Monthly Archives: May 2017

Guardian Weekly letters, 26 May 2017 – The Guardian

Posted: May 23, 2017 at 10:40 pm

Balancing science and belief

Ancient belief systems are like ancient maps. They have some historical value, but they are useless when navigating the world today.

Meghan OGieblyns article on faith (Technologys answer to the God question, 12 May) clearly derives from her religious upbringing. Having been led into an ancient belief system, she has been troubled by its paradoxes and inconsistencies ever since. Then, flying from one extreme to another, she has turned to ideas of futuristic fantasies and found them equally troublesome. But people have been downloading their minds onto hard copy since the invention of books. There is no cause for alarm as we switch from paper to computer.

OGieblyn should apportion her beliefs to the evidence. Ancient tales of the supernatural and their futuristic equivalents lose their power to enthral when subjected to that test. Then, hopefully, she will contribute to the enlightenment of others, rather than adding to the present unnecessary confusion. Les Reid Edinburgh, UK

Meghan OGieblyn offers a fascinating journey into the interface between science and faith. Will computer science achieve the eschatological (future) hope of resurrection the Gospel offers?

Her thesis could be seen as even closer to Christian orthodoxy than she outlines. She begins with a refreshingly clear description of the dispensational school of eschatology she was taught. Not all theologians would be emphatic about eschatology, though the terrestrial understanding she later describes from Pastor Christopher Benek is more common among some orthodox schools than she appears to have assumed. She also refers to arguments about whether the body or just the soul will be raised the dualism that denies bodily resurrection is not really biblical.

She then touches on humility, which I think is the nub of what she is looking for. She mentions the certitude of modern science. I believe most scientists are humble enough to know that science is about the search for truth. One question is how vulnerable we software human beings will be to cyber-attack. She mentions the history of attempts to realise the promises of resurrection through human endeavour is transhumanism an extension of the Enlightenment myth of progress that current atrocities show for what it is?

The real difference between faith and atheism is whether the future can be trusted to human progress, or whether all we can rely on in the end is the grace of God. Martin Jewitt Folkestone, UK

Meghan OGieblyns article may be no more than a new attempt to avoid old death anxiety. Does transhumanism promise an uploading (resurrection) to an afterlife of virtual paradise? If so, same-same ... but no different! Stewart Stubbs Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia

Technologys answer to the God question and the later Discovery article about extreme altruism should have been reversed to better serve the readership. The world needs more selfless people to donate organs, and less emphasis on the self-indulgent. Stephen Banks Birmingham, UK

HR McMaster, US national security adviser, said that president Donald Trumps disclosure to the Russians of sensitive intelligence information was appropriate in the context of the conversation (Trump reportedly shared classified information with Russia, 19 May). Is this a cover-up for White House duplicity?

Surely it is time to bring forward a noun rarely used in the Americas. Trumpery (OED): practices or beliefs that are superficially or visually appealing but have little real value or worth. An appropriate word for the next four years, or less please, much less! William Emigh Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Nicky Jenner provides a fascinating explanation of why we must not give up on Mars (12 May). The main reasons seem to be that we have loved Mars for centuries and there is scientific curiosity. A few pages prior, in World roundup, we read that in Yemen only 3 million people out of the 7 million people who were starving had been fed last month. It is hard for liberals. We care. But we live too comfortably with our inconsistencies. Not easy to reconcile, but we owe it to our principles to try. Bob Walsh Wilton, Connecticut, US

I noted the slump in the sales of ebooks (5 May) but can tell you that they have a place. They are a lifesaver for people with limited vision (adjustable font size and backlit) and for arthritic hands (easy to hold). You can take several books on a long trip. Here in New Zealand they have the advantage of price and availability. Their disadvantages: they are useless for diagrams; do not show photographs to advantage; the batteries need recharging; and, of course, you cant pass them on. Kitty Monk Auckland, New Zealand

I was taken aback by Andrew Rawnsley (28 April) on the UK general election and the notion that its election time and the fibbin is easy. Telling fibs to the electorate is all right. Do we agree with this? If so, there is no doubt in my mind as to why people are voting for so-called populist non-politicians. George Hanna Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Email letters for publication to weekly.letters@theguardian.com please include issue dates and headlines for articles referenced in your letter

Continued here:

Guardian Weekly letters, 26 May 2017 - The Guardian

Posted in Transhumanism | Comments Off on Guardian Weekly letters, 26 May 2017 – The Guardian

Alien 3 is far from the worst Alien movie. In fact, it’s pretty great. – Vox – Vox

Posted: at 10:39 pm

The new Alien: Covenant marks the sixth film in the main Alien franchise since it started in 1979, making it one of Hollywood's longest-running series. And there's no sign of it going away: Director Ridley Scott said in March that there may be as many as six more in the works.

