Has cancel culture gone too far? People who were once considered spokespeople of a cultural revolution now say it has gotten out of hand. J. K. Rowling, when criticised for her views on transgender issues, said “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.” And Australian songwriter Nick Cave has called political correctness “the unhappiest religion in the world”.
Damien Wyld leads the Australian Family Coalition, defending the family ,promoting a society grounded on conservative Christian values, and aspiring to safeguard the basic freedoms that are under threat today. Talking to Neil Johnson on Vision’s 20Twenty, Wild reminded us that those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it.
Wyld says people like Rowling and Cave, who don’t hold Christian views, are nonetheless realising this revolution is heading for a cliff. “Whatever good intentions people may have had, however misplaced, revolutions do invariably go too far. And I think that’s why we’re starting to see these people turn away from the cliff, and say maybe the fence is there for a reason.”
If you’ve been listening to 20Twenty or reading our coverage, you’ll know that our society’s values are embattled on many fronts. “People might wonder what some of them have to do with each other, but it’s really about that great levelling of society, about pitting minorities against majorities, and often in the most manufactured of ways.”
Whether it’s the attempt to redefine gender, the revision of our history, most recently through literally tearing down statues, or the use of race as a weapon to silence debate, Wild says all these revolutions are part of a larger project, most commonly known as cultural Marxism.
Rowling has typically been a proponent of identity politics, taking a stand for example for LGBT rights. “But I think that when push comes to shove, she realises that there are deeper issues here at stake. It’s all fine when we can agree to disagree, but when people are being deplatformed, when people are being ‘cancelled’, we see a pretty alarming trend.”
“Rowling’s refusal to back down, or ‘hide her lamp under a bushel’, is a step in the right direction. As Christians, we were aware of this much sooner, but now authors, actors and comedians are also feeling the heat. I think J. K. Rowling and people like her are big enough, and safe enough, in their careers, that they can risk doing these things.”
“But I still think that message holds true for all of us, that we shouldn’t be afraid to point to plain common sense. It’s actually ridiculous that we have to point to biological facts, but that’s where we are as a society, and the sooner people start getting back to those common sense truths again, the better off we’ll be.”
Listen to the podcast of Damien Wyld’s conversation with Neil Johnson for more on what the revolutions in the past can teach us about the one in the present, and how it might end in the future.
Tune into 20Twenty and join the conversation with Neil Johnson, weekdays on Vision Christian Radio. Click here for your local times.
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