Writer Zadie Smith on How Language Upsets the Right-Wing | From the Archive | Louisiana Channel

[@Francois_L_7933]

When I hear people being openly racist in the presence of other people, I always want to ask them how they managed to choose their parents and their birthplace? Blaming people for things they had no possibility to choose just makes no sense. And that doesn't only apply to people of a different skin color.

[@jonlittle5032]

Schopenhauer's #34 applies to feeling excluded as well. People are threatened by what they think other people are saying. My sister got upset because my wife's nieces were speaking Chinese at our engagement party. Why? Her response was they must be speaking (their family language) because they were talking about us and didn't want us to know. Incredible.

[@dehto5]

"you cannot be curious and angry at the same time."

[@williamgass9242]

Thats dumb

[@jonirischx8925]

You have clearly never encountered competitive racists. They're very curious about finding new, more outrageous ways to be racist. They're pretty good at it too tbh.

[@talesofintrigue3315]

Growing up in a small red town in a red state that goes red the day before actual voting begins, I have seen this first hand. Different language? "They're talking about us. I'm so angry! They should speak English!" Non white. Different religions. Different nations. They are all enemies and guilty first before proven friendly or innocent. It's like a mixture of hate and fear and she's right. It is fascinating to try to understand the irrationalness of it. Especially considering 99% have never had a negative dealing with them.

[@mistylane3023]

I love her. Always will.

[@عصامعيسىرجب]

"it's" a kind of vanity that you should always be included in all things .... Can't agree more 👏🏾🎤👏🏾

[@thesunnyspecial6011]

What do you think of DEI

[@rebekahp4083]

White Teeth is one of my all time favorite books- can’t believe she wrote it at only 24…brilliant storyteller.

[@MF_Plissken]

just plain and simple ON POINT. as a proof of concept just read this comment section...thx for that

[@Pedro-ds3cq]

Liking or disliking the words BLM has nothing to do with language. It is the movement not the words that bother them.

[@ramdularsingh1435]

True......

[@Ofhailu]

As an African in Africa it also upsets me, as we saw it diverts the real struggle of the blacks in America turned into a freak show. the word becomes nothing but a phrase for street celebrities.

[@RXM-257]

ahhh, politics.

[@philippesauvie639]

DON’T KILL KITTENS 🐈‍⬛

[@wongandopu]

Get. A. Life...

[@williamgass9242]

She can't use literally properly?

[@emmalewisart641]

Well said Zadie....I'm white, I have an interest in world events and the strange response about black lives matter from a friend of mine was a good example of what you're talking about....she said white lives matter too ....when quizzed she said she had no knowledge of where the black lives matter slogan came from but it didnt matter, as everyones lives mattered. Cant argue with that hahahahaaaaa. I told her about a few incidents that had led to the heartbreak and mistrust in the legal system, but she kind of shut down and wouldn't allow any reasoning to be presented to her. It was like trying to talk to a very young child.

[@wongandopu]

Brilliantly put.

[@peetvader478]

professional pretentious complainer

[@TheKnightOfVenus]

Now let's talk about the left....

[@DS-ib8ih]

I like this bit that people (of any or no political persuasion) sometimes do where instead of addressing a critique or complaint in good faith they pull the classic “but the other people do it too, and some of them are loud and annoying, so we obviously don’t need to take anything any one of them says seriously regardless of context”, a real zinger every time that definitely doesn’t make the people making the joke look like they’re mad

[@heirapparent8217]

Exactly. No talking point.

[@rebekahp4083]

@@DS-ib8ihit’s called “vaguely gesturing at imagined hypocrisy.” It’s what they pivot to rather than making an argument.

[@timetobenotdo]

@@DS-ib8ihare you not doing the same? Or in the least, perpetuating dismissiveness of a critique? I read the comment as critiquing the separatist and divisive games of blame and pointing fingers. It is Zadie Smith who is representing a one sided view and the commenter is bringing to light and suggesting we look at both/all sides. Projection needs called/pointed out. It’s time for all of us to start taking responsibility. If we redirect blame and stop focusing on an other the shift will be unimaginable.

[@RXM-257]

ahhh, politics.

