Harry Potter and Freedom of Speech －ハリーポッターと言論の自由－

Recently the writer of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, has been attacked on social media after she expressed opinions which some people strongly disagreed with.  She is one of many people who have been attacked on social media for expressing their opinions, even when they were not trying to cause any harm or in any way spread hate.  It seems like people can no longer argue and persuade, or agree to disagree.

So it is not surprising that J.K. Rowling has signed an open letter, explaining the importance to our society of allowing people to speak freely without being attacked on social media, and without writers being disciplined by their editor because some people feel offended.  The letter was also signed by many other writers, journalists and academics, such as Noam Chomsky and Salman Rushdie.  I agree with the letter and feel it is a very important issue.

So I have taken some key points from the letter, edited to make it easier for non-native speakers to read, and included it below.  Feel free to disagree (politely!)

An edited version of “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate”

Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial.  There are calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society.  But this has also weakened our norms of open debate and toleration of differences.  It instead promotes ideological conformity.

The forces of illiberalism are gaining strength throughout the world.  We must speak out against an intolerant climate that has set in on all sides.

The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more limited.  An intolerance of opposing views is spreading, and there is a vogue for public shaming.  It is now too common to hear calls for swift and severe punishment for speech or thought which is perceived to be wrong.  Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are banned; and journalists are barred from writing about certain topics.

The result has been to steadily narrow the boundaries of what can be said without the threat of reprisal.  We are already paying the price in greater risk aversion among writers, artists and journalists.  The way to defeat bad arguments is by exposure, argument and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.

Vocabulary:

an institution–a long-lasting and important organisation, such as a school, church, etc.

a moment of trial – a time when something faces difficulty and challenge

inclusion–openness to wide numbers of people taking part

a norm – a normal or commonplace thing; a custom or general rule

toleration – the practice of living peacefully alongside people with opposing views

ideological conformity – the tendency to think the same about important matters; a lack of difference in thought

illiberalism – lack of liberalism; a lack of freedom, openness and tolerance

a vogue for something – a current trend for something or fashion for something

perceived to be – seen or thought to be

reprisal – revenge attack

risk aversion – an unwillingness to take risks; a desire to stay safe

exposure – the opening of something not well known to wide knowledge