their own terms. Substack could be a real game changer. I'm thinking of Heather Cox Richardson and Ruth ben Ghiat. I sure do miss Christopher hitchens!
Israeli-Palestine situation showed that academicians/scholars/thinkers are afraid to speak their opinions that will jeopardize their professional/academic standing. And amazing how the great thinkers suddenly shutdown on a critical issue as if they have an intellectual blind spot. I was disappointed with thinkers like Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben Ghiat & several others. They talk about Fascism, international law, Putin's aggression, MAGA fanaticism, threat of global right wing extremism, war & peace etc etc etc. But they suddenly shutdown when Israel launched a completely unjust & illegal aggression, a Genocide against Palestinians. Ask Yale's Fascism scholar Timothy Snyder what he feels about Israel's Genocide and Israel's attempt to drag US into war in middle east - he suddenly have no courage to speak up on this. Ruth Ben Ghiat has nothing to speak on genocide of Palestinians. These intellectuals suddenly shutdown as if cat have got their tongue.
The shutdown of free & open intellectual discussion on events of 911, Iraq WMDs, War on Terror & US middle east policy meant that (criminal) blunders of US foreign policy could not be confronted & stopped timely. The greatest national tragedies occur in such circumstances. The result was 2 decades of wars & destabilization in middle east that created immense harm to world peace.
Regarding Israel-Palestine conflict. I have already mentioned what i think about this in earlier comment. But to bottom line it, i will quote DeGaulle on this. DeGaulle was among the greatest statesman, thinker & political leader of 20th century - he was in the league of FDR.
DeGaulle was a proponent of Israel state from its creation. He recognized Israel, gave them military aid and diplomatic support on global stage. But DeGaulle was a dynamic leader who acted as a he saw things. And DeGaulle's opinions & policy on Israel changed remarkably as he figured out the structure of Israeli state - Israel is an IMMORAL state and Israel is an IMPERIAL state. Israel will always keep middle east in perpetual instability. DeGaulle's warning on imperial nature of Israel stands vindicated decades after decades.
Genocide in Gaza is done to goad Iran & Lebanon into conflict. Israel is desperately trying to start a war in middle east & drag US into it. And it's a great emergency to resist the Israeli aggression today precisely when the intellectuals have gone suddenly silent.
Self-censorship is being practiced not only in academia, but elsewhere as well. The Israel-Palestinian massacres are a case in point. I’ve noticed a reluctance amongst Substack writers to debate the conflict and whether we should use our leverage to call for a cease-fire, oppose the ongoing Palestinian genocide, end nonmilitary aid to Israel and support ICC investigation and prosecution of/for war crimes and other violations of international law.
There seems to be not only an effort to
avoid the subject but also extraordinary efforts are apparent to distract readers to anything other than fascist Israel and Palestinian genocide
A related topic that is also being censored is President Biden’s performance during the conflict, one of unconditional support for Israel and opposition to calling for a cease-fire; in spite of strong public support for said cease-fire.
Democracy requires participation and free exchange of ideas and opinions, now more than ever. The so-called pause to be followed by even more carpet-bombing of Palestinian civilians should elicit strong , nonviolent opposition against Israel. Opposing Israel war crimes is a duty, it is not antisemitic.
I agree with the basic premise of free speech and open discussion of ideas. However, I can think of examples that would violate the basic idea where the case is made by a fascist, authoritarian or a racist who I would not want to support on the basis of free speech. When the speech is harmful, and that is the basic problem in defining “harmful”, what is the process to follow that maintains a free speech open to all. There have to be boundaries, as there are for everything in life. How are these boundaries defined without violating the basic principle of free speech and open discussions?
Wow. Beautifully written. Such an important concept and at such a crossroads in our history. I'm middle-aged and I never thought I would live through a time like this. Social media algorithms and propaganda from nefarious sources are somewhat successfully destroying our society. I hope more of us wake up and smell the coffee!
Academics on substack are a lifeline where they can reach so many people and on their own terms. Substack could be a real game changer. I'm thinking of Heather Cox Richardson and Ruth ben Ghiat. I sure do miss Christopher hitchens!
Governance, without dissent, is tyranny.
Israeli-Palestine situation showed that academicians/scholars/thinkers are afraid to speak their opinions that will jeopardize their professional/academic standing. And amazing how the great thinkers suddenly shutdown on a critical issue as if they have an intellectual blind spot. I was disappointed with thinkers like Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben Ghiat & several others. They talk about Fascism, international law, Putin's aggression, MAGA fanaticism, threat of global right wing extremism, war & peace etc etc etc. But they suddenly shutdown when Israel launched a completely unjust & illegal aggression, a Genocide against Palestinians. Ask Yale's Fascism scholar Timothy Snyder what he feels about Israel's Genocide and Israel's attempt to drag US into war in middle east - he suddenly have no courage to speak up on this. Ruth Ben Ghiat has nothing to speak on genocide of Palestinians. These intellectuals suddenly shutdown as if cat have got their tongue.
The shutdown of free & open intellectual discussion on events of 911, Iraq WMDs, War on Terror & US middle east policy meant that (criminal) blunders of US foreign policy could not be confronted & stopped timely. The greatest national tragedies occur in such circumstances. The result was 2 decades of wars & destabilization in middle east that created immense harm to world peace.
Regarding Israel-Palestine conflict. I have already mentioned what i think about this in earlier comment. But to bottom line it, i will quote DeGaulle on this. DeGaulle was among the greatest statesman, thinker & political leader of 20th century - he was in the league of FDR.
DeGaulle was a proponent of Israel state from its creation. He recognized Israel, gave them military aid and diplomatic support on global stage. But DeGaulle was a dynamic leader who acted as a he saw things. And DeGaulle's opinions & policy on Israel changed remarkably as he figured out the structure of Israeli state - Israel is an IMMORAL state and Israel is an IMPERIAL state. Israel will always keep middle east in perpetual instability. DeGaulle's warning on imperial nature of Israel stands vindicated decades after decades.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41305364
Genocide in Gaza is done to goad Iran & Lebanon into conflict. Israel is desperately trying to start a war in middle east & drag US into it. And it's a great emergency to resist the Israeli aggression today precisely when the intellectuals have gone suddenly silent.
Self-censorship is being practiced not only in academia, but elsewhere as well. The Israel-Palestinian massacres are a case in point. I’ve noticed a reluctance amongst Substack writers to debate the conflict and whether we should use our leverage to call for a cease-fire, oppose the ongoing Palestinian genocide, end nonmilitary aid to Israel and support ICC investigation and prosecution of/for war crimes and other violations of international law.
There seems to be not only an effort to
avoid the subject but also extraordinary efforts are apparent to distract readers to anything other than fascist Israel and Palestinian genocide
A related topic that is also being censored is President Biden’s performance during the conflict, one of unconditional support for Israel and opposition to calling for a cease-fire; in spite of strong public support for said cease-fire.
Democracy requires participation and free exchange of ideas and opinions, now more than ever. The so-called pause to be followed by even more carpet-bombing of Palestinian civilians should elicit strong , nonviolent opposition against Israel. Opposing Israel war crimes is a duty, it is not antisemitic.
I agree with the basic premise of free speech and open discussion of ideas. However, I can think of examples that would violate the basic idea where the case is made by a fascist, authoritarian or a racist who I would not want to support on the basis of free speech. When the speech is harmful, and that is the basic problem in defining “harmful”, what is the process to follow that maintains a free speech open to all. There have to be boundaries, as there are for everything in life. How are these boundaries defined without violating the basic principle of free speech and open discussions?