[@gabrielmaximianobielkael3115]

the obsession with language is not just a right-wing thing, left wings are obsessed with it as well, it is equally present in all political spectrum, people just express it in different ways. It is a human thing. You don't notice when your side does it. It's simple math

[@timetobenotdo]

The far left has been challenging the compelled speech doctrine for years, mainly in the universities. Pretty intense to demand what should come out of another’s mouth. Both sides (the far extremities) have fortified rhetoric, and it’s all gross

[@eo-fi3fh]

[@vculceski3679]

I think it enrages people because of associations. Let’s take feminism as an example. Women started to fight for a clear cause, equal rights, which was fair, and I think most people agree with equality for both sexes. However, I think we should also admit that this movement developed into a movement that crossed irrational lines, and started to chase irrational goals. The things they were “fighting” for at a certain point made no sense anymore and were led by emotions instead of logics. They saw sexism everywhere. I remember they wanted to fight for equal pay for athletes for example. This was simply impossible due to the amount of money it was generating, like, you cannot earn more than you generate. But in discussions they just didn’t want to hear about it, they didn’t want to counter this argument, wanted a monopoly on the truth, they’d get emotional and enraged in discussions, throwing irrational arguments, when you questioned it you were a sexist, protests resulted in violence and vandalism, it was basically impossible to disagree. Note, I’m not saying that this is what feminism stood for. Feminism had no central organ defining what feminism was and wasn’t, which was a problem, because they couldn’t distance themselves from anything and anyone, and so it became everything, also all the negative. And how can you agree with all these aforementioned negative things? Simply copy/paste this to black lives matters and you’ll understand why people feel “enraged” by it. Pretending people are enraged because they are not part of something they don’t want to be part of is the type of irrationality people are fed up with.

[@GiancarloBenzina]

Marketing.

[@yummbear666]

Absolutely nothing of substance out of a 2min+ ramble. Seriously?

[@heirapparent8217]

It’s okay sometimes for things to not be to do with you.

[@yummbear666]

​@@heirapparent8217 My point exactly ^

[@dannydreadnought-xk4qx]

Do words drive people up the wall "literally", Zadie? Do they literally?

[@DS-ib8ih]

do you not find it ironic that you overanalyzing the semantics of her speech in order to find something to get mad at is proving her right in a way

[@dannydreadnought-xk4qx]

@DS-ib8ih I expect authors to be proficient in their chosen language. That's in no way political.

[@jonlittle5032]

@@DS-ib8ih Spot on.

[@janicedowson7793]

Ha ha ha ha

[@jonlittle5032]

For those of us literally proficient in English, we know 'literally up the wall' is a metaphor.

[@rebeccab.463]

Yawn. What a pretentious bore.

[@billhicks8]

you've never done in anything in your life to match her

[@rebeccab.463]

@@billhicks8 go talk to yourself in the mirror-

[@Geraint3000]

It's not all white people, Zadie, but otherwise you make a valid point.

[@laluna5548]

Did you just imply all White people are Right-wing? Are you out of your mind?

[@shawnhollahan590]

WOKE IS OVER .... ENOUGH !!!

[@wongandopu]

Nah, being woke originally meant Black political consciousness. No matter how hard silly white reactionaries try to pervert the word, we'll stay woke forever and ever and ever...✊🏾

[@jonlittle5032]

Not my bedtime yet, sport.

[@janicedowson7793]

Ok go to sleep big fella

[@jonlittle5032]

@@janicedowson7793 Work a little harder, sport. We know you can do it.

[@alanburgess3618]

Thanks for being a perfect example of what she's talking about 😂

[@jmilburn345]

"A kind of vanity that you should be included in all things". She actually said that without noticing the irony? 😂

[@smario2820]

artists, necessarily see art as an end in itself. It was my belief until now that Louisiana Channel cared about this undeniable fundamental that is a prerequisite for the existence of art. This woman, like many others who've made personal brands out of their race, sex or gender, see art as a means to a political end. They are not artists, at all times they are extremist, ideologically captured radical-leftist political activists that are part of a very very small, very vocal group. An entire system of activist 'jobs' have been created in public institutions and private organisations under the guise of DEI/EDI. Pay attention to whom these people are in organisations around you and whom they mix with, what they actually say and DO, the control they are given and whom their ideology actually benefits. Make no mistake these people care only about themselves, like the entire BLM sham crowd. You can inform yourself of the people who started BLM, their integrity and their actions through your own independent research. They are lying to our faces to advance their cancerous agenda, these are the enemies of the West, of freedom, of our way of life that our ancestors died young to create, they do not care about your political ideology left right or centre, politics is just a tool they use to prey on the weak and the unsuspecting. I am very disappointed to see Louisiana Channel give platform to this kind of self-evidently hateful rhetoric, something is going very wrong and needs addressing.

[@dannydreadnought-xk4qx]

Did you run this screed through a Jordan Peterson phrase generator? Top marks if so.

[@wongandopu]

It's very naive and illiterate to think art can be divorced from the political. Tell us you don't read books without telling us...

[@rebeccab.463]

Perfectly stated.

[@TUFELEY]

Art is whatever the artists wants it to be or mean. No matter how much it upsets you, that will never ever change. Art is not more or less artistic because of what it represents.

[@talesofintrigue3315]

I'm curious to what you think about the golden and bronze statues of Trump, and the paintings all over the net with Jesus next to him in the oval office and court. Are those art, or radical-right political pieces?