Never Apologize to the Mob

Never Apologize to the Mob presented by Paris Dennard

Niel Golightly had a long and distinguished career as an executive at Boeing. 

Until he didn't.

Gary Garrels had a long and distinguished career as a curator of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 

Until he didn't. 

James Bennett had a long and distinguished career as an editor at the New York Times. 

Until he didn't. 

All three were cancelled, their careers, their life's work ended in a virtual instant. 

Golightly wrote an article thirty years ago, objecting to women taking part in military combat.  It was published in Proceedings, the magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute which is about as far from the popular press as you can get.  Somehow it came to the attention of an employee at Boeing who found it sexist. The social media mob got riled up. Golightly apologized, of course. His views had changed in the intervening decades. But it didn't matter. He was forced to resign. 

Garrels concluded a presentation about purchasing art from more racially diverse artists by saying that he would still continue to buy art from white artists. This outraged the staff at the museum who found his remarks smacking of white supremacy. Garrels apologized, of course. He should have been more sensitive to his colleagues' feelings, he said. But it didn't matter. He was forced to resign. 

Bennett published an opinion piece by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, arguing that if the Black Lives Matter inspired riots continued to overwhelm local police, the federal government should send in the National Guard to restore order.  

New York Times staff claimed that Cotton's words were threatening. They personally felt endangered by them. They demanded Bennett's head. Bennett apologized, of course. He just thought the Times readers should be exposed to a different point of view. But it didn't matter. He was forced to resign. 

Former Times columnist Bari Weiss perfectly described the situation in her resignation letter shortly after Bennet's banishment.  

"Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor."

This is the "cancel culture" that now pervades America. Yet, people on the left, the very people responsible for it, claim it doesn't exist. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocks those who fear its growing influence: "Odds are you're not actually cancelled," she tweeted.  "You're just being challenged, held accountable, or unliked."

The representative's claim that this is merely "accountability culture" is common on the Left. 

Don't believe it.