Jottings
News from the UK and around the World
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Woke Update
This year has seen numerous stories about speakers being “ disinvited ” from previously arranged events because something they said last week or ten years ago had upset the sensitive snowflakes who live amongst us . Last month , we heard that Cambridge University Students ’ Union was creating a blacklist of speakers who would barred from their debating society .
So credit must go John Cleese , who was scheduled to take part in a debate but immediately announced that he was disinviting himself , “ before someone else does .” His reasoning was that , in a 1975 episode of Fawlty Towers , he had famously impersonated Adolf Hitler – similar to the excuse students had recently used for cancelling a visit by a prominent art historian .
In a Tweet , John Cleese added , “ I apologise to anyone at Cambridge who was hoping to talk with me , but perhaps some of you can find a venue where woke rules do not apply .” The actor is also preparing a TV documentary , “ John Cleese : cancel me ,” in which he talks to people who have been “ cancelled ” for their actions or statements .
However , the actor ’ s comments prompted an immediate U-turn by the Union president Keir Bradwell who said , “ I was just a 21-year-old who tried to make the situation better .” So that ’ s a fail then for Mr Bradwell , who added , “ There is no policy to ban anyone for what they are going to say – it ’ s a free speech institution .” Really ?
Meanwhile , the American Medical Association ( AMA ) has come under fire after it published a guide called Advancing Health Equality which includes “ problematic ” words with a recommendation for health workers not to use them . Critics of its 54 pages have described it as “ Orwellian .”
Oddly , some of the alternatives to “ problem ” words , repeat the problem . For example , in place of “ marginalised communities ,” the guide suggests , “ groups that have been historically marginalised .” It also highlights words and phrases such as “ white paper ,” “ blacklist ” and “ blackmail ” which it says ,
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