The franchise has had its ups and downs over the years remember Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem? but it has been sustained in large part based on the enduring popularity of the first two films in the series: Alien and Aliens.

The films were made seven years apart by two very different directors, and there isnt much continuity between them, aside from the protagonist, Sigourney Weavers Ellen Ripley, and the H.R. Giger-designed aliens themselves. The first was a claustrophobic monster movie in space made by a young director named Ridley Scott, the second a Vietnam-inspired action film by James Cameron.

But both films succeeded on the strength of their memorable imagery, rich world building, and strong performances. And both films helped launch the careers of young directors who would go on to be two of Hollywoods most successful filmmakers. They are classics of science fiction filmmaking critically acclaimed and beloved by fans and their reputation has helped the franchise endure for nearly 40 years.

Other Alien follow-ups havent fared quite as well. Alien 3, in particular, is widely thought of as a turning point in the series not a franchise killer but a disappointment considering what came before. The third installment, which went through a troubled production, was generally panned on its 1992 release, and in the years since, it has been all but disowned by its director, David Fincher.

Alien 3 may not have quite the mass appeal or enduring legacy of its predecessors, but its low reputation simply isnt deserved. Its a worthy addition to the franchise as strong a science fiction picture, in its own way, as the first two films in its series and another showcase for the visionary talents of a young director who would go on to be one of the most powerful filmmakers in Hollywood.

Like Aliens, Alien 3 took a long time to gestate. Although the previous film had been a huge success, director James Cameron had moved on to other projects, and the writer-producer duo David Giler and Walter Hill, who had been with the series from the beginning, were wary of making another installment. Still, the studio wanted a sequel, so work eventually began on developing a story and a setting. But the project was troubled from the outset even before Fincher came on board.

According to Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien 3, a 2003 documentary that catalogs the films production issues in exhaustive detail, the producers struggled to find a director to oversee the production.

Renny Harlin, the Finnish director of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Die Hard 2, was initially brought on with the intention of making a movie in which Ripley traveled to the alien home world. This was dismissed as too expensive, and Harlin eventually left the project.

The development process went much further until writer Vincent Ward proposed a movie about a monk-like society on a planet-size wooden ship floating in space. Ward wrote a series of scripts, hired illustrators to design his wooden world, and even began building some of the sets. But creative tensions mounted between the films producers and Ward, who could never quite offer an explanation for his space-bound wooden world. He exited the project, and Fincher came on board.

At the time, Fincher was in his late 20s, and although he was well known for his music video work, he had never directed a feature film. His on-set perfectionism grated on the producers, who felt he was wasting too much time and money getting small details right. The relationship between the young director and his studio minders was tense at best.

Ill never forget Daves complete devotion to the color of blood, producer Ezra Swerdlow says in Wreckage and Rage. Set footage shows Fincher musing about shooting a thousand takes of an exploding head, and insisting to an obviously skeptical Swerdlow that he would only shoot under certain sky and weather conditions. Swerdlow describes Fincher as openly contemptuous of studio oversight, and says the studio responded by trying to break him.

The conflicts between Fincher and the studio were exacerbated by a rushed schedule. Wards wooden-monastery planet idea was scrapped in favor of a prison-planet concept, but the script wasnt complete. Meanwhile, construction of the films huge sets had already begun. And the movies updated alien design hadnt been finalized, which meant that the creature builders were trying to catch up too.

We went through this production continually reworking the script, producer John Landau says in the documentary. The movie got greenlit based on a whole different version of the script. And David had to deal with that in a very short period of time. He had to design the alien, design the sets, and he had to write the script, all the way into the depths of production.

Once shooting stopped, the fights only continued. Finchers initial cut came in at nearly three hours long, and the studio pressed relentlessly for a version a half-hour shorter than what he preferred. Fincher was a novice director with little power, and eventually the studio won out.

Reviews were generally unkind to the film that eventually made it to theaters, calling it stylish but shallow. Variety described Alien 3 as a muddled effort that offers little more than visual splendor to recommend it, while the New York Times complained that the film was too dark and too implausible. The third installment in the franchise is nothing to scream about, wrote a critic for the Washington Post.

More than a decade later, it was clear that feelings remained raw: Fincher is the only major player who does not appear in Wreckage and Rage, and the studio initially demanded that the documentary makers cut 20 minutes from the film detailing conflicts with the director. When the studio wanted to assemble a directors cut of Alien 3 for a home-video release, Fincher refused to participate. Instead, an extended cut of the film was created based on his editing room notes a kind of directors cut without the director.

The Assembly Cut, as it is known, restores much of what was lost in the studios shortened version of the movie, and solves some of the specific problems cited by critics.

