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[@ChrisWillx] J.K. Rowling & The Cost of Speaking Freely - Warren Smith

· 7 min read
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@ChrisWillx - "J.K. Rowling & The Cost of Speaking Freely - Warren Smith"

Link: https://youtu.be/5DrWzfKIMao

Short Summary​

The video discusses JK Rowling's recent return to the news, spurred by Emma Watson seemingly walking back some criticism. The speaker, Warren Smith, shares his personal experiences related to Rowling and debates broader cultural and political trends, including the rise of political violence and the decline of constructive conversation.

Key Quotes​

Here are five quotes extracted from the transcript that I found particularly insightful:

  1. "Well, it was the period that shaped me. It's one of the laws of narrative. Like if you're trying to write a screenplay, you have to have obstacles for the hero to overcome or whatnot. And we're all trying to become the heroes in our own story, whether we want to admit it or not." - This quote frames adversity as a necessary component of personal growth and narrative, resonating with the human desire to create meaning and overcome challenges.

  2. "There's only really two forms of communication that has impact. There's words and then there's violence like that. I I I can't think of what else there is. Like I guess music, but you're not really communicating much through music." - This quote presents a stark view on the impact of communication, highlighting the power of words and violence while seemingly discounting other non-verbal forms.

  3. "But that's exactly what can drive people to kill someone like Charlie Kirk because they think they're facing genuine evil. I have friends that have kind of tossed me away because they what's a friendship when you're genuinely up against fascism and genuine evil in their minds, which is in their minds what I stand for. So you got to be very careful how you diagnose that." - This quote emphasizes the dangers of polarization and the belief that one is fighting pure evil, which can justify extreme actions, even violence.

  4. "I think it's unlikely that we'll see an civil war in the way we think of civil war where it's literally an organized like they have declared themselves independent and they are rebelling against it would be the federal government with all the military and police I think that's unless it was some bizarre like certain states when I just can't imagine it. So when I'm talking about escalating conflict it's I don't necessarily mean the as a civil war. It's something something like much more invisible, less more difficult to see that I don't I don't know. I don't think it's Yeah." - This is a surprising statement as it downplays the possibility of a literal civil war, suggesting a more subtle form of conflict, perhaps in the form of escalating clashes, cultural and ideological divisions.

  5. "There is a best way to behave in any given scenario and the you can judge that if you had parallel universes that you could measure each different type of action and then you could actually see the outcomes. You could compare those outcomes and one logically will have to be better than all other potential outcomes. One has to be but you have to have a way to quantify it. Right?" - The speaker suggests the existence of an ideal behavior in every situation and the pursuit of an ideal is necessary.

Detailed Summary​

Here's a detailed summary of the YouTube video transcript, organized into bullet points:

I. JK Rowling and Emma Watson Controversy:

  • Emma Watson's Comments: Emma Watson made comments on J Shett's podcast that seem to "row back" on previous criticism of JK Rowling, possibly due to a shift in cultural trends.
  • JK Rowling's Response: JK Rowling responded to Watson's comments in a tweet that gained significant attention (46 million impressions).
  • Opportunism vs. Principle: The video discusses the perception that Watson's shift might be opportunistic rather than based on genuine principle.
  • The Speaker's Perspective: The speaker reveals JK Rowling messaged him after his firing and that it meant a lot to him. He believes authenticity is very important to her and that she's a remarkable person.
  • JK Rowling as a Lightning Rod:
    • Her work (Harry Potter) is hugely popular, described as "millennials' Star Wars" and is the bestselling book in the world next to the Bible.
    • Her views are seen as mainstream and common sense, which is surprising to some, leading to the intensity of the reaction.

II. The Speaker's Experience (Warren Smith's Firing):

  • The Incident: While teaching a multimedia course, a student asked the speaker about his views on JK Rowling's "bigoted opinions." The speaker reviewed Rowling's tweets with the student in a brief, 5-minute exchange that was uploaded to his YouTube channel.
  • Viral Video and Media Attention: The clip went viral, leading to an appearance on Piers Morgan's show.
  • School's Initial Response: The school initially congratulated the speaker, stating he hadn't broken any rules. However, some teachers were upset.
  • Subsequent Firing and NDA: Eventually, the school fired the speaker, presenting him with an NDA. He felt they were trying to destroy him.
  • Reflection on the Experience: The speaker sees the experience as shaping him and providing him with opportunities. He uses the metaphor of being on a football field with Tom Brady throwing him the football.

III. Conversation and Dialogue:

  • Importance of Conversation: The speaker emphasizes the importance of allowing conversations to occur, as suppressing them only worsens problems.
  • Words vs. Action: The video contrasts the communication of words to the communication of action. The speaker argues that non-verbal cues and actions often convey more than words themselves.
  • Low-Resolution Communication: Modern communication, especially via text, lacks emotional context and non-verbal cues, leading to "low resolution" understanding.

IV. Political Violence and Campus Culture:

  • Increased Support for Political Violence: The video cites statistics showing an increase in students supporting the use of violence to stop campus speech and to advance a political goal.
  • Alarming Responses at Universities: The speaker describes asking students at Emerson and Harvard about these statistics, with some responding that they were surprised the percentage of support for violence wasn't higher.
  • Concern Over Escalation: The speaker expresses concern that political tensions and violence will escalate, referencing the Charlie Kirk shooting.
  • De-Sensitization: The video touches on the normalization of violence, comparing the Charlie Kirk shooting attempt to the de-sensitization of news.
  • Left-Leaning Violence Tendency: The video discusses whether left-leaning groups are generally inclined to demonstrate frustration in different ways, but also notes reports that domestic terror concerns are coming from the right of center groups.

V. Dehumanization and Ideology:

  • Dangerous Ideology: The video argues there is something dangerous within the ideas reflected largely on the left like postmodernism and victim mentality.
  • Loss of Shared Narrative: Postmodernism rejects objective truth and knowledge, the video claims.

VI. Free Speech and University Funding:

  • Free Speech vs. Shout Downs: The speaker is asked what it means to have free speech when it can be shouted down by protestors.
  • Funding is discussed.

VII. Correct and Incorrect Behavior:

  • Defining the Line: The video probes how society can define behavior that "crosses the line" and becomes unacceptable.
  • The Speaker doesn't believe in hate speech laws as nobody can come to an agreement about what hate speech really is.
  • The Legal Framework and Dehumanization: The importance of a clear and legal framework is emphasized. The video argues that a certain level of fame or notoriety causes the world to stop seeing people as people.

VIII. Looking Ahead:

  • Transparency is Good: The speaker is of the belief that more transparency is better when it comes to the fabric of reality.

IX. Recommendation and Outro:

  • The video ends with the host congratulating Warren Smith.