A Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy
*********************************************************************************************************************************** A FORUM FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, CORNERSTONES OF DEMOCRACY [For the journal--guidelines, focus, etc.--go to www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions, please contact me at todslone@hotmail.com. Comments are NOT moderated (i.e., CENSORED)!] Encouraged censorship and self-censorship seem to have become popular in America today. Those who censor others, not just self, tend to favor the term "moderate," as opposed to "censor" and "moderation" to "censorship." But that doesn't change what they do. They still act as Little Caesars or Big Brother protectors of the thin-skinned. Democracy, however, demands a tough populace, not so easily offended. On this blog, and to buck the trend of censorship, banning, and ostracizing, comments are NEVER "moderated." Rarely (almost NEVER) do the targets of these blog entries respond in an effort to defend themselves with cogent counter-argumentation. This blog is testimony to how little academics, poets, critics, newspaper editors, cartoonists, political hacks, cultural council apparatchiks, librarians et al appreciate VIGOROUS DEBATE, cornerstone of democracy. Clearly, far too many of them could likely prosper just fine in places like communist China and Cuba or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia, not to mention Sweden, England, and Austria.
ISSUE #47 PUBLISHED MAY 2024. NOW SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE #48.
This cartoon was drawn several years ago and sent to Zinn who, in the spirit of vigorous debate, cornerstone of democracy, did not respond. My experience has been that academics tend to always respond when praised, but rarely when criticized.
Hi Charlotte, That's your opinion, certainly not mine! And I'm not the only one who had that thought. I actually saw another cartoon with the same thought RE Zinn as tenured academic at Boston University, which is yet another university closed to criticism and scornful of vigorous debate, cornerstone of democracy. I'd sent my cartoon to Zinn a couple of years ago. He of course chose not to respond. I am against ICONS, leftist or right-wing. I am against ICON worshipping. Zinn became an icon and was worshipped. Becoming an ICON is often akin to become a politician. One must please a certain crowd and avoid at all costs saying something that might offend that crowd. In Zinn's case, the taboo was likely PC and offending the PC-crowd. M and I are still on a friendly basis. In fact, he'll be in next issue of The AD. He's probably just tired of being the only one to respond here. What is good about the blog, by the way, is that one may get ones opinion where normally one cannot. In other words, the google search engine will pick up my Zinn cartoon, irrespective of its caustic un-PC nature, and place it under his name. Now and then, my blogs have been placed right on the first page, as opposed to the 10th or 20th. Thanks for responding! Hope all well! I've been battling like a wild badger, been doing almost one cartoon per day!
2 comments:
I get it, you wanted to see if anyone alive is listening. Well since you asked, yes I think you went too far this time, both in target and timing.
btw, what happened to Mather? Did you two have another falling out?
Hi Charlotte,
That's your opinion, certainly not mine! And I'm not the only one who had that thought. I actually saw another cartoon with the same thought RE Zinn as tenured academic at Boston University, which is yet another university closed to criticism and scornful of vigorous debate, cornerstone of democracy. I'd sent my cartoon to Zinn a couple of years ago. He of course chose not to respond. I am against ICONS, leftist or right-wing. I am against ICON worshipping. Zinn became an icon and was worshipped. Becoming an ICON is often akin to become a politician. One must please a certain crowd and avoid at all costs saying something that might offend that crowd. In Zinn's case, the taboo was likely PC and offending the PC-crowd.
M and I are still on a friendly basis. In fact, he'll be in next issue of The AD. He's probably just tired of being the only one to respond here.
What is good about the blog, by the way, is that one may get ones opinion where normally one cannot. In other words, the google search engine will pick up my Zinn cartoon, irrespective of its caustic un-PC nature, and place it under his name. Now and then, my blogs have been placed right on the first page, as opposed to the 10th or 20th.
Thanks for responding! Hope all well! I've been battling like a wild badger, been doing almost one cartoon per day!
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