24AR29-11

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AR 29:11 - Hope = Living without lies, vs “without redemption”

In this issue:

LEWIS, C.S. - the complexities of "The Problematic Inklings"

WOKE MOVEMENT - "It's about power"

Apologia Report 29:11 (1,652)
March 14, 2024

LEWIS, C.S.

"The Problematic Inklings" by G. Connor Salter (Mere Orthodoxy, Dec 4 '23) -- "I was sharing an Airbnb with several other Inklings researchers, some of whom gave evening presentations. One evening, we gathered to hear Dr. Sørina Higgins discuss her specialty: Charles Williams, a rather problematic Inkling.

   "Williams, a writer and editor who worked for Oxford University Press, met Lewis in 1936 after they exchanged fan letters about each other's books. He didn't begin regularly attending Inklings meetings until 1939....

   "Lewis described Williams as having an angel's radiance when he spoke, which affected women so much that Williams could have used them horribly if he were a bad man.

   "The Third Inkling, Grevel Lindop's authoritative Williams biography <www.tinyurl.com/3b76nf6u> did not appear until 2015. It revealed that [Williams] was rather a bad man with women. He had an intense emotional affair with coworker Phyllis Jones for 14 years. He mentored many women spiritually...."

   Salter, "a writer and editor with over 1,300 bylines," moves on to note how other Inklings and "minor Inklings" also had their faults. Nearing his conclusion, he writes: "People are complex. Talking about their complexities is not always pleasant. Yet, as Christians, we remember that God can use even broken channels to do his work." <www.tinyurl.com/46mdzsyu>

 ---

WOKE MOVEMENT

"Katherine Brodsky Is Not Sorry: An interview with the tough liberal writer of the anti-woke book No Apologies" by Rod Dreher (RD Substack, Feb 19 '24) -- "Katherine has a reputation for standing up to cancel culture, and doing so from the Left. And she says in her writing that she is motivated by "curiosity, not ideology." ...

   "Brodsky, who emigrated to Canada as a child from the Soviet Union, recently published No Apologies: How To Find And Free Your Voice In An Age Of Outrage - Lessons For The Silenced Majority, a book of practical advice for standing up to woke cancel culture. It's a collection of interviews with a wide range of people who faced down the political mob, and held on to their integrity. ...

   KB: "I was targeted in a private journalism group on Facebook that I ran. The group had over 30,000 members and focused on providing employment opportunities in the media for women, as well as resources and mentorship. But when a group member posted a job at Fox News, they were outraged and started attacking her. I chimed in asking members to refrain from personal attacks and keep away from politics. The whole thing exploded from there." And, behind it all, she says: "My desire to write this book came as a response to not only my own experience, but also the many letters I got from others sharing both their own experiences with the righteous vigilante mob as well as the fear they experience when it comes to speaking out. ...

   "I found within myself a level of perseverance and a backbone I didn't know I had. I didn't cower to the mob. ...

   "Today, I feel like I'm just able to be much more outspoken and direct about what I think, and I have more authentic relationships as result. ...

   RD: "One of the historical lessons that you say is once again playing out is that the silence of the majority allows a tiny minority of motivated bad actors to triumph. ...

   KB: "When it comes to science - whether something like vaccines, or climate change (which I use as examples in my book) - there's a fear of going against the grain. It's the same with things like conversations around gender, diversity, and geopolitics. The problem is that as a society, we do not know if we are making the right decisions on these fronts, or are even presented with all the relevant information because there's this silencing culture where the moderate voices are too often afraid to speak due to the heavy consequences for doing so, and those on either extreme of an issue have a monopoly on the discourse, because they are loud and aggressive. ...

   RD: "What would your message be to the silent, decent majority in such cases? ...

   KB: "It's very clear that we got to this point in very large part because of the silence of others. We've tolerated this kind of bullying culture. ...

   RD: "You talk to cancelled people from all walks of life about their experiences. It is striking how the main thing they all have in common is, to paraphrase Solzhenitsyn, a refusal to live by lies. [A Czech anti-communist dissident in Prague] said something to the effect, "If you just set your mind to doing the right thing, everything is easy." Is it as simple as a matter of having an unbreakable character?