Among other things, it expands the world of the prison planet Fiorina 161 by reinserting a series of exteriors intended to appear at the beginning of the film, showing the residents using oxen to pull wreckage through a bleak industrial landscape. These shots help establish what life is like on the planet, set the tone for the film to come, and address complaints that the world of the film doesnt feel all that large.

The Assembly Cut also dramatically expands the roles of several of the prisoner characters, particularly Golic, a stuttering murderer played by Paul McGann whose part was all but eliminated from the studio version of the film. On release, some critics complained that the cast, all of whom were shaved bald, was poorly defined. The extended cuts extra character moments go a long way toward distinguishing the movies supporting players.

But mostly the Assembly Cut serves to validate the strength of Finchers vision a vision that shines through even in the studio cut. Alien 3 is, more than anything else, a dark and dour mood piece about the ugly depths of the human condition. The Assembly Cut basks in that mood a little longer, and adds more detail around the margins, but theres no missing it in the theatrical release version of the film either. In some sense, critics who praised the look but panned the movie missed the point: In a David Fincher film, the mood is the movie.

And Alien 3 is very much a David Fincher film, as distinctly the product of his dark and twisted imagination as Seven or Zodiac or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Just as the icy survivalism of Alien helped set the tone for Ridley Scotts career, and the guns-blazing ferocity of Aliens helped pave the way for James Camerons later work, Alien 3 works as a setup for the rest of David Finchers films.

Its nihilistic and misanthropic, bleak and despairing, slickly shot and bathed in ragged industrial gloom. Its a big-budget movie about human frailty and the inevitability of death in which the characters are never particularly likable or heroic and the protagonist dies at the end. As in Seven, the ending is a shock downer. As in Fight Club, the character relationships are built from a series of existential dialogues. As in Panic Room, the story is driven by the need to use ones surroundings to survive what is essentially a home invasion. The alien of Alien 3 is, in a way, Finchers first serial killer.

Finchers perfectionism on the set of Alien 3 would become the norm for the director: Reports indicated that while making Gone Girl, he averaged more than 50 takes per scene. His fascination with violence and gore that is both artful and shocking would appear later in Seven and Zodiac. In all of these films, Finchers obsession with the look of blood comes across clearly onscreen.

Visually, Alien 3 may be the most distinctive entry in the franchise. Cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth, whose work on Blade Runner defined a certain decaying urban sci-fi aesthetic, had to quit after a short time on the job. But the final work by British photographer Alex Thomson is stunning in its own way. Backgrounds are textured with steam columns, damp surfaces, and sharp beams of light that give the sets a textured physicality. For much of the film, the camera lingers close to the floor, pointed up, as if to emphasize the close confines of the prison space and the impossibility of escape.

Beyond the visuals, Alien 3 also excels as an exercise in imaginative world building. Its lonely prison planet is as richly detailed and lived-in an environment as the industrial corridors of Alien or the abandoned mining colony of Aliens. Its sequestered society, in which a religious contingent effectively runs the prison while a small group of overseers struggles to maintain a facade of control, is as nuanced a cinematic sociology as the corporate power structures that drove the first film, or the military conventions that powered the second. Like its predecessors, Alien 3 is an exploration of human power dynamics in a confined setting and the limits of institutional control.

Fincher, in other words, put his own particular stamp on the tropes that animate the Alien franchise: He took the ideas that Scott and Cameron had developed and remade them in his own image. His ideas may be too bleak, too gloomy, too misanthropic for some, but they are clearly his, and in Alien 3 they are presented as forcefully as ever.

Finchers frustrating experience on the film, and his perfectionism, may not allow him to see it, but its a fine David Fincher film. Just as Alien and Aliens were unmistakably products of their directors ideas and aesthetics, Alien 3 is a product of Finchers unique vision. And that, in the end, is what makes it a great Alien film as well.

Continued here:

Alien 3 is far from the worst Alien movie. In fact, it's pretty great. - Vox - Vox

Posted in Survivalism | Comments Off on Alien 3 is far from the worst Alien movie. In fact, it’s pretty great. – Vox – Vox

Column: What witch-hunters can teach us about today’s world … – Gloucester Daily Times

Posted: at 10:39 pm

It is hardly a new observation that political leaders seeking populist appeal will exacerbate popular fears: about immigrants, terrorists and the other.

President Donald Trump plays to fears of immigrants and Muslims. Benjamin Netanyahu inflames Israeli fears by constantly reminding citizens about the threats around them. And many African leaders bring up fears of satanism and witchcraft.

Such observations explain how leaders use fear to create popular anxiety. But this focus on fear and evil forces, I believe, does something else as well it could actually contribute to a aleaders charisma. He or she becomes the one person who knows the extent of a threat and also how to address it.

In my book Evil Incarnate, I analyze this relationship between claims to discern evil and charismatic authority across history, from European and African witch-finders to modern experts in so-called satanic ritual abuse.

