Some people who are revered throughout history believed and did shocking things. We probably all know about how the founding fathers owned slaves, but Mahatma Ghandi also had some skeletons in his closet. Gloria Steinem made valuable contributions to the feminist movement, but she considered being transgender a form of cultural appropriation. As for cancel culture, it's not the biggest problem we face, but it is a problem. Universities aren't preparing students for citizenship in a democratic society by sheltering them from opposing points of view. Some students now argue openly for segregated dormitories on the grounds that racism is inevitable among students with different skin colors. They've come to the same conclusions as the segregationists in the 1950's for different reasons.
Always happy to talk about the appropriateness of any given topic, such as racial or religious issues, but it is a mistake to think that right-wing media such as GB News is having that conversation in good faith -- their goal is simply to drive the right-wing outrage machine. Therefore it is a mistake for Cleese to work with them. Especially considering he is 82 years old, he should be more concerned with preserving his legacy. As things stand, he runs the risk of being one of the artists who did admirable work during their lives, and then stained their reputation with some ugliness at the end of life.
You either die the hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain (on twitter).
That's exactly right.
Some people who are revered throughout history believed and did shocking things. We probably all know about how the founding fathers owned slaves, but Mahatma Ghandi also had some skeletons in his closet. Gloria Steinem made valuable contributions to the feminist movement, but she considered being transgender a form of cultural appropriation. As for cancel culture, it's not the biggest problem we face, but it is a problem. Universities aren't preparing students for citizenship in a democratic society by sheltering them from opposing points of view. Some students now argue openly for segregated dormitories on the grounds that racism is inevitable among students with different skin colors. They've come to the same conclusions as the segregationists in the 1950's for different reasons.
Always happy to talk about the appropriateness of any given topic, such as racial or religious issues, but it is a mistake to think that right-wing media such as GB News is having that conversation in good faith -- their goal is simply to drive the right-wing outrage machine. Therefore it is a mistake for Cleese to work with them. Especially considering he is 82 years old, he should be more concerned with preserving his legacy. As things stand, he runs the risk of being one of the artists who did admirable work during their lives, and then stained their reputation with some ugliness at the end of life.