I wrote a book about the Fairness Doctrine and how it was responsible for one of the worst episodes of government censorship in US history.
So I am somewhat alarmed at the calls percolating on Twitter for a new, internet Fairness Doctrine. This is a thread about why that is.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EslGFV9XMAUDa0P.jpg)
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This is a great question from @HeerJeet and it has very old roots. In my book, I discuss a similar period of anxiety in the 1960s about the possibility of Air Force officers being involved in a coup. Thread.
Given the size of the US military in WW2, afterwards there was a spike in concern that some of these demilitarized veterans would be amenable to radicalization and supportive of insurrection. These fears heightened after the coups in France/Algiers in 1958 and 1961.
This was the peak era of the Cold War, so anti-communist anxiety was layered over top. The Right feared that communist infiltrators in the government would subvert the Republic. The Left feared that anti-communist military officers would launch a preemptive, paranoid coup.
Note as well that the foundation for these fears was rooted in a novel concept that journalist Edward Hunter had recently coined, "brainwashing." The idea was that US POWs held by North Korea had been brainwashed into accepting communism & might act as a fifth column back home.
You can see that particular paranoia in cultural artifacts from the time like "The Manchurian Candidate," novel in 1959 and the hit 1962 movie starring Frank Sinatra and the incomparable Angela Lansbury. Those sneaky commies nearly infiltrated the Oval Office itself, oh no!!
What's the back story about why so many former air force people are coup friendly?
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) January 10, 2021
Given the size of the US military in WW2, afterwards there was a spike in concern that some of these demilitarized veterans would be amenable to radicalization and supportive of insurrection. These fears heightened after the coups in France/Algiers in 1958 and 1961.
This was the peak era of the Cold War, so anti-communist anxiety was layered over top. The Right feared that communist infiltrators in the government would subvert the Republic. The Left feared that anti-communist military officers would launch a preemptive, paranoid coup.
Note as well that the foundation for these fears was rooted in a novel concept that journalist Edward Hunter had recently coined, "brainwashing." The idea was that US POWs held by North Korea had been brainwashed into accepting communism & might act as a fifth column back home.
You can see that particular paranoia in cultural artifacts from the time like "The Manchurian Candidate," novel in 1959 and the hit 1962 movie starring Frank Sinatra and the incomparable Angela Lansbury. Those sneaky commies nearly infiltrated the Oval Office itself, oh no!!
More from Culture
I just finished Eric Adler's The Battle of the Classics, and wanted to say something about Joel Christiansen's review linked below. I am not sure what motivates the review (I speculate a bit below), but it gives a very misleading impression of the book. 1/x
The meat of the criticism is that the history Adler gives is insufficiently critical. Adler describes a few figures who had a great influence on how the modern US university was formed. It's certainly critical: it focuses on the social Darwinism of these figures. 2/x
Other insinuations and suggestions in the review seem wildly off the mark, distorted, or inappropriate-- for example, that the book is clickbaity (it is scholarly) or conservative (hardly) or connected to the events at the Capitol (give me a break). 3/x
The core question: in what sense is classics inherently racist? Classics is old. On Adler's account, it begins in ancient Rome and is revived in the Renaissance. Slavery (Christiansen's primary concern) is also very old. Let's say classics is an education for slaveowners. 4/x
It's worth remembering that literacy itself is elite throughout most of this history. Literacy is, then, also the education of slaveowners. We can honor oral and musical traditions without denying that literacy is, generally, good. 5/x
As someone\u2019s who\u2019s read the book, this review strikes me as tremendously unfair. It mostly faults Adler for not writing the book the reviewer wishes he had! https://t.co/pqpt5Ziivj
— Teresa M. Bejan (@tmbejan) January 12, 2021
The meat of the criticism is that the history Adler gives is insufficiently critical. Adler describes a few figures who had a great influence on how the modern US university was formed. It's certainly critical: it focuses on the social Darwinism of these figures. 2/x
Other insinuations and suggestions in the review seem wildly off the mark, distorted, or inappropriate-- for example, that the book is clickbaity (it is scholarly) or conservative (hardly) or connected to the events at the Capitol (give me a break). 3/x
The core question: in what sense is classics inherently racist? Classics is old. On Adler's account, it begins in ancient Rome and is revived in the Renaissance. Slavery (Christiansen's primary concern) is also very old. Let's say classics is an education for slaveowners. 4/x
It's worth remembering that literacy itself is elite throughout most of this history. Literacy is, then, also the education of slaveowners. We can honor oral and musical traditions without denying that literacy is, generally, good. 5/x
. THREAD 1/x
David Baddiel is getting lots of coverage and feedback on his book which again focuses on so called 'left wing' antisemitism.
I will start by saying that I have seen antisemitic comments made by Labour members and some genuine cases.
However, I have huge concerns.
2/x
Let's look in detail at this article written in April 2019 in the @Guardian - and I will explain the concerns.
The areas highlighted guide you to believe this was all Labour - IT WASN'T.
It also occurred before 2015! Detail follows...
https://t.co/cK59FP83aG
3/x
So as you see the writer of this rather deceitful piece starts with
"THAT CHANGED IN SEPTEMBER 2015" 🙄
This was done to point the timeframe as Corbyn's leadership. Yet the article goes on to describe things that are not even related to Labour, which occurred in 2014.
4/x
So... What in fact the @Guardian writer is discussing here is this case - where a group of Neo-Nazi's spent months inflicting abuse on Jewish MP Luciana Berger
All the detail is in the Court Notes when Bonehill-Paine was sentenced by the judge.
https://t.co/wAyo6Yro5Q
5/x
The Justice sentencing remarks to Neo-Nazi explain the previous cases too. See the date 2014.
Yet the Guardian writer refers to this NON LABOUR case to effectively make her article a lie.
"Star of David" - this was Garron Helm another neo-Nazi..
David Baddiel is getting lots of coverage and feedback on his book which again focuses on so called 'left wing' antisemitism.
I will start by saying that I have seen antisemitic comments made by Labour members and some genuine cases.
However, I have huge concerns.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuQzcBdXYAE50od.jpg)
2/x
Let's look in detail at this article written in April 2019 in the @Guardian - and I will explain the concerns.
The areas highlighted guide you to believe this was all Labour - IT WASN'T.
It also occurred before 2015! Detail follows...
https://t.co/cK59FP83aG
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuQz3hVXcAEDAjP.png)
3/x
So as you see the writer of this rather deceitful piece starts with
"THAT CHANGED IN SEPTEMBER 2015" 🙄
This was done to point the timeframe as Corbyn's leadership. Yet the article goes on to describe things that are not even related to Labour, which occurred in 2014.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuQ2IIEXcAQwETB.png)
4/x
So... What in fact the @Guardian writer is discussing here is this case - where a group of Neo-Nazi's spent months inflicting abuse on Jewish MP Luciana Berger
All the detail is in the Court Notes when Bonehill-Paine was sentenced by the judge.
https://t.co/wAyo6Yro5Q
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuQ35G0WgAUDTMj.png)
5/x
The Justice sentencing remarks to Neo-Nazi explain the previous cases too. See the date 2014.
Yet the Guardian writer refers to this NON LABOUR case to effectively make her article a lie.
"Star of David" - this was Garron Helm another neo-Nazi..
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuQ5hkbXYAItVHe.png)