In popular parlance, one calls a person charismatic because he or she seems to possess some inner force to which people are drawn.

Social scientists have long perceived this ostensible inner force as the product of social interaction: Charisma, in this interpretation, arises in the interplay between leaders and their audiences. The audiences present their own enthusiasms, needs and fears to the leader. The leader, for his part, mirrors these feelings through his talents in gesture, rhetoric, his conviction in his own abilities and his particular messages about danger and hope.

In sub-Saharan Africa, over the course of the 20th century, charismatic witch-finders swept through villages promising the cleansing of evil. In both Africa and Europe, communities had long been familiar with witches and their modes of attack in general. It has been common in many cultures throughout history to attribute misfortune to witches, who are both a part of society and also malevolent.

Witch-finders have offered four new elements to the basic image of witches:

-- They proclaimed the immediacy of the threat of witches.

-- They revealed the new methods witches were using for harm.

-- They offered new procedures for interrogating and eliminating witches.

-- Most importantly, they proclaimed their own unique capacity to discern the witches and their new techniques to purge them from community.

The witch-finders indispensability to the growing crisis of threatening evil shaped his rarely her charisma. People came to depend on his capacity to see evil and on his techniques of ridding it from the land. An uncleansed village felt vulnerable while a village a witch-finder had investigated seemed safer and calmer, its paths and alleys swept of evil substances.

Of course the witch-finder needed auspicious historical and social circumstances. These could be catastrophes like the plague, or new ways of organizing the world (such as African colonialism), or political tensions all of which could make his identification of evil people especially useful, even necessary. Also, he had to come off as professional and channel local fears in compelling ways.

This pattern can cause atrocities. Charismatic discerners of evil in medieval and Renaissance Northern Europe (often Christian clergy and friars) promoted false charges against local Jewsand organized hunts through Jewish houses to uncover signs of mutilated Eucharist or childrens bones hunts that swiftly turned into pogroms, as participants in these hunts felt a conspiracy of evil was emerging before them.

The contemporary West has in no way been immune to these patterns. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the United States and the United Kingdom found themselves facing a panic over satanic cults, alleged to be sexually abusing children and adults.

In this case, a number of psychiatrists, child protection officers, police and evangelical clergy were styling themselves as experts in discerning the abuses of satanists both in daycare centers and among psychiatric patients. Many people came to believe in the urgency of the satanic threat. Yet no evidence for the existence of such satanic cults ever came to light.

In many ways we can see a similar interplay between charisma and the discernment of evil in those modern populist leaders.

For example, in his campaign Trump insisted that he alone could utter the words radical Islamic terrorism which assured members of his audience that only Trump was calling out the terrorist threat. In Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened publicly to eat the liver of the terrorists there. These leaders, I believe, are trying to convey that there is a larger threat out there and, even more, they are assuring people that the leaderthey alone understands the nature of that larger threat.

As my work on witch-finders shows, an anxious culture may invest itself in a leader who, it feels, can discern and eliminate a pervasive and subversive evil. Perhaps, in todays world, the terrorist has become the new witch: a monstrous incarnation of evil, posing a unique threat to our communities and undeserving of normal justice.

Do our leaders provide the charismatic leadership for this current era?

David Frankfurter is a professor of religion at Boston University. A version of this story appeared online on The Conversation."

More here:

Column: What witch-hunters can teach us about today's world ... - Gloucester Daily Times

Posted in Modern Satanism | Comments Off on Column: What witch-hunters can teach us about today’s world … – Gloucester Daily Times

After school Satan club spreading to the Bible Belt – KTBS

Posted: at 10:36 pm

A new religious program led by Satanists is pushing to expand into the Bible Belt this Fall.

It's called the After School Satan Club and instead of worship, it teaches activism.

Instead of God, it teaches evolution, rationalism and free inquiry.

But residents in Shreveport call it evil.

Arturo Alderete said, "I think kids at that age shouldn't be involved with that kind of stuff you know. It doesn't sound too good to me."

Stacy McDonald agreed calling the after school program, "terrible."

Jaqeline Jackson added, "Some kids will take it too far and do different things that is not nice to other people."

KTBS-3 checked with school districts in Caddo, Bossier and Texarkana, Texas. District spokesperson's

confirm no application has been made with its respective school districts. But do confirm after school satan club's won't be banned.

A huge concern for parents, who are watching the program gain traction.

"Well we should learn about Satan, but we should learn about the truth. The fact is he's a liar and he can't tell the truth and he's all out for killing, stealing, and distruction. There's nothing good about anything he does and he's not any good for anybody unless they want to be like him." said Kelly McCabe.

Created by the Satanic Temple, the organizaton is seeking school district approval at public grade schools in Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Tacoma, Washington, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Arizona, Los Angeles and the Lone Star State. Cities in Texas inclulde San Carcos, San Antonio and Austin.

