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Adrienne Scott's avatar

Thank you so much for this incisive article. Before I quit the board and left my local Unitarian church, I tried to explain to the minister that her extreme emphasis on the DEI that only considers people oppressors and oppressed would tear the fabric of the church apart. She told me that I was being racist.

From what I’ve read, the Unitarian church is now losing members across the country for its Kendiesque adherence to an ideology of original sin, which is ironic since the majority of people still there are atheist or agnostic.

Although I canceled myself, I don’t regret leaving. I know who my friends are, how I live my life, and what I believe. Although I may feel politically homeless sometimes, i am free.

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Shivaji Sengupta's avatar

To me, cancel culture is not simply about economic sanctions on celebrities. It is a general intolerance - and a rejection of - any social position sharply contrasting with ours, a stance that dismisses the other person or people simply because we disagree with them sharply.

I found this very often in my college during faculty discussions, and student-faculty discussions. I would step in, encouraging participants to clarify their differences with each other - respectfully. I would also create psychodramatic situations by asking the differing members to wilfully take the point of view of the adversary to have an empathic understanding of their positions.

Sometime my approach succeeded. At other times, it didn't. But most of the time there was some empathy among the participants.

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