Two things about the whole debacle are of interest. One is the matter of protecting writers' safety when villagers approach with torches and pitchforks. One of my employers immediately provided me with a security guard. I had offered to cancel a speech I was giving at a Catholic university in Canada - I didn't want to embarrass them - but they refused, on the grounds of free speech, and they had also liked the column.
The other matter is the vexed state of cyberspace. Online has brought instant media democratization as well as the erasure of national borders. And websites have not devised a way to keep online forums civilized. "There's no point debating anything online," writes the columnist Charlie Brooker. "You might as well hurl shoes in the air to knock clouds from the sky."
Read the whole thing, but a few things:
- No mention that CBC both disavowed and disappeared the column.
- No acknowledgement that she set out to write an obnoxious, inflammatory column, and she succeeded.
Mallick did pass on this:
This one was not the rudest or most violent of the e-mails I received, but it is emblematic:
"So you don't like Sarah Palin you ------? ---- you, you liberal ----- of ----. I'll bet your ------- rotting meat. You are one ugly ------. I'd love to punch you in your chops and knock every tooth out of your head. Come see me, bitch! I have something for you, something all ------ need … [etc]."
Nothing in her column justifies ugly name-calling or threats of violence, which is actually veering into criminal behaviour.
But the sentiments I expressed in this Sept. 22 posting still stand.
And you can't complain about the low level of debate or lack of civility online if you're going to stoop to cheap name-calling yourself.