Only one question for Graham so far - there were scores for Helen Joyce & Maya Forstater! You've got until Wednesday as at that point I have to prepare my radio script.
Unions. Having Mum and Dad go thru hell in Tom Jackson's Postal Strike and go back for a half-penny raise; having lived the Three Day Week and all the pre-St Margaret hellscape, I've no time or sympathy for trade unions. Enemies of me and England. Full stop.
I can't think of a good question, so I'll just say that I'm looking forward to your episode with Graham Linehan. I'm a fan of his work, I can still confidently rely on Father Ted to cheer me up on a bad day. I'm impressed by his fortitude and look forward to reading his book.
I have two comments. First, you might want to ask Linehan about Count Arthur Strong. I liked all his shows a lot, but I think that might be my favorite. Second, I wouldn't be so sure those pro-hamas letter writers and demonstrators have made themselves unemployable. The academic and legal elite welcomed lots of revolutionary Marxists of my generation, even convicted murderers. See, e.g., https://www.johnlocke.org/leftist-children-of-privilege-play-by-different-rules/.
Do you think the majority of other comedians in the industry who didn't support you are scared to speak up, or do you think they are true believers?
You have paid a significant price for speaking up about this issue. Thank you for all your bravery and courage, but it is sad it has come at such a cost. Do you ever regret speaking out?
I had the pleasure of seeing you at your UnHerd event and you mentioned ( words to the effect of) that writing the book made you feel like a comedian / creative again. That's great. Do you have any comedy work or more creative work in the pipeline and if so, how can we support these projects (beyond buying the book of course)?
Do you have hope for the future and if so, what gives you this hope?
Are there any topics you don't like to touch in your jokes? If any, why?
Do you think there should be any limits on the topics comedy should cover?
Sorry if you have covered some of this in your book. I have the signed copy from the UnHerd event but I haven't yet finished it!
Should ESG be outlawed? If large corporations have a list of political requirements that must be fulfilled when hiring staff and even trading then what is the role of democratic institutions?
Does ESG affect scriptwriting?
How did the Left get such power in Humanities faculties and the media? In the UK it was an appreciation of the "old school tie" - if the establishment could recruit their own then so could the organised Left. Eventually people with opposing views would not be given employment or even allowed into the staff friendship groups.
1. What does Graham think will happen to British comedy in the future (near or far)? Does he see any future where there is diversity of thought allowed in the industry?
2. Does he have a favourite era of comedy, and if so, why?
Thank you Helen for asking for questions, and to Graham for hopefully answering them.
Question for Graham, TalkTV and GBNews regularly have comics on that have been cancelled or hold no truck with cancel culture. Have you ever thought of setting up your own comedy venue, The unCancelled Comedy Venue? The stir you would cause would be huge, I reckon bog standard people would flock to it. We are truly sick of being told what/who we can listen to by those who have the temerity to tell us ‘for our own good’.
Is the brave, insightful gentleman aware of the significant body of psych research that relates to "Cluster B" personality disorders and how they map into radical-extremists ideologies, activist politics, totalitarianism, the collapse of moral and social order under postmodern social conditions, and so forth?
Example:
Oct 30 [2023]
JD Haltigan: The Emotional Dysregulation Behind Progressive Authoritarianism
The vulnerable narcissism of the Radical Left
Reporting on humanity, civilization, and the environment
Episode details
We’ve all experienced it. You get in an argument with someone who knows little about the subject they’re talking about, but who is absolutely confident they’re right. Maybe it’s police violence, maybe it’s climate change, or school closures during the pandemic. They’re reciting tired progressive talking points that have been debunked a dozen times over. You’re presenting them with counterarguments that are hardly original, but your interlocutor seems to have never considered them before. Pretty soon they’re backed into a corner.
So they pull out the card you knew was coming from the very beginning: “Oh, so you’re just content to let them die???”
The argument has now pivoted from a dispute over facts and reason to an unwinnable contest over who has the purer heart. And the assumption is, quite clearly, that you’re the monster for having your awful opinions. You can keep arguing if you want, but at this point there’s no more persuasion to be had, if there ever was any. You’ve been condemned for your thought crimes and there’s no appeals process. The person you just wasted ten minutes arguing with will walk away with their position utterly unchanged, but their opinion of you diminished. According to terms you never agreed to, you’ve lost the debate.
The part of this that is about "woke" attitudes toward radical, reactionary Hamas/Salafist extremists:
Population genetics, deep cousin marriage and inbreeding in the Arab gene pool and genetically determined pre-liberal and/or ILLIBERAL culture, religion and social forms.
Note: I informally studied Twelver Shi'ism, Shaykhism/Babism/Bahaism and middle eastern history for several decades (mostly in the context of both printed and internet debates by academics like Juan Cole, 1980s/90s) as well as evolutionary psych and "stage theory" (Kegan). I've read a little bit of Henri Corbin's work on Sunni esotericism/Sufism (and the rigidly orthodox muslim reaction to Ibn al-Arabi and his followers).
