Maryam at Goldsmiths
Here is the video of Maryam’s talk at Goldsmiths on Monday. Now we can see for ourselves what actually happened.
I’ve watched 25 minutes so far.
At 9 minutes a guy in the front row all in black including a wool cap gets up to take photos of the audience.
At 11:30 there are snickers and mutterings when Maryam mentions the murders of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh.
At 12 two guys in the front row start objecting to being filmed; Maryam tells them to stop talking or get out, the ASH guy who introduced her tells them questions will be at the end, they keep talking and shouting. The noisiest guy, in a grey flat cap, has the gall to say to Maryam: “Stop intimidating me, you’re intimidating me.”
At 14 six women get up and walk out.
At 15 there is complete chaos.
From 20 to 25+ things quiet down and Maryam gets to talk, although someone is emitting scornful whistles at a few points.
Here’s the link to the video.
Best move is to publish the video. There are a few people one could find intimidating, but the lady in the pink jacket certainly isn’t one of them.
Whoops! Sorry, I forgot the video itself.
The guy in the grey flat cap is also the one who threatened Reza Moradi.
Thanks for posting! I might get a chance to actually watch it sometime before next week… o.O
Did you catch the part where the Muslim dudebros kept ejaculating “Safe Space!” while Maryam was trying to talk? Who could have possibly foreseen that social justice catchphrases would eventually be weaponized like that?
Damion, would you please stop with these stupid gotcha comments? Especially on posts on serious subjects? This post isn’t about you, or you and your friends, or you and your friends and your resentments. It’s about something more important than that.
If you aren’t willing to recognize that the real problem at hand (the “something more important”) incorporates rhetorical elements from the regressive left, then you aren’t going to be in a propitious position to solve it.
I’ve been blogging about rhetorical elements on the regressive left as long as I’ve been blogging, i.e. since 2002. I don’t need your assistance.
Damion, I think the real problem here is theocratic fascists. The fact that theocratic fascists have taken a leaf from skeptic dudebros’ to weaponise and trivialise many perfectly meaningful phrases should be telling you something.
I… I don’t know what to say but I have to say something… That was one of the most inspiring things I have seen for a long time. To see someone stand up and give that talk, which in itself would be worth talking about, but to do it under that pressure…
Maryam has really inspired me. I’ve only read/watched her stuff on and off, but I am going to be paying much closer attention to her now. As someone at an English university (albeit only part-time), it makes me so sad to see students acting like they did towards her. In that video Maryam was the ultimate champion for precisely what universities stand for – questioning ideas, making people think and not standing for bullshit. Thanks for posting, thanks to Maryam for an amazing two hours.
The “fascists” in question aren’t trying to implement Sharia at Goldsmiths, Rob, at least not yet. They are using the language of social justice activism to try to prevent people from offending their deeply held sensibilities. They were taught to do this by university professors rather than mullahs, hence the resemblance of these events to those taking place in New Haven rather than Mecca.
They are however trying to enforce deference toward their religion at Goldsmiths. Yes they’re using some fashionable social justice vocabulary to do it, with the usual ironic results, but that’s not all that’s going on. It’s also not new – I’ve certainly commented on it before.
Why the scare quotes Damion? Do you not define radical Islamism as a form of theocratic fascism? Also, why the irrelevancy of “…aren’t trying to implement Sharia at Goldsmiths… … at least not yet.” In any case, as Ophelia points out they are trying to enforce deference (including segregated seating at events such groups organise at UK universities) and radical islamists in the UK do and have tried to foist Sharia onto ‘their’ communities. But again, so what in the context of the use of language.
Left leaning university professors didn’t teach them to twist and misuse SJ vocabulary. That comes down squarely to a certain class of home grown ‘talent’ who take great joy in twisting the language of the progressive left into a meaningless pretzel. You need only take a casual glance at gamergaters, MRA’s, Thunderfoot’s minions and yes, the slymepit.
Sure there are some terribly misguided people on the progressive (possibly regressive?) left. I was too stunned to even face palm at the GFS statement. That doesn’t invalidate the meaning and purpose of the concepts behind the language chosen.
It’s sadly telling that you use an attack by theocratics on a true champion of human rights as an opportunity to take a swipe at those you don’t like on the social left.
Of course I see radical Islamism as a form of theocratic fascism, Rob. Perhaps someone has already made the case that Goldsmiths ISOC are indeed doing radical Islamism (and I’m very sorry if I missed that part) but it looks to me like they are doing exactly what the highly motivated offense-takers of Silliman College did at Yale and what the willing pawns of Melissa Click did at Mizzou, that is, demanding a safe space which provides relief from the free marketplace of ideas.
It is sadly telling that you fail to recognize the pattern here, choosing instead to blame Islam alone.
“Stop intimidating me”. Yeah. My first teaching job I had a little bullshitter do this very thing when I wouldn’t let him cheat on a quiz in front of me. He had done nothing but lie, disrupt class, make trouble, ditch out of class, etc for weeks, and yet knew that pretending to be scared of me was the way to make sure I got in trouble instead of him.
People who abuse claims of victimhood make everything worse.
Damion, the language being used is hardly relevant to the OP.
The reasoning which originally led these young Muslims to believe that they deserve to be free from offensive ideas while at uni is completely relevant, Holms. Their language is merely indicative thereof.
Damion give it a fucking rest. You’re derailing. Yes they use social justice tropes; I’ve already said that, and I’ve said it in the past too. It’s not the core subject here.
What proof do you have that the reasoning that leads them to believe they deserve to be free from offensive ideas originates with the progressive left (whom we can safely assume they despise and would harass or worse if they ruled the world); as opposed to the privilege bestowed upon them by their theocratic beliefs? How can you claim that their ‘reasoning’ is the fault of the progressive left, rather than the theocratic right. the language is merely a misappropriated tool, just as it is with the social conservatives/reactionaries/dudebros’/gals.
I’d like to answer those questions, Rob, but alas, to do so would be derailing. I’m going to give it a rest now.
I’m pretty sure their desire to ‘be free from offensive ideas’ (read: people resisting, even scorning Islam) is entirely dependant on them being wannabe theocrats. They are just borrowing language that is convenient to them.
This is unbearable to watch. What a shit show. Universities are institutions of higher learning. This is kindergarten.
All my respect and admiration for university teachers who have to deal with those walking disgraces day in day out.