"They came for the Communists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Communist; ..." (Martin Niemoller - more, including another version, at "The Holocaust History Project"). Niemoller's warning is just as important now as it was a half-century ago.
We aren't - quite - at the point Germany was on May 10, 1933, when student associations arranged for at least 25,000 "un-German" books to be burned.
But we could be close.
This time around, we don't have ultra-nationalistic right-wing student organizations burning books. We've got people who are convinced that they must rid the world of what they think is intolerance and hate speech. I'm very concerned that we may be living in a period when unwanted ideas are "accidentally" purged from the Internet.
"Foehammer’s Anvil website taken down - again!" details "Foehammer's" difficulties in keeping his politically-incorrect website online.
I don't necessarily agree with "Foehammer's" views, but I firmly believe that he should not be silenced.
A long association with colleges and universities has taught me how well-intentioned efforts to promote tolerance and diversity can create a rigidly uniform intellectual climate. The sort of 'open mindedness' that suppresses opposing views is almost intolerable for anyone who wants to pursues knowledge, rather than support an ideology.
It's remotely possible that "Foehammer's" website has simply been unlucky. However, I'm suspicious when someone whose views would not be welcomed on the campuses of Berkeley or Amherst has such a run of bad luck.
I could be wrong, but I think it's quite possible that the La Habra, California, hosting company he's using is treating his website less equally than others.
I've written about this sort of thing before, in another blog:
- "Saudi Arabia is Not America"
(January 2, 2008) - "Which Needs Protecting: People's Feelings, or Freedom of Speech?"
(January 5, 2008) - "Blocking Services as Censorship; Who Decides What's Naughty or Nice?"
(December 21, 2007)
No comments:
Post a Comment