The ease with which people dehumanize one another is going to be the undoing of our civilization, at this rate. I've started avoiding saying things like "is a right-winger" because it implies some permanent state that separates us, and replaces "human being" in how others recognize them. Opinions and viewpoints aren't written into our genes.
Beautiful tribute, Greg. Mike was lucky to have you as a friend. Cancel culture is a cancer on our society that destroys lives, friendships, communities, and potentially the country. In times like these, your family and God will give you strength to withstand demonic attacks like the ones Mike received.
It's a bitter pill to swallow but if someone is unable to tolerate differences of opinions, they are not a real friend. Now that the rot has been exposed, I hope that saner heads will prevail and FIRE will play a major role in defending universal principles.
I live in a small town in North Carolina that is home to an internet blogger, The Educated Debutant. I remember her posting terrible things about Mike Adams during this time, and the responses from her thousands of followers made me sick to my stomach. It was as if she had thrown chum in the water to start the feeding frenzy on Mike
Soon after I heard he had committed suicide, and I never saw any note or acknowledgment of this from her. She just acted as if it never happened, and as if she had no part in it. I will never forget it, and can never look at her the same way again.
Adams got a lot of people unnecessarily killed by attacking public health officials…nitwits like DeSantis and Kemp have never apologized for their asshattery in 2021/22.
I am not surprised that some people view his suicide as a good thing. I have close relatives who think like that, so I know how they think and how they express themselves.
In a nutshell: some people are really awful and need to be ostracized from society and if they decide to off themselves, well, then we don't have that scum around anymore.
I have friends that are all over the political spectrum. Most if not all have really dumb opinions about things. Hateful, even. But I could never cast them out like that. We're all human, we're all flawed.
I thought that was the definition of friend, that you can tolerate them thinking differently from you and still love them. Otherwise what are they? An acquaintance of convenience, to prop up our egos and belief systems? Though it is ok to part ways I guess once the common ground is removed, but no need for spite.
Thank you for this simultaneously heart-wrenching and cathartic article. I’ve been consistently told by family/friends that cancel culture doesn’t exist for the past several years while spiraling into a silent depression, spurred by the impulse that if I give any opinion of substance I will lose whatever work or community remains. The situation we find our society in is untenable and I find honest empathetic writing like this an incentive to look for ways out of the predicament while we still can.
I wish I had not read that Bérubé and Ruth quote, Greg. I have followed this tragedy since it happened and I have yet to see much repentance from those responsible. Godspeed.
This is one of the saddest and most moving pieces that I have read in a long time. I honestly had to fight back tears through much of it.
I find it terrifying how ideology can turn intelligent and otherwise rational people into irrational and hateful monsters. It is even sadder they often turn on the best people.
While our times are physically and materially easier than ever, they require great courage to be as honest as we took for granted just a few decades ago.
The fact that you were friends with Mike may mean you are "morally polluted" in some circles, but (hopefully) not circles you or me or any other person with some integrity would want to be a part of.
Very thoughtful piece. We need to get back to the liberal values which got us here, and away from the intersectional and identitarian virus that is ripping the west apart, and making us all stupider in the process.
I'm not on board with your antisemitic blood libel. Nor do I believe that turning a blind eye to Islamofascism is going to make the world a better safer place, any more than it will once Russia reconstitutes the Soviet Union.
Hi Greg. I have to admit that I was startled when I came across this column today. I am (was) a huge fan of Mike. Have all his books, read all his columns, watched all his appearances etc. Just a few days ago I was thinking about how much I missed him and how sorry I am that he is no longer with us so to see his name in your title shook me as I feel a stab of pain in my heart when I think about his story. I believe he was 10 years too early with this fight. Only recently have we seen a multitude of these cases. He was alone and took the brunt of the vicious attacks the radical left is so good at. And like with many suicides, those left behind wonder if they could have done anything. Like a note from a fan would have changed anything but I still can't help but regret that I didn't send it. Maybe that's why I'm writing this today, to thank you for helping him when you did, and for the work you do to fight against the woke culture mob.
