I wasn’t accusing you of that.
[Sat 28th Oct 2017] London Anarchist Bookfair (London)
- Thread starter Kate Sharpley
- Start date
I wasn’t accusing you of that.
No, but if I'm virtue signalling I might as well go the whole hog.
Athos
Well-Known Member
No. They demonstrate perfectly that it's a grey area. In your opinion, in such grey areas, would you rather see unpalatable opinions criminalised, or free speech permitted?
So far the only people who have called the police were the leafleters.
Athos
Well-Known Member
They're the ones who've been assaulted. But, that wasn't the question. What would you prefer?
I don't have to have a preference, thanks.
Athos
Well-Known Member
That's fine. Unlike the organisers of the bookfair you have the luxury of being able to sit on the fence.
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OK, even if I insert "bookfair" in that sentence you still aren't making a great deal of sense.
Athos
Well-Known Member
Ok. We can pretend that if you like.
Perhaps you could clearly state your position then? At the moment it just seems you're playing "Socratic shits and giggles" with a string of questions that make me think you're about to try and prove the existence of God.
Athos
Well-Known Member
That the leaflet is not 'hate speech' as you claimed. And that, as such, the organisers of the bookfair behaved reasonably on the day, in the circumstances. And that the criticism of them is unjustified. And that such criticism has harmed the anarchist (and broader radical left) movement.
What's yours?
Fair enough. I'd go with "leaflet is hate speech", "leafleteers were trolling and have admitted as much elsewhere", "the organisers fucked up in their response because of understandable loyalty to an old colleague", and I'd actually agree with your very last statement but I'd broaden it to "the entire incident has harmed..."
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Oh dear
It is better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than pipe up and prove yourself one, as you have here
FYI - the leaflets did not cause the controversy
You’re a prick. You only went because it was literally on your doorstep and the pub over the road didn’t suit your middle class tastes so you advised against that to fellow nobheads.
Athos
Well-Known Member
Ok. Leaving aside that those statements turn on the question of what is 'hate speech', which you've declined to clearly define, what response would you have liked from the organisers? To what extent ought they to police the expression of unpopular opinions?
Why bother? Someone who snootily suggests pubs other than the local one has no business in class politics.
nyxx
*
Someone who asserts that the content of the leaflets which sparked this controversy are not worth examining that would make for a damn fine specimen of a complete fool.
Thank you. I consider myself blessed.
You've taken the pub comment to heart. Since it's under discussion, I don't particularly like any of the beer they serve, and the only person I know who drinks there is the last landlord of my local, now long closed.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
The leaflets symptoms of an ongoing controversy, sweetling
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
And all the anarchists who supped there
Probably. You’re taking some bullshit middle class political position which is making me think of your other comments and what they mean in that context.
I have no particular view on what the BF organisers should or shouldn't have done in terms of managing their event. Hence not joining in that part of the discussion.
I have discovered I have a strong view on people who distribute what I believe is hate speech. I'm still somewhat surprised by the amount of ignoring the leaflet content that's going on.
I'm curious as to why my position is bullshit?
Who were there on that day, not on the other 364, which are probably the ones I'm referring to...
What’s your position on class politics? Rather than this crap you’re going on about.
I wasn't talking about class politics and haven't engaged with that at all here and don't particularly intend to.
I was talking about the disruption of the bookfair by a group distributing leaflets that were expected to be disruptive, and the fallout from that.
.
Why were you at the book fair then if you have no position on class politics?
Because it’s those people who have thrown it under a bus. And you should fuck off as far as I’m concerned.
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