Opinion | Cancel Culture: Are We Overreacting? – The New York Times

Joel FeiginGoleta, Calif.The writer is professor emeritus of music composition at the University of California Santa Barbara.

To the Editor:

Michelle Goldberg argues that older liberals complaining about cancel culture are upset because they used to be cool young lefties and now they arent. There is surely some truth to this. At least at universities, however, concerns about free speech arent confined to just this group.

For instance, in a recent survey of Harvards Division of Science, only 52 percent of graduate students reported feeling comfort disagreeing with majority opinion, the lowest percentage of any group in the survey. This is deeply worrying, since, for scientists, dissent is a core job responsibility. If todays scientists-in-training remain so apprehensive about expressing unpopular opinions, tomorrows scientific leaders will be less honest and less effective.

Maybe this isnt a political emergency, but it isnt just a societywide midlife crisis either.

Colm P. KelleherCambridge, Mass.The writer is a postdoctoral researcher at Harvards Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

To the Editor:

There are alarming numbers of incidents of Jewish students, especially Jewish students who support Israel, being canceled campaigns of harassment, ousters or preventing Jewish students from serving on student government positions. In addition, many thousands of professors, administrators, students and alumni have signed letters essentially saying Zionism has no place on their campus.

Cancel culture is toxic and alarming.

Beth LevineRockville, Md.

We introduce a new feature in which our Opinion writers will occasionally respond to letters from readers.

I was gratified by how many people responded to this column, but some of the responses made me realize that I didnt communicate as precisely as Id wished. To be clear: The middle-aged sadness I referred to is very much my own. Im nostalgic for the more freewheeling intellectual culture in which I grew up, even though I think our cultures greater sensitivity to racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination is an unalloyed good. I empathize with Mary Emerson, who feels as if she has to tiptoe around her own daughter. Many people I know feel similarly inhibited around people younger than they are.

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Opinion | Cancel Culture: Are We Overreacting? - The New York Times