People are commenting about "Christian Zionism" on social media and the influence of "end times" theology on Jewish Zionism, but are probably not aware that there was a similar "end times" movement in the early 1800s in Muslim religious history.
Any "peace" movement in the middle east will presumably have to deal with population genetics and the different stages of cultural evolution present in the region. Imposing "democratic" western, modern values on pre-liberal, pre-modern cultures is usually a disaster. Some kind of "more evolved" (Kegan stage 5) post-colonial standpoint other than the reality-deficient "woke" one will be required (I'm assuming that it is understood that the standard colonialist-lite neocon war monger standpoint has severe limits).
Well I do not agree with confusing the two ; freedom of association and free speech go hand in hand ; economic despotic powerful institutions including data profiling and these ruddy 3rd party off shore hiring syndicates use candidate profiling ; behind the data estate curtain and if they use robot analytic tools to sift out employees - economic vulnerable women across careers and with varied life experience are increasingly being alienated by AI smart OXYMORONIC analysis and via data social media profiling ; in or out - women in general are out unless theyve got a foot in fewer privileged doors - at the bottom rung in health ir say govt services public services and in the captured youth obsessed so called Arts women are particularly vulnerable unless they kiwtow to the spurious agendas ;what they say and who and what they are perceived as being reps for are often simply the questioning by seasoned human minds to anomalous or flawed conceptual dogmas - issues which concern them ; Simply cause one human lumps all or any they perceive as problematic - it is statistical fact about the indiscriminate dealths of mostly women and children - the balance of death ; 40,000 dead women and children vs the evil heinous attacks by bitter extremists 1400 ( The evil dudes were put there due to an intractable regime with agendas and with the oversight of a fascist who overturned his own HC court IGNORING THE democratic mainstay a Separation of Powers dealing with "his people" ..horrific stuff and people get swept up - do not judge and vilify people for the horrors - people want better govt and a freeing of those poor hostages - better long term end to this fascist regime - that is pro people - Do not judge via personal experience or cancel or separate as it only leads to cancelation of democracy
Only one question for Graham so far - there were scores for Helen Joyce & Maya Forstater! You've got until Wednesday as at that point I have to prepare my radio script.
On the whole I'm fine with allowing people to say what they want and reaping the consequences as others decide they don't want to work etc. with them.
One of my big issues with Cancel Culture on the left is that they don't want you to even speak if you disagree with them
Unions. Having Mum and Dad go thru hell in Tom Jackson's Postal Strike and go back for a half-penny raise; having lived the Three Day Week and all the pre-St Margaret hellscape, I've no time or sympathy for trade unions. Enemies of me and England. Full stop.
I can't think of a good question, so I'll just say that I'm looking forward to your episode with Graham Linehan. I'm a fan of his work, I can still confidently rely on Father Ted to cheer me up on a bad day. I'm impressed by his fortitude and look forward to reading his book.
I have two comments. First, you might want to ask Linehan about Count Arthur Strong. I liked all his shows a lot, but I think that might be my favorite. Second, I wouldn't be so sure those pro-hamas letter writers and demonstrators have made themselves unemployable. The academic and legal elite welcomed lots of revolutionary Marxists of my generation, even convicted murderers. See, e.g., https://www.johnlocke.org/leftist-children-of-privilege-play-by-different-rules/.
Some questions for Graham:
Do you think the majority of other comedians in the industry who didn't support you are scared to speak up, or do you think they are true believers?
You have paid a significant price for speaking up about this issue. Thank you for all your bravery and courage, but it is sad it has come at such a cost. Do you ever regret speaking out?
I had the pleasure of seeing you at your UnHerd event and you mentioned ( words to the effect of) that writing the book made you feel like a comedian / creative again. That's great. Do you have any comedy work or more creative work in the pipeline and if so, how can we support these projects (beyond buying the book of course)?
Do you have hope for the future and if so, what gives you this hope?
Are there any topics you don't like to touch in your jokes? If any, why?
Do you think there should be any limits on the topics comedy should cover?
Sorry if you have covered some of this in your book. I have the signed copy from the UnHerd event but I haven't yet finished it!
Should ESG be outlawed? If large corporations have a list of political requirements that must be fulfilled when hiring staff and even trading then what is the role of democratic institutions?
Does ESG affect scriptwriting?
How did the Left get such power in Humanities faculties and the media? In the UK it was an appreciation of the "old school tie" - if the establishment could recruit their own then so could the organised Left. Eventually people with opposing views would not be given employment or even allowed into the staff friendship groups.
I've thought of some questions:
1. What does Graham think will happen to British comedy in the future (near or far)? Does he see any future where there is diversity of thought allowed in the industry?
2. Does he have a favourite era of comedy, and if so, why?
Thank you Helen for asking for questions, and to Graham for hopefully answering them.