@glukianoff Hi Greg, I was wondering if you had heard of the case of Richard Bilkszto? He was a high school Principal who committed suicide this year after being bullied in DEI training at work then subsequently (essentially) blacklisted and prevented from working again for the crime of having argued that he felt it was unfair for the DEI presenter to claim that Canada was absolutely a more racist country than the United-States. Bilkszto had taught in some American inner City schools in his younger days and he felt that some Canadian policies like Universal health care coverage contributed to greater equality here (in a nutshell: opinions that are debatable but extremely commonplace in Canada saw him labeled and repeatedly referred to as a white supremacist). I realize that you normally write about University Professors but everyone in this man’s life seems to agree that the cause of his depression was related to what happened in the sessions and how he was treated by his employer afterwards. I think the case is worthy of your attention and I would love to hear your thoughts on it... Here is some coverage:
Oh I should have thought to check before asking I had not seen that I am sorry. Thank you for this article it has really struck a chord for me because I’m constantly surprised by how much we have come to a point where we completely dehumanize people who have a different view. Perhaps foolishly I never saw this coming...
The thing that horrified me the most was the reaction to the publication of Richard Bilkszto’s story! In many quarters (most of the other local and national papers, some others in the DEI field and even from the few people I know who work in the educational sector within that school board. Most of the public statements and responses I saw made some variations on the following theme: the story should never have been told and the fact that it was told is evidence of white-supremacy in action. It disturbed me to see people being so indifferent to a death and saying that his story shouldn’t even be told.
Appreciate this story, your courage in sharing a very personal story, and your well reasoned thinking. Yes, maybe a little more patience and forebearance would help.
The ease with which people dehumanize one another is going to be the undoing of our civilization, at this rate. I've started avoiding saying things like "is a right-winger" because it implies some permanent state that separates us, and replaces "human being" in how others recognize them. Opinions and viewpoints aren't written into our genes.
Thank you for sharing.
"The ease with which people dehumanize one another is going to be the undoing of our civilization, at this rate."
I think part of it is the anonymity of social media. All I can say is I TRY not to say things about someone that I would not say to their face.
Also the 1st thing I say to someone I'm in an argument with is 4 words Cite..Your..Sources..Please. he Please is important.
Don't always follow my rules, but I TRY.
We have 100% air superiority and 100% sea superiority…Iraq and Afghanistan were totally unnecessary.
Beautiful tribute, Greg. Mike was lucky to have you as a friend. Cancel culture is a cancer on our society that destroys lives, friendships, communities, and potentially the country. In times like these, your family and God will give you strength to withstand demonic attacks like the ones Mike received.
It's a bitter pill to swallow but if someone is unable to tolerate differences of opinions, they are not a real friend. Now that the rot has been exposed, I hope that saner heads will prevail and FIRE will play a major role in defending universal principles.
I live in a small town in North Carolina that is home to an internet blogger, The Educated Debutant. I remember her posting terrible things about Mike Adams during this time, and the responses from her thousands of followers made me sick to my stomach. It was as if she had thrown chum in the water to start the feeding frenzy on Mike
Soon after I heard he had committed suicide, and I never saw any note or acknowledgment of this from her. She just acted as if it never happened, and as if she had no part in it. I will never forget it, and can never look at her the same way again.
Adams got a lot of people unnecessarily killed by attacking public health officials…nitwits like DeSantis and Kemp have never apologized for their asshattery in 2021/22.
I am not surprised that some people view his suicide as a good thing. I have close relatives who think like that, so I know how they think and how they express themselves.
In a nutshell: some people are really awful and need to be ostracized from society and if they decide to off themselves, well, then we don't have that scum around anymore.
I have friends that are all over the political spectrum. Most if not all have really dumb opinions about things. Hateful, even. But I could never cast them out like that. We're all human, we're all flawed.
I thought that was the definition of friend, that you can tolerate them thinking differently from you and still love them. Otherwise what are they? An acquaintance of convenience, to prop up our egos and belief systems? Though it is ok to part ways I guess once the common ground is removed, but no need for spite.
Thank you for this simultaneously heart-wrenching and cathartic article. I’ve been consistently told by family/friends that cancel culture doesn’t exist for the past several years while spiraling into a silent depression, spurred by the impulse that if I give any opinion of substance I will lose whatever work or community remains. The situation we find our society in is untenable and I find honest empathetic writing like this an incentive to look for ways out of the predicament while we still can.