   KB: "I think it's a big part of it. I think you'll find that a pattern amongst the people featured in my book emerges. ...

   RD: "Another thing that comes through strongly is the importance of having a sane community that keeps faith with you, no matter how small. This is something the Soviet-era dissidents told me as well. Why is this important? ...

   KB: "I think we've lost a sense of community in large part and it's behind many of the issues we're facing today. I think people belong to tribes a lot, which require a cult-like adherence in their thinking. ... One thing that is important, in my view, in the community you build, is healthy disagreement. ... 

   "But beyond the broader public, I have a small community around me. They ... understand who I am at my core and that I don't want to intentionally hurt anyone. ...

   RD: "The destructive social dynamic you examine is ever-present in human community. What is it about the Internet that has boosted its power so much?

   KB: "I could write a book on this, but I think the biggest aspect is dehumanization. ... There's little possibility of true empathy on the Internet, especially if you just see someone as an avatar. ... And there's also little consequences to someone insulting or dehumanizing someone on the Internet. ...

   "I'll also add that pre-Internet, if you had a scandal, you could move to a new town. If it made it into the paper, it would be tossed aside soon enough. But today, you've got a massive digital footprint. ...

   RD: "You make an important observation: that we don't need formal, top-down, state totalitarianism to achieve totalitarianism....

   "KB: There's no need for overt state enforcement if people voluntarily conform to oppressive ideologies and behaviors, policing themselves - often defined by those in power, even if not directly. [T]hose on the fringes who are willing to, essentially, bully others into submission. They don't necessarily need to use force. ...

   "Taken a step further, with "cancel culture," there's also the threat of a person not adhering to some rigid standard of language and behavior losing their career or reputation they've carefully established for years. ... And, as you know, shutting down dissent is one of the hallmarks of a dictatorship and totalitarianism.

   RD: "One of the most important things you discovered is the importance of making friends and allies across ideological boundaries. The soft totalitarianism of wokeness has enabled me to make friends on the pro-liberty left that I might not have otherwise done. ... What lessons have you learned on this front?

   KB: "I try to look at people not from a point-of-view of ideology, but rather principles. I saw people who were fighting "woke" using the same tactics and engaging in the same behaviors as the people they were opposing. ...

   "I've seen some people truly stand up for the principles I value, but also have heard a number openly admit that the only reason they want freedom of speech is because they are the ones being suppressed, and once they have control, they want to curb it in the way they think is best. That terrified me, but also taught me a lot about human nature and power.

   RD: "It was so depressing to face, in the testimonies of some of your subjects, how very lost both journalism and publishing are to woke conformity. What does this make you think of the future of writers like yourself, a curious and open-minded liberal? ...

   KB: "So on the one hand, if I want to write what I want to — there really are not many places for me to go.  But a vast majority of those who have gone the fully independent way and succeeded financially? To some extent, I find that they are either captured by their audience, or an ideological perspective that's popular. I find that readers who are willing to pay are often keen on supporting causes rather than just curious, non-partisan journalism. ...

   "There are, of course, exceptions and something like The Free Press <www.thefp.com> tries to maintain a certain balance. But it's not an easy path. ... I try to maintain hope because the alternative sucks.

   RD: "[O]ver and over, your subjects say that we are facing a new religion here, one in which there is no redemption.

   KB: "You've cited Alexander Solzhenitsyn earlier, "live not by lies." I think that's where it comes from for me: I cannot stand to lie. Like anyone, I'm capable....

   "Consider this: What kind of person demands or feels entitled to an apology for something that wasn't even done to them? By answering that question, you'll begin to understand who you're really dealing with. It's not about accountability, redemption, self-reflection, or protecting society. It's about power."

   Dreher concludes: "I think she's on Instagram ... but I refuse to believe that anybody uses Instagram, so you'll have to go find her there your own self. That's my position, and I'm sticking to it, and I ain't sorry one bit!" <www.tinyurl.com/36e3xx3w> 

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