He loved the culture war
Although few onlookers are persuaded, the battle is glorious for its participants
Responding some time ago to a thread about what British political magazines were worth reading, I gave two answers. “The Spectator and the New Statesman,” I wrote piously. “The first if you're leftwing; the second if you're right.”
For those who missed it, I recommended each publication to those who disagree with its bias. Reading your own side is onanism, I added pompously. You learn more when you read your opponents.
Several years of failed predications and dubious analysis later, I would still defend this early instinct. Not long ago somebody said they enjoy listening to me entirely because it clarifies why we disagree, which I reckon is among the best compliments a writer can receive.
This piece is not, however, about placating those who disagree with you – as worthy as that is. It is instead about my enjoyment of the firestarters behind the Internet’s great flame wars. The men, and perhaps women, who enjoy watching the web burn.
A recent controversy around biologist Richard Dawkins is an ideal case. Having moved on from bashing religion, the professor compared those who identify as another race to those who identify as another gender, citing the sad case of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who took a leading role in a black rights’ group.
Cue outrage, naturally. History has shown you cannot bork the Dawk, but this didn’t stop the American Humanist Association – or AHA to its friends – rescinding an award they’d given him in 1996. The inference some made was that he was trying to disparage trans people.
One of Dawkins’ more charming qualities is the surprise he evinces when his shit-stirring causes an outbreak of diarrhoea. As Ben Sixsmith recently wrote, many of the professor’s comments combine “a natural gift for surrealism with a blissful indifference to how people will react to him”.
Such indifference is what led to Dawkins being labelled “strident” in his god-bothering days. But unlike many trolls, I suspect that the God Delusion author is genuinely interested in prompting debate, without much intent to offend. It’s the kind of fearlessness that newspapermen at least claim to aspire to.
At the other end of the spectrum are the – usually self-styled – provocateurs. Christopher Hitchens, another New Atheist, was not averse to levelling broadsides for maximum damage, even if he denied doing things for effect. By contrast Milo Yiannopoulos was committed wholly to effect without much care for ideology, and eventually ran his mouth beyond the patience of his conservative backers.
The dominance of the ‘dunk’ on Twitter shows that such stirring is not confined to big names. As I’ve previously written, a lot of what passes for wit on social media consists of quoting somebody and adding, “Oh yeah?” True artists take the form well beyond that, but the basic logic of riling your opponents is the same.
Judging by the nameless Twitter accounts that bask in the alleged fury such remarks provoke, I’m not alone in enjoying the conflagration. As Dominic Sandbrook put in on a recent episode of The Rest is History, culture warriors love the culture wars, and have done for as long as political debates between foes have been possible.
Such battles are largely hurtful to public life. The slinging of barbs, firing of broadsides or dunking only serves to rile everyone up. They are the stuff of Brexit divisions, moral panics and even civil wars. But they are great fun, so don’t expect an armistice soon.
Automate CEOs. I've long suspected that most organisations could rub along without senior managers. As such Will Dunn’s recent proposal to replace them with bots doesn’t quite go far enough, but it will at least free us from their hefty wage bill.
Successful secession. A while ago I abandoned a project to track the success of independence movements to forecast whether Scotland would go independent. Ryan Griffiths, a politics professor at Syracuse University, has succeeded where I failed, and reckons only a tiny minority win independence.
Should any Tory donors reading this wish to spruce up my flat, all contributions are kindly received. Enjoy this frosty April in the meantime.
Jimmy