Satanic Temple member Jeremy Galloway, says the clubs have nothing to do with the devil or religion at all.

"There's no red guy with horns and a pitchfork," said Jeremy Galloway, an Austin Satanic Temple member

Despite the logo of the group, a cartoonish devil with horns holding a crayon, Galloway said parents should look past the name before making any irrational judgment.

"Satan's involved because it's coming from our temple, the Temple of Satan, and we identify as Satanists," he said. "We don't feel any particular shame for the name that we use. Some people find the name a bit jarring, but when you actually look into the tenants of the Satanic Temple, there's nothing scary at all."

San Marcos chapter leader Lanzifer Longinus said Satan is just a metaphor.

"Satan, to start with, is a fictional character. He really represents, to us, the spirit of independent, critical thinking, free thought. The spirit against arbitrary authority," he said.

Galloway said the Satanic Temple is targeting schools with Good News Clubs first. There are seven schools in the Austin area being targeted, but to protect the schools from any backlash, the names are not released.

The purpose of targeting schools with Good News Clubs is to make sure both kids and parents have more than one viewpoint represented.

"Children are sponges. They're really open-minded and they're still learning about the world," he said. "We want to give them the opportunity to not give them the answers, but give them the opportunity to ask more questions and discern for themselves, rather than being told, 'Oh, this is what you believe and here's why'."

USA Ministries vice president Moises Esteves with the Child Evangelical Fellowship, organizer of the Good News Club says, "The people behind the After School Satan Clubs are Atheists dressed up in scary costumes," Esteves said. "This isn't a Satanist club. This isn't a devil worshipping club. These are Atheists trying to scare parents with pitchforks and devil horns. It's a parody. It's a publicity stunt."

But Galloway said he's got it all wrong.

This is not a joke," he said. "We are a true religion but we don't believe in anything supernatural. We believe in science, rational thinking and scientific realism."

Galloway added, "The fear of hell fire is put into these kids, which is a really scary thing for a kid, and I feel it robs kids of their childhood a bit. So we're trying to have a counter voice to that."

To be clear, schools who offer the program are not necessarily affiliated. School officials offer a portion of their facility as required by the law.

After School Satan chapter leaders say the monthly meetings include a healthy snack, literature lesson, creative learning activities, science lesson, puzzle solving and an art project. Galloway adds, "If a child asks, 'Why is the sky blue? Where do rainbows come from?' Our response would have nothing to do with religion. We have really great scientific explanations for these things."

Read the original:

After school Satan club spreading to the Bible Belt - KTBS

Posted in Rationalism | Comments Off on After school Satan club spreading to the Bible Belt – KTBS

Blogger Ananta Bijoy murder trial set to begin – Bangladesh News 24 hours

Posted: at 10:36 pm


Bangladesh News 24 hours
Blogger Ananta Bijoy murder trial set to begin
Bangladesh News 24 hours
Das, 31, used to write for a popular website, Mukto Mona, mostly about rationalism and opposing fundamentalism started by writer-blogger Avijit Roy, who was killed in the same year in Dhaka. Police said then four men attacked him with sharp weapons ...

Go here to read the rest:

Blogger Ananta Bijoy murder trial set to begin - Bangladesh News 24 hours

Posted in Rationalism | Comments Off on Blogger Ananta Bijoy murder trial set to begin – Bangladesh News 24 hours

Facebook’s Director of AI Research Rejects Speaking Gig in Anti-Atheist Saudi Arabia – Patheos (blog)

Posted: at 10:36 pm

In 2013, Yann LeCun became Facebooks first Director of Artificial Intelligence Research, which wasnt a surprise given his stellar credentials.

He gets a lot of requests from around the world to give lectures, but he recently turned down an offer from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia for a sensible reason: Hes an atheist.

As an avowed atheist, I could be considered a terrorist, according to a 2014 public declaration by the Saudi Interior Ministry. The declaration defines terrorism as calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.

Im sure that there are plenty of closet atheists in Saudi Arabia, and they are probably doing just fine. But as a vocal advocate of atheism and rationalism, and as a humanist and a proponent of human rights (including the rights of women), I cannot accept an invitation from a country that sees me as the enemy.

Hes absolutely right that Saudi Arabia is no place for atheists. In 2014, the government introduced regulations that criminalized Calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based. Advocates for godlessness, then, were in the same camp, facing the same punishments, as terrorists.

Even if LeCun wasnt speaking about atheism at the school, why accept an invitation from a place where other people like him face the death penalty? He was under no illusion his lecture would have any effect on the nations draconian rules. But a public refusal is a stronger way to make a stand against atheist discrimination.