What a relief to see you identify the real problem and move away from Warby's last-stand-for-Scholasticism obsession with hints of heresy.
Question for Graham, TalkTV and GBNews regularly have comics on that have been cancelled or hold no truck with cancel culture. Have you ever thought of setting up your own comedy venue, The unCancelled Comedy Venue? The stir you would cause would be huge, I reckon bog standard people would flock to it. We are truly sick of being told what/who we can listen to by those who have the temerity to tell us ‘for our own good’.
If it isn't too late, a question for the show:
Is the brave, insightful gentleman aware of the significant body of psych research that relates to "Cluster B" personality disorders and how they map into radical-extremists ideologies, activist politics, totalitarianism, the collapse of moral and social order under postmodern social conditions, and so forth?
Example:
Oct 30 [2023]
JD Haltigan: The Emotional Dysregulation Behind Progressive Authoritarianism
The vulnerable narcissism of the Radical Left
Reporting on humanity, civilization, and the environment
Episode details
We’ve all experienced it. You get in an argument with someone who knows little about the subject they’re talking about, but who is absolutely confident they’re right. Maybe it’s police violence, maybe it’s climate change, or school closures during the pandemic. They’re reciting tired progressive talking points that have been debunked a dozen times over. You’re presenting them with counterarguments that are hardly original, but your interlocutor seems to have never considered them before. Pretty soon they’re backed into a corner.
So they pull out the card you knew was coming from the very beginning: “Oh, so you’re just content to let them die???”
The argument has now pivoted from a dispute over facts and reason to an unwinnable contest over who has the purer heart. And the assumption is, quite clearly, that you’re the monster for having your awful opinions. You can keep arguing if you want, but at this point there’s no more persuasion to be had, if there ever was any. You’ve been condemned for your thought crimes and there’s no appeals process. The person you just wasted ten minutes arguing with will walk away with their position utterly unchanged, but their opinion of you diminished. According to terms you never agreed to, you’ve lost the debate.
© 2023 Michael Shellenberger
https://public.substack.com/p/jd-haltigan-the-emotional-dysregulation#details
public. substack. com /p/jd-haltigan-the-emotional-dysregulation
The part of this that is about "woke" attitudes toward radical, reactionary Hamas/Salafist extremists:
Population genetics, deep cousin marriage and inbreeding in the Arab gene pool and genetically determined pre-liberal and/or ILLIBERAL culture, religion and social forms.
Note: I informally studied Twelver Shi'ism, Shaykhism/Babism/Bahaism and middle eastern history for several decades (mostly in the context of both printed and internet debates by academics like Juan Cole, 1980s/90s) as well as evolutionary psych and "stage theory" (Kegan). I've read a little bit of Henri Corbin's work on Sunni esotericism/Sufism (and the rigidly orthodox muslim reaction to Ibn al-Arabi and his followers).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaykhism
So,
People are commenting about "Christian Zionism" on social media and the influence of "end times" theology on Jewish Zionism, but are probably not aware that there was a similar "end times" movement in the early 1800s in Muslim religious history.
Any "peace" movement in the middle east will presumably have to deal with population genetics and the different stages of cultural evolution present in the region. Imposing "democratic" western, modern values on pre-liberal, pre-modern cultures is usually a disaster. Some kind of "more evolved" (Kegan stage 5) post-colonial standpoint other than the reality-deficient "woke" one will be required (I'm assuming that it is understood that the standard colonialist-lite neocon war monger standpoint has severe limits).
Well I do not agree with confusing the two ; freedom of association and free speech go hand in hand ; economic despotic powerful institutions including data profiling and these ruddy 3rd party off shore hiring syndicates use candidate profiling ; behind the data estate curtain and if they use robot analytic tools to sift out employees - economic vulnerable women across careers and with varied life experience are increasingly being alienated by AI smart OXYMORONIC analysis and via data social media profiling ; in or out - women in general are out unless theyve got a foot in fewer privileged doors - at the bottom rung in health ir say govt services public services and in the captured youth obsessed so called Arts women are particularly vulnerable unless they kiwtow to the spurious agendas ;what they say and who and what they are perceived as being reps for are often simply the questioning by seasoned human minds to anomalous or flawed conceptual dogmas - issues which concern them ; Simply cause one human lumps all or any they perceive as problematic - it is statistical fact about the indiscriminate dealths of mostly women and children - the balance of death ; 40,000 dead women and children vs the evil heinous attacks by bitter extremists 1400 ( The evil dudes were put there due to an intractable regime with agendas and with the oversight of a fascist who overturned his own HC court IGNORING THE democratic mainstay a Separation of Powers dealing with "his people" ..horrific stuff and people get swept up - do not judge and vilify people for the horrors - people want better govt and a freeing of those poor hostages - better long term end to this fascist regime - that is pro people - Do not judge via personal experience or cancel or separate as it only leads to cancelation of democracy