Did Boylan not Now that the progressive mobs have a couple of scalps on their belt over the Harper’s letter, don’t expect them to stop. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away. The letter asserts that Harper's signatories benefit from the type of free speech that they advocated, and suggests a blindness to the reality that minorities in the profession face. The forces of illiberalism are gaining strength throughout the world and have a powerful ally in Donald Trump, who represents a real threat to democracy. Get Access to Print and Digital for $23.99. But resistance must not be allowed to harden into its own brand of dogma or coercion—which right-wing demagogues are already exploiting. But she said the magazine is “respectfully removing her name.”)Others retreated after getting blasted for the company they kept rather than the principles they espoused.Another person who signed, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in an effort to stay out of the growing storm, said she did not know who all the other signatories were when she agreed to participate, and if she had, she may not have signed.
Hopefully most will, but that appears pretty optimistic at the moment.The point of the list was to show how broadly these principles are shared, the list’s creator told the New York Times. “We believe these are values that are widespread and shared, and we wanted the list to reflect that,” Thomas Chatterton Williams explained.

We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters.

We welcome responses at letters@harpers.org Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial. We are already paying the price in greater risk aversion among writers, artists, and journalists who fear for their livelihoods if they depart from the consensus, or even lack sufficient zeal in agreement.This stifling atmosphere will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time. All Rights Reserved.

When the Left set about proving it, it didn’t take long for the signatories to start surrendering to the very phenomenon they protested:The letter, which was published by Harper’s Magazine and will also appear in several leading international publications, surfaces a debate that has been going on privately in newsrooms, universities and publishing houses that have been navigating demands for diversity and inclusion, while also asking which demands — and the social media dynamics that propel them — go too far.And on social media, the reaction was swift, with some heaping ridicule on the letter’s signatories — who include cultural luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Bill T. Jones and Wynton Marsalis, along with journalists and academics — for thin-skinnedness, privilege and, as one person put it, fear of loss of “relevance.” …Amid the intense criticism, some signatories appeared to back away from the letter.

Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study; and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes. The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation.

And on social media, the reaction was swift, with some heaping ridicule on the letter’s signatories — who include cultural luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Bill T. Jones and Wynton Marsalis, along with journalists and academics — for thin-skinnedness, privilege and, as one person put it, fear of loss of “relevance.” …

July 7, 2020 The below letter will be appearing in the Letters section of the magazine’s October issue. On Friday a counter letter signed by 160 journalists and academics said the signatories of the Harper’s letter were writing from a position of privilege.

Powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society, not least in higher education, journalism, philanthropy, and the arts. As writers we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk taking, and even mistakes.

On Tuesday evening, the historian Kerri K. Greenidge tweeted “I do not endorse this @Harpers letter,” and said she was in touch with the magazine about a retraction.