Cancel Culture

Well they are asking me to think differently about the sanctity of public statues, if it's being considered OK to arbitrarily tear them down and chuck them in the river. This being in accordance with the power of the symbolism you champion in post #14.

 

Pigeons are never consulted.

 

Of all the things to be challenged here it surely shouldn't be your belief in the imaginary sanctity of statues.

Were they right in removing Nazi related statues and symbolism? Should they have remained?

 

As with the removal or retention of all cultural or historic icons, it should from time to time be a matter of debate and decision by the appropriate governing authority, rather than left to the unilateral action of individuals..

One hopes and to a degree expects that the empowered authority would weigh up all considerations and thereafter act correctly.

 

By some people's logic, we should burn down the viking centre in York. Well let's face it, some of the biggest crimes in this country were committed by vikings raping and pillaging. I know let's get all upset about it, flounce out and demand all Scandinavian countries make apologies, pay us compensation and wipe the history away.

That is what this country in particular is becoming like.

 

One of the finest comedy sketches on being offended and health n safety.

 

Do you think it was right that the reruns of faulty towers no longer included the episode whereby the major used the ‘N’ word- in the context of the episode it is not something which makes him look good- quite the opposite- it portrays him as a biggot.
That’s an example of cancel culture - whereby mostly white tv executives get offended on behalf of minorities without asking said minority if they actually care or not. It’s virtue signaling par excellence- let’s show everyone how right on we are - but we don’t then have to actually address racism in the real world - because see- we removed an offensive episode of an old sitcom.

 

I was at a Viking museum in Iceland and when the lady running it found out I was English she apologised for their invasions of Britain, I said I would consider it. We were both joking of course, but it was obviously set against the cultural requirement to be forever apologising for something you or you ancestors took no part in.
It always amuses me that it’s the English who are always required to apologise for the empire, as if Scotland was somehow also a victim in all that. I read someone complaining about the English taking the Elgin marbles - I hardly had the heart to point at the earl of Elgin was very much Scottish.

 

It depends really. Life moves on. I recently rewatched Fawlty towers and laughed a great deal.. but there are also some seriously offensive moments in modern terms within the episodes that are still on. Is it really ok to have the N-word from a white man on iPlayer? Is society and culture allowed to change and evolve?

You should watch the episode of Always Sunny called "The gang made lethal weapon 6" (spoiler you can't because it was banned) the entire concept of the episode is how offensive it is that 2 white men wear blackface to play Murtaugh.. even though it's entirely because they idolise the character and actor. It was made in 2013.

Their response to the ban was to make "The gang makes lethal weapon 7" which is about cancel culture. It's well worth a watch.

But to get back in track. Most cancel culture references nowadays are white men who get themselves in trouble and refer to it as themselves 'being cancelled'

 

Is it ok for black peoples to use the N word and not get cancelled? Even though plenty of black people hate that word regardless of who says it?

 

Where I stand on it all goes way beyond statues and Nazis etc. People have never been so offended by things. Are these the generation of people we want to give the button to?

People coined this term "wokeism". I hate it. Why are we more bothered about what other people think and getting embarrassed for other people that might not even be bothered.

We live in a time with freedom and free speech. If something's unacceptable call it out. Don't go away and write a blog.

Other week I paid at a til at Lidl and called the cashier "love". She was offended and corrected me. I was embarrassed went red but accepted she was right. She was right to call me out there and then. That's society and living together.

 

That's not my place to judge. Or yours. It kinda sounds like you're suggesting that white people saying it for comedy purposes should be ok because some black people chose to reclaim the word as an act of defiance. If so, please go away

 

Not even a reasonable point to be honest Marc.

No there is no difference between if a statue is placed inside or outside a museum, it's still what it is, a statue and part of history good or bad.

Plus as far as I know there has never been a statue of Hitle, hence the not really valid point.

Everything we see doesn't have to represent good things. They can also serve as a reminder of our past and not to repeat it.

 

Funny guy. But if you'll let me be boring for a moment (as somebody particularly interested in urban design), the part about Amsterdam is really illuminating. It's completely true, but only the case because over the past half a century they've transformed their streets in a fundamental way which would be anathema to our current anti-PC brigade. Check the attached image of the same street a couple of decades apart, and imagine what the 'free speech' crew would say if this change was proposed in your bit of the UK now. Because that's basically what it takes - you can either keep people safe by design, or just keep on telling them off if they do the wrong thing.

I dare say a similar thing would ring true about H&S (unions) and free speech (anti-hate speech legislation). You don't just get to relax about stuff like this - first you have to create a society in which that relaxation is possible.

 

“Love” is part of the Yorkshire dialect, and is not said offensively, and never should offend anyone. That’s just plain daft that you were embarrassed. And even dafter that she took offence!

 

This is a crazy take.

SURELY you can see the difference between a statue outside and in a museum? A statue out in a public place is generally used to celebrate something or somebody. It’s visible by all.

A statue in a museum is only visible to those that go into the museum and is usually used for informational or educational purposes rather than celebratory.

 

Don't share your view, that is Ok you know. People are allowed to have different viewpoints, SURELY you can see that.

 

That's amazing. I guess I just assumed, without ever thinking about it too much, that Amsterdam had always been a bike/pedestrian friendly city. I hadn't realised they got it just as wrong as everywhere else but made the effort to put it right.

There's a very strong argument, backed by a mountain of evidence, that people adapt to the environment they're presented with. Build roads and people will use cars. Build cycle paths, pedestrianised precincts, and provide a fit for purpose public transport network and people will cycle/walk and catch the bus. The 1000% increase in the number of bikes in the second image is because there's a safe place to ride them.