Free speech

[Ianonabike]

Just be aware that many of us will ignore your text, and the rest will have no clue what YOU think,or what YOUR argument is.

Regurgitating AI in this case was not much different from googling then writing a post to say look, these things appear to sometimes be politically motivated.

 

[Ianonabike]

Yesterday was the 37th anniversary of the publishing of The Satanic Verses. One of these days I should probably get around to reading it (or trying to - I don't think there's a high success rate).

 

[Ian H]

Yesterday was the 37th anniversary of the publishing of The Satanic Verses. One of these days I should probably get around to reading it (or trying to - I don't think there's a high success rate).

That's not a measure of whether it's worth reading.

 

[icowden]

That's not a measure of whether it's worth reading.

No but it is a measure of the irony inherent in certain Muslim factions getting extremely angry about a book that very few people have read, and even fewer enjoyed. I just had a look at the beginning and I certainly couldn't make it through the whole thing. But then I often find hifalutin literary works are more about admiring the writing than actually being readable and interesting.

 

[Ian H]

No but it is a measure of the irony inherent in certain Muslim factions getting extremely angry about a book that very few people have read, and even fewer enjoyed. I just had a look at the beginning and I certainly couldn't make it through the whole thing. But then I often find hifalutin literary works are more about admiring the writing than actually being readable and interesting.

I wonder what a definition of hifalutin might be.
"A staple of supermarket checkout lines in the 80s":-
Leonard sometimes took liberties with grammar in the interest of speeding the story along. In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing" he said: "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." He also said: "I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip".

Penguin Classics are currently reissuing his novels.

 

[C R]

I wonder what a definition of hifalutin might be.
"A staple of supermarket checkout lines in the 80s":-
Leonard sometimes took liberties with grammar in the interest of speeding the story along. In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing" he said: "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." He also said: "I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip".

Penguin Classics are currently reissuing his novels.

I'm not sure either. I've read a lot of books that would probably be considered hifalutin and enjoyed them enough. Rushdie's books on the other hand always defeated me within the first few paragraphs.

 

[Ianonabike]

Perhaps I should start with Midnight's Children.
https://tweakindia.com/tweak-book-club/the-unreadable-books-list-overrated-classics/

 

[icowden]

Perhaps I should start with Midnight's Children.
https://tweakindia.com/tweak-book-club/the-unreadable-books-list-overrated-classics/

Perhaps. I feel like some of those on the list reflect the age of the book to a degree and changes in taste since it was written. I remember reading both the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings somewhere between the ages of 7 and 11 (i was a very precocious advanced reader, and I read al lot) and I did't find the boring or inaccessible. Now that I am 51 years old I find them a bit twee and smug and I prefer a little more realism in my fantasy. The Silmarillion on the other hand - completely inaccessible rowlocks.

 

[Ian H]

One of YouGov's occasional random questions is 'what is your favourite book?' I suppose it's the same one I'd take to the desert island (clue: it's a big novel).

I tend not to read much fiction these days; it's mostly history and biography. Currently I'm enjoying Tariq Ali's demolition of Churchill.

 

[Psamathe]

One of YouGov's occasional random questions is 'what is your favourite book?'

Sounds like the sort of question I'd be wondering why they are asking; maybe to verify your declared social grouping, position on various spectra, etc. In a way a bit like the non-questions the CIA ask at the start of a lie detector test in films.

 

[Ianonabike]

Spectator article on continued Ofcom overreach, with particular emphasis on livestreaming.

History teaches that a censorship regime, once in place, increases its reach – and Ofcom is quite open about its aspirations to greater control. Livestreaming might become subject to identity verification, it says, as part of a regulatory approach that must be ‘dynamic’. Meanwhile, an ominous sign about how enforcement could work comes from the BritCard report. Digital ID, say Labour Together, could help deal with ‘harmful online content’.

 

[Ian H]

Spectator article on continued Ofcom overreach, with particular emphasis on livestreaming.

That's one point of view.

 

[Ianonabike]

Speaking of authors, I don't suppose JK Rowling is often mentioned in the same breath as Rushdie, but both have certainly suffered for their art. Fortunately Rowling has never been stabbed, except metaphorically in the back.


View: https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1972600904185483427

 

[monkers]

NCAP search ... ''truth to power''.

Nobody's actually interested in ''free speech'' only in using it to squabble. Same here as everywhere else.

Article 19​

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.


Anyone care to interpret Article 19 so that it remains coherent with Article 1?

Article 1​

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood". This article establishes the fundamental principles of inherent freedom, equality, and dignity that apply to everyone, regardless of any other distinction.

 

[C R]

Equating Rowling's "suffering" to Rushdie's requires a level of mental gymnastics that is beyond my ability.