Friday 26 October 2007

Victory for the fascists

I see that James Watson has resigned from his position as Chancellor of New York's Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, following the recent controversy generated by his remarks about the link between race and intelligence. It is reasonable to assume that the outcry raised by certain elements has been instrumental in inducing Dr Watson to resign his position. As such, this can be chalked up as a victory for the anti-free speech fascists.

Because, as I wrote here, that is what many, if not most, of those who have attacked Dr Watson are: fascists. They are people who have hounded a renowned scientist out of his job, not because he was incompetent, but because he expressed views that they deemed to have gone, in the words of the director of the Science Museum, "beyond the point of acceptable debate". They have stifled debate on a scientific issue, and attempted to intimidate scientists and lay people alike into not raising or discussing the issue, solely because they deem discussion of this issue to be "offensive". As I have asked before, what word, other than 'fascist', is adequate to describe such people?

I would also point out that this is a very significant victory for the fascists. After all, this goes far beyond the case of Frank Ellis, where the fascists merely brought about the "early retirement" (i.e. sacking) of an average university lecturer, Here, they have caused a Nobel laureate, no less, to lose his job. The message now goes out, that no one is safe from the machinations of the race hustlers. Today is a black day for all supporters of free speech.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another piece of fascism:

New Statesman editorial 17 September 2001

"Look at the picture of Americans running from the 9/11 explosions. American bond traders, you may say, are as undeserving of terror as Vietnamese peasants. Well, yes and no. America has democracy; if it often seems a greedy and overweening powe, that is partly because its people have willed it."

Hurrah for the Green-shirts one may quip.

Anonymous said...

These days every day is a black day for supporters of free speech.