Poignant. We need to all get back to where you are Greg.
I wish I had not read that Bérubé and Ruth quote, Greg. I have followed this tragedy since it happened and I have yet to see much repentance from those responsible. Godspeed.
This is one of the saddest and most moving pieces that I have read in a long time. I honestly had to fight back tears through much of it.
I find it terrifying how ideology can turn intelligent and otherwise rational people into irrational and hateful monsters. It is even sadder they often turn on the best people.
While our times are physically and materially easier than ever, they require great courage to be as honest as we took for granted just a few decades ago.
RIP Mike Adams
Let your death not be in vain.
The fact that you were friends with Mike may mean you are "morally polluted" in some circles, but (hopefully) not circles you or me or any other person with some integrity would want to be a part of.
A moving piece, thank you for writing.
Very thoughtful piece. We need to get back to the liberal values which got us here, and away from the intersectional and identitarian virus that is ripping the west apart, and making us all stupider in the process.
I'm not on board with your antisemitic blood libel. Nor do I believe that turning a blind eye to Islamofascism is going to make the world a better safer place, any more than it will once Russia reconstitutes the Soviet Union.
Hi Greg. I have to admit that I was startled when I came across this column today. I am (was) a huge fan of Mike. Have all his books, read all his columns, watched all his appearances etc. Just a few days ago I was thinking about how much I missed him and how sorry I am that he is no longer with us so to see his name in your title shook me as I feel a stab of pain in my heart when I think about his story. I believe he was 10 years too early with this fight. Only recently have we seen a multitude of these cases. He was alone and took the brunt of the vicious attacks the radical left is so good at. And like with many suicides, those left behind wonder if they could have done anything. Like a note from a fan would have changed anything but I still can't help but regret that I didn't send it. Maybe that's why I'm writing this today, to thank you for helping him when you did, and for the work you do to fight against the woke culture mob.
So sad and glad I'm not an American, pushing people towards suicide because you don't agree with who they are and what they believe in, sick
Greg, I so appreciate this post. It is very moving and can help a lot of us to do better. Thank you for all you do ......
@glukianoff Hi Greg, I was wondering if you had heard of the case of Richard Bilkszto? He was a high school Principal who committed suicide this year after being bullied in DEI training at work then subsequently (essentially) blacklisted and prevented from working again for the crime of having argued that he felt it was unfair for the DEI presenter to claim that Canada was absolutely a more racist country than the United-States. Bilkszto had taught in some American inner City schools in his younger days and he felt that some Canadian policies like Universal health care coverage contributed to greater equality here (in a nutshell: opinions that are debatable but extremely commonplace in Canada saw him labeled and repeatedly referred to as a white supremacist). I realize that you normally write about University Professors but everyone in this man’s life seems to agree that the cause of his depression was related to what happened in the sessions and how he was treated by his employer afterwards. I think the case is worthy of your attention and I would love to hear your thoughts on it... Here is some coverage:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/richard-bilkszto-tdsb-audio-kojo-dei/wcm/b05985e2-6cb3-408e-a27a-79a399383840/amp/
Yes, I mentioned it in an article earlier this year
Oh I should have thought to check before asking I had not seen that I am sorry. Thank you for this article it has really struck a chord for me because I’m constantly surprised by how much we have come to a point where we completely dehumanize people who have a different view. Perhaps foolishly I never saw this coming...
The thing that horrified me the most was the reaction to the publication of Richard Bilkszto’s story! In many quarters (most of the other local and national papers, some others in the DEI field and even from the few people I know who work in the educational sector within that school board. Most of the public statements and responses I saw made some variations on the following theme: the story should never have been told and the fact that it was told is evidence of white-supremacy in action. It disturbed me to see people being so indifferent to a death and saying that his story shouldn’t even be told.
Did he support the Iraq War?? Did he support Bush/Cheney??
Appreciate this story, your courage in sharing a very personal story, and your well reasoned thinking. Yes, maybe a little more patience and forebearance would help.
Very powerful piece Greg