Eliora
Cancel Culture and the Left’s Long March, edited by Dr Kevin Donnelly, published by Wilkinson Publishing Pty Ltd, Melbourne 2021.
Recently a person posted an article they appreciated from the popular NZ website The BFD on their Facebook page. Immediately the FB account was banned for 30 days, no doubt as the algorithm decided it was criticising the current Labour Government, therefore the site must be cancelled! Judging by the instantaneous cancellation of a private account, diverse views are not allowed on Facebook. As Peta Credlin, Sky News Anchor (Australia) writes in the foreword of this new book, “Wholesome diversity (of debate) means a range of views, not just a multiplicity of genders and ethnicities.”
Cancel Culture and the Left’s Long March is a compilation of essays written by various academics who expose how contemporary Australia is suffering under stifling political correctness and censorship, and is consumed by wokeness. Donnelly and others provide a counterpoint to the ‘long march’ of the Marxist agenda. They have had enough of statues being pulled down, brands renamed and conservative people deplatformed. This scholarly book provides a balance to the public debate which has been dominated by the cultural left and it would be of value in libraries.
Among the contributors are some well-known Australian personalities such as geologist Ian Plimer, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, independent scholar Dr Stephen Chavura, and News host Peta Credlin. Other writers are Gary Marks, Jennifer Oriel, John Steenhof, Anthony Dillon, David Daintree, Patrick Byrne, Dr Fiona Mueller and Kristian Jenkins.
The contributors explore the origins of cancel culture and its impact on Western countries, including how families, schools, universities, sports, churches, institutions, media, pandemics, climate crisis, and trade unions are affected. Free speech is attacked by ‘hate speech’ laws designed to intimidate and silence anyone who’s against the left’s narrative.
Donnelly runs through the tactics of infiltration used, not for the purpose of educating children in Australia, but re-educating them. For example, he says,
“Instead of being an impartial and balanced pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, education curriculums emphasise politically correct language, ideology and group think.“
He sees the danger of students being nurtured, and teachers protecting the pupil’s self-esteem above all else. Education is no longer a rigorous process where children are challenged intellectually. ‘Equity’ is replacing equality of opportunity with equality of outcome. The core curriculum subjects are dumbed down and teachers are facilitators, not teachers. He declares,
“The revised national curriculum is cancel culture on steroids.”
Free inquiry is replaced by rigid group think. Jennifer Oriel in the chapter “Universities” writes,
“A study by the US-based Brookings Institute found that half of the undergraduate students think it is acceptable to silence speech they find upsetting. Left-wing students were far more likely to support silencing speakers by shouting them down than students who leaned Republican (39% and 62% respectfully.) The most shocking finding was that nearly one fifth of students (19%) believed violence was an acceptable method of silencing dissenters.”
John Steenhof, principal lawyer of the Human Rights Law Alliance writes in the chapter “Slouching Towards Group Think: Cancel Culture, The Law And Religion”:
“In many sectors of the public square today, merely being exposed to an idea you disagree with is increasingly seen as harmful and dangerous…
“As the cultural-left gains ascendancy and control of key institutions in Australia, these culture wars over freedoms of thought, conscience and belief have taken on a legal dimension. Increasingly, Australian laws are being weaponised to silence religious voices and to cancel religious Australians who express ideas that are discordant with the atheistically secular ideological fashions of the day.“
Dr Kevin Donnelly is an Australian educator, author and commentator, a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University and the Director of the Education Standards Institute, an Australian conservative think tank. He is a defender of the strengths and benefits of Western civilisation and the Judaeo-Christian heritage. He is the author of: Taming the Black Dog, The Culture of Freedom, Dumbing Down, A Politically Correct Dictionary and Guide, How Political Correctness Is Destroying Australia, Why Are Our Schools Failing? Australia’s Education Revolution, and more.
In his review of this book author Rod Lampard writes,
“I’m confident in saying that it is one of the most important books I’ve read in a while.“
The book adds to the already principled people who have taken a stand for freedom of speech. Jordan Peterson stood up against the university legalising personal pronouns. Israel Folau, a rugby player, stuck to his Christian beliefs. Harry Potter author J K Rowling did not back down over her logical transgender comments. These public figures have won the battle, but not without great fortitude and against hellish opposition.
Donnelly’s Cancel Culture and the Left’s Long March is an anthology of how cancel culture came to dominate Australian society. It is a depressing book, unless seen as another fight back, opposing the radical left, with an invitation in the last chapter by Dr Stephen Chavura, “… The Way Forward”. Kiwis will recognise that the issues are the same here in New Zealand and just as dangerous and divisive.
“This is a war that needs to be fought“, says Credlin.