Incidentally, LeCun said the invite came from a non-Saudi researcher and not a government official. So its not like the government was softening its anti-atheist stance.

(Remember: Raif Badawi, a man charged with blasphemy and sentenced to ten years in jail plus 1,000 lashes, remains in a Saudi prison to this day.)

LeCun also pointed out that he wouldnt say no to all countries with policies he disagreed with, but this was different.

Many of my lectures are available on the Web to everyone in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps Im nave, but not enough to believe that my giving a lecture there would make any difference.

If I refused to visit all countries whose policies include things I disagree with, I would not go to many places.

I have lectured in countries whose governments are not democratic, or whose policies I dislike. I do think that dialog, education and science can help move these countries in the right direction. And I will certainly not refuse to talk to someone simply because I dont like the government of the country they come from.

But there are countries whose very structure is contrary to principles I hold dear, and whose practices and mores I find profoundly repulsive. I will not visit them, even if they dont have policies that classify me as some sort of intellectual terrorist.

Im glad hes taking this stand. There may be an argument that more voices of reason in a place like Saudi Arabia are a good thing, but theres no reason to visit a country that actively criminalizes unpopular thought.

(Image via Facebook. Thanks to Brian for the link)

Read the original post:

Facebook's Director of AI Research Rejects Speaking Gig in Anti-Atheist Saudi Arabia - Patheos (blog)

Posted in Rationalism | Comments Off on Facebook’s Director of AI Research Rejects Speaking Gig in Anti-Atheist Saudi Arabia – Patheos (blog)

A Chinese student praised the ‘fresh air of free speech’ at a US college. Then came the backlash. – Washington Post

Posted: at 10:35 pm

Video of Yang Shuping's commencement speech at the University of Maryland, May 21, sparked criticism in China, prompting Shuping to issue an apology. (University of Maryland)

BEIJING When Yang Shuping spoke Sunday of her eternal gratitude to the University of Maryland for teaching her about free speech and showing her that her voice mattered, she may not have realized just how much it mattered.

A video of her eight-minute address at her commencement ceremony at the university went viral in China, attracting 50 million views and provoking hundreds of thousands of critical comments by Chinese netizens the following day. Even the Peoples Daily, a Communist Party mouthpiece, weighed in, reporting on a crescendo of criticism of Yang for bolstering negative Chinese stereotypes.

Accused by nationalist netizens of flattering the United States and belittling China, Yang was forced to make an apology Monday.

People often ask me: Why did you come to the University of Maryland? she said in her speech. I always answer: Fresh air.

[Chinas scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works]

I grew up in a city in China where I had to wear a face mask every time I went outside, otherwise I might get sick. However, the moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free, she said, referring to her arrival in the United States.

I would soon feel another kind of fresh air for which I will be forever grateful. The fresh air of free speech. Democracy and free speech should not be taken for granted. Democracy and freedom are the fresh air that is worth fighting for.

She spoke of the awakening of her burning desire to tell political stories after she first saw actors openly discussing racism, sexism and politics in Twilight; Los Angeles, a play by Anna Deavere Smith about the 1992 riots in that city. Before watching the play, Yang said, she was convinced that only authorities could define the truth.

Yang majored in psychology and theater, leaving China five years ago. But the country she left behind is one where the only permitted truth is that defined by the Communist Party and where dissenting voices are silenced. Online, leading liberal commentators have been largely cowed, and nationalists dominate the debate on social media, many actively encouraged by the authorities. They swiftly rounded on Yang.

[Eleven countries signed a letter slamming China for torturing lawyers. The U.S. did not.]

China does not need a traitor like you. Just stay in the US and breathe your fresh air. No matter how bad China is, and even though you are speaking of your personal opinion, as a student representative, it is irresponsible of you to paint an inadequate picture of China, said @Mengmengadezhican.

Another popular comment expressed disappointment in U.S. universities, suggesting without any apparent irony that Yang should not have been allowed to make the remarks.

Are speeches made there not examined for evaluation of their potential impact before being given to the public? the commentator wrote.

Our motherland has done so much to make us stand up among Western countries, but what have you done? We have been working so hard to eliminate the stereotypes the West has put on us, but what are you doing? Dont let me meet you in the United States; I am afraid I could not stop myself from going up and smacking you in the face.

[Chinas president takes campaign for ideological purity into universities, schools]

The authorities delicate sensitivities also appeared to be hurt, with the Kunming city government posting Mondaynight on social mediathat the air in the city was more than likely to be sweet and fresh.

ByTuesdayafternoon in China, the home address of Yang's family had been shared widely in the commentary sections of local media websites, on Chinese social media posts and even in replies to her social media posts. Chinas normally hyperactive censors apparently found no need to suppress that information.

However, some Chinese said Yang was merely speaking the truth.

