Exactly - that's why the idea of context not being important in the Dankula case worried me.
It's certainly a complex issue - we have been down the road of free speech in terms of social media, BTL, and wider society. We largely agree, albeit that I am very liberal when it comes to free speech (Too liberal? That's a fair question). I am a fan of Steven Pinker - he's pretty much where am am concerning freedom of expression.
In terms of art etc., I am very concerned about recent trends and pressures on artists and publishers afraid of public outcries. I am not a fan of stripping contentious language out of classic books or banning them from classrooms - they are a product of their time and should be discussed as such. Even modern writers are coming under pressure to self-censor, which is a trend I do not like.
An interesting article from Lionel Shriver, if you have time:
Writers blocked: how the new call-out culture is killing fiction - Prospect Magazine
I write to be mischievous, subversive and perverse. The #MeToo and "cultural appropriation" mob leaves no room for any of thatwww.prospectmagazine.co.uk
Lionel Shriver says 'politically correct censorship' is damaging fiction
The We Need to Talk About Kevin author says novelists today are contending with ‘a torrent of dos and don’ts’ that puts the genre at riskwww.theguardian.com
Growing up, I had a strong interest in US censorship by the 'Moral Majority' based on 'Christian Values,' with acts such as arresting Jello Biafra for obscenity, or Tipper Gore's Christian fundies going after musicians for questionable lyrics (won't somebody think of the children!). I am concerned that there is a new moral majority being created, which sees nothing wrong with trying to ban things that they do not like because they 'trigger' someone.
I agree totally with Lionel....though if it stops her writing fiction, that's a bonus ?
Ive tried to read "We need to talk about Kevin" at least half a dozen times and failed abjectly every time!!
