Elif Shafak, The Guardian; For authoritarians, stifling the arts is of a piece with demonising minorities
"Art and literature are – and will be increasingly – at the centre of the
new culture wars. What might seem like sporadic, disconnected incidents
here and there are in truth manifestations of a similar mindset, a
growing wave of bigotry...
In country after country, we have seen enough examples to understand
that a divisive and aggressive rhetoric against LGBT and women’s rights
is intrinsic to the rise of populist nationalism and populist
authoritarianism.
Top-down censorship and the control of art and literature are
inseparable components of the hatred and discrimination against sexual
minorities, as well as against immigrants and intellectuals. Artists and
writers cannot afford not to know what is happening to colleagues in
other parts of the world. We cannot afford to be silent."
Ethically-tangled aspects of 21st century societies and cultures. In the vein of Charles Darwin’s 1859 “entangled bank” metaphor—a complex and evolving digital ecosystem of difference and dependence, where humans, technologies, ethics, law, policy, data, and information converge and diverge. Kip Currier, PhD, JD
Showing posts with label divisive rhetoric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label divisive rhetoric. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Donald Trump Is Making America Meaner; New York Times, 8/13/16
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times; Donald Trump Is Making America Meaner:
"In Georgia, an India-born Muslim named Malik Waliyani bought a gas station and convenience store a few months ago and was horrified when it was recently burglarized and damaged. He struggled to keep it going. But then the nearby Smoke Rise Baptist Church heard what had happened. “Let’s shower our neighbor with love,” Chris George, the pastor, told his congregation at the end of his sermon, and more than 200 members drove over to assist, mostly by making purchases. One man drove his car around until the gas tank was empty, so he could buy more gas. “Our faith inspires us to build bridges, not to label people as us and them, but to recognize that we’re all part of the same family,” the pastor told me. “Our world is a stronger place when we choose to look past labels and embrace others with love.” This is a wrenching, divisive, polarizing time in America, and we have a major party nominee who is sowing hatred and perhaps violence. Let’s not succumb. Good people, like the members of Smoke Rise Baptist, are reweaving our nation’s social fabric even as it is being torn."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)