You don't need to apologize. The meaning of studying abroad is to discover the differences and drawbacks of ones own country. If you only believe your country is the greatest, then what is the point of going abroad? You are speaking about your true feelings, and this is normal. Itis not normal to attack normal behavior like this, wrote @Lijiayu in a reply that received 250 likes.

Others were critical not of Yang's comments but of the venue in which she chose to make them.

This kid is too naive. How can you forget the Chinese rule about how to talk once you get to the United States? Just lie or make empty talk instead of telling the truth. Only this will be beneficial for you in China. Now you cannot come back to China, @Labixiaoxin said.

The Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA) at the University of Maryland, a student body loyal to the Communist Party, quickly produced a video posting pictures of blue skies in their home towns in China, titled Proud of China UMD.

An anonymous organizer of the campaign against Yang told the Peoples Daily Onlinethat the campaign was meant to show that overseas Chinese students have never forgotten our motherland or who we are.

Insulting the motherland to grab attention is intolerable. The universitys support for such slandering speech is not only ill-considered, but also raises suspicion about other motives, a former president of the CSSA, Zhu Lihan, told the Global Times,a nationalist tabloid.

According to the Institute of International Education, 328,547 Chinese students studied in U.S. universities in 2015-2016, a more than fivefold increase from a decade ago. Some argue that student bodies like the CSSA are manipulated by the Communist Party to put pressure on students not to criticize Chinese authorities.

In March, Chinese students and alumni at the University of California at San Diego opposed the schools invitation to the Dalai Lama to speak at itscommencement ceremony, threatening tough measures to resolutely resist the schools unreasonable behavior.

But student groups have also tried to defend Chinese students against racially motivated attacks. In February, Chinese students at Columbia University made a video explaining the meaning of their Chinese names after an incident of vandalism.

The University of Maryland released astatementMondaysaying it proudly supports Yangs right to share her views and her unique perspectives.

To be an informed global citizen, it is critical to hear different viewpoints, it wrote, also including a link to Yangs apology on her personal social media page.

I love my country and home town and I'm proud of its prosperity, she wrote in the apology, which has been reposted more than 60,000 times.

I hope to make contributions to it using what I have learned overseas. The speech was just to share my experiences overseas, and I had no intentions of belittling my country and home town. I am deeply sorry and hope for forgiveness.

Read more:

27 years later, China to release the final prisoner from Tiananmen Square protests

China sentences activist lawyer to 12 years as relentless crackdown continues

Read more:
A Chinese student praised the 'fresh air of free speech' at a US college. Then came the backlash. - Washington Post

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on A Chinese student praised the ‘fresh air of free speech’ at a US college. Then came the backlash. – Washington Post

Opinion: What is behind the denial of free speech on campuses – The Mercury News

Posted: at 10:35 pm

No fascists in Berkeley! shouts the young woman intent on closing down a meeting of Trump supporters, a handful of her Republican classmates.

Such scenes have become commonplace on campus.What goes into that denial of free speech?

As a lifelong academic, Im perplexed and pained.After all, this is so against all the obvious lessons that have been given students about free speech: that speech you disagree with, or find distasteful, or even abhorrent, is permissible, and has as much right to exist as your own speech, which someone else may disagree with or find distasteful or abhorrent.

Surely this has been drummed into them since they learned about the First Amendment and its importance in a democratic society. So how can these protesters so blatantly ignore what must be considered Free Speech 101, The Basic Message?

Here are a few possibilities.

They never got the free speech idea, or they knew it and ignored it, or were unaware of how it applied to them. The phenomenon of knowing something but not applying it to yourself is all too familiar.Or they know it but have been confused by the recent injection of the concept of hate speech into matters of free speech. Suddenly there is this other kind of speech that is not acceptable. It became easy for a protester to proclaim, Hate speech is not free speech!

But I see a much stronger, more emotional component at work in college protesters.

There is an almost sensual surrender to the feeling that We Too Are Victims, persecuted for being righteous. The sense of victimhood leads inevitably to anger, and even outrage, however self-defined that condition may be.

Add to this the excitement of the protest, its drama, and they become freedom fighters in their own eyes, battling evil.

Are these feelings sincere and genuine? I think they are: We feel what were allowed to feel, sanctioned to feel, encouraged to feel.

Outrage is something that people are frequently urged to experience, and therefore want to feel, and so feel.

Are you angry, sir? asks the reporter of someone who suffered at the hands of, say, clumsy bureaucracy or an inflated hospital bill. And of course the person answers, You bet I am, and feels a righteous anger swelling in his or her chest.

Changes in what we feel are fairly easy to trace from decade to decade. At a given point, we learned about the dangers of second-hand smoke, and learned that we were greatly bothered by cigarette smoke: A heretofore small annoyance became major discomfort. Or a sexist comment went from being just annoying to giving serious offense.

Sincerity has little to with it. We were sincere both times.

Our feelings are more malleable than we know. We are subject to the prevailing sentiment of our time and place, of other people, of fashion and feelings rise and fall with time and place. Just as one set of circumstances might kindle certain feelings in one culture and different ones in another, so one period of time can ignite feelings different from another time.

Knowing this might restrain your own emotional reaction to protesters though would hopefully still allow you, and us, to tell them once again about the beauties of free speech.

Manfred Wolf is a retired professor from San Francisco State University, and the author, most recently, of Survival in Paradise: Sketches from a Refugee Life in Curacao. He wrote this for The Mercury News.

The rest is here:
Opinion: What is behind the denial of free speech on campuses - The Mercury News

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on Opinion: What is behind the denial of free speech on campuses – The Mercury News

Free speech on agenda for UI trustees’ retreat in July – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Posted: at 10:35 pm

URBANA With controversial speakers running into opposition at colleges across the country, including the University of Illinois, free speech and campus culture will be front and center at a UI retreat in July.

President Tim Killeen said Monday the agenda for the UI Board of Trustees' annual retreat will include an in-depth look at the topic and several others that "are on everybody's radar screen right now."

Just last week, the UI's Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology dropped plans for a talk by Nobel Laureate James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA but has been castigated by fellow scientists for his discredited views on race and intelligence.

Watson had initially reached out to the UI institute to give a "narrowly focused scientific talk" about his cancer research in conjunction with a planned visit to a colleague's lab, according to institute Director Gene Robinson.

But other faculty at the institute objected because of Watson's history of racist and sexist comments, and the lecture was dropped. No date had yet been set.

Killeen, who talked with The News-Gazette before a faculty meeting Monday, said that neither he nor Chancellor Robert Jones was involved in the decision, which transpired fairly quickly. He said he appreciated the concerns about Watson's views but added, "I think we've got to be very careful, this university, to make sure that we really are open to free expression."

This situation was somewhat distinct from incidents at other campuses, where protesters have shouted down controversial political speakers or prevented them from appearing.

"This is an icon of science who is close to being 90 years old who is talking about a scientific presentation," Killeen said.

Organizers felt that "the science presentation would have been difficult to manage" because of the controversy surrounding Watson's other views, Killeen said.

"I think you have to recognize that we're a university for all. But I can respect some of the rationale that was brought to the table," he said.

He said he wasn't "in the loop" for the decision, but added that he dislikes "disinvitations."

"I'm a fervent believer in the First Amendment," he said. "There are going to be lots of different conversations about lots of issues that we ought to be exposing our students to, and of course, the best approach to speech that you disagree with is to provide speech that makes your case effectively, maybe in a different setting. But we've got to do that in a respectful way.

"I think this is another of those issues," he said.

Killeen said he has invited several national speakers to the retreat to address three topics: campus culture and freedom of expression; immigration policies and globalization; and civic engagement, not just voting and political participation but "how we perform our land-grant mission."

"We want an authentic University of Illinois voice in all of the above," he said.

Over the past several months, the university has been examining a range of issues in terms of mitigating potential risk, including student safety, free speech and assembly, and how to deal with "self-inflicted problems that might pop up out of nowhere, so we're best prepared for these kinds of things," he said.

See the original post here:
Free speech on agenda for UI trustees' retreat in July - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on Free speech on agenda for UI trustees’ retreat in July – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Trump’s Saudi Arabia Speech Filled With Contradictions – Free Speech TV

Posted: at 10:35 pm

GUEST: Rahul Mahajan is the author of two books on the Iraq war: Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond and The New Crusade: Americas War on Terrorism. He is also a PhD student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin and the US Foreign Policy and Empire Correspondent for Rising Up.

BACKGROUND: After more than a 100 days in office, Donald Trump has finally left the country. Over the weekend he embarked on a multi-nation trip starting with Saudi Arabia, then heading to Israel. After that he will make stops in Belgium, Italy, and the Vatican.

It was strange that Trump's first foreign stop was Saudi Arabia, given his overt hostility to Islam and Muslims. Stranger still was Trump's announced formation of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, which is to be housed in Saudi Arabia. He also announced a partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia called the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center. Saudi Arabia has long been linked to the financing of anti-US extremist groups. Trump also boasted of a major $110 billion arms deal with the Saudis, continuing his predecessor Obama's legacy.

And, coinciding with his trip was a joint Saudi-UAE $100 million donation to a center for women's empowerment that Ivanka Trump helped to start. Trump had excoriated Hillary Clinton for her foundation's acceptance of Saudi donations.

View original post here:
Trump's Saudi Arabia Speech Filled With Contradictions - Free Speech TV

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on Trump’s Saudi Arabia Speech Filled With Contradictions – Free Speech TV