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aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

Homo Floridensis is rightly famous for many dangerous and stupid antics, often involving alligators or child sex trafficking, but one member of the State legislature has wandered off into philosophy. Hilarity does ensue! Reportage at The Mary Sue [themarysue.com].

Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini is currently running for U.S. Congress, and it appears he’s taken up the increasingly popular Republican platform of “owning libs.” Looking at his Twitter account, he doesn’t seem to like talking about actual issues affecting his constituents, but he does love tweeting things like “WOKE IDIOTS EVERYWHERE” and “END THE MASK CULT NOW!!!”

He also tweeted his concerns about “cancel culture” and its hypothetical impact on centuries-dead philosophers. “If Socrates was out philosophizing in American society today, he would be cancelled real quick,” Sabatini tweeted Thursday.

A lot of people were quick to point out that Sabatini very clearly doesn’t know anything at all about Socrates.

The do not call the Republican party the party of education for nothing! [*cough* Betsy DeVos [cbsnews.com] *cough*]

If Sabatini had done a little research before very obviously just naming the first philosopher he could think of, he might have learned that Socrates was, in fact, cancelled in his own time. And by cancelled, I don’t mean he lost a book deal or voluntarily chose to quit his job at a major publication or any of the other things conservatives love to call cancellation.

No, Socrates was actually cancelled, by which I mean he was put on trial for his political beliefs and executed.

        Narrator: Socrates was executed. https://t.co/IMi8R0fu1r [t.co]

        — G O L D I E. (@goldietaylor) May 21, 2021

        socrates, famously never cancelled before his perfectly timely death after a long life much beloved and appreciated by his city https://t.co/0AZGkBCS3O [t.co]

        — jenna 🦥 (@_jenna_leanne) May 21, 2021

        Like I understand where you’re coming from here but they very much did kill Socrates https://t.co/mM1l40sPdf [t.co]

        — Jess Zimmerman (@j_zimms) May 21, 2021

        About to use the Socratic method to walk this man though Socrates’ death https://t.co/mngtedo7NU [t.co]

        — jesse taylor (@jesseltaylor) May 21, 2021

Socrates never appeared on Fox News, so I guess that could count; or on NewMax, or the Sin of ONAN.

In other news, seems that the uncancellation of academic controversial speech is not going to well. The Journal of Controversial Ideas [journalofcontroversialideas.org] has published its inaugural issue, but seems some are not happy. From a philosophy ListServ:

It turns out that the so called Journal of Controversial Ideas (see
https://journalofcontroversialideas.org [journalofcontroversialideas.org] is in reality the Journal of
Ideas Acceptable to Progressives which Others may find Controversial

Those who have a Controversial Idea but from conservative perspective
should plan on submitting elsewhere

I submitted

[Anti-woke diatribe, original title and link redacted]

Not only did they refuse to send the piece out for review, but when
pressed for an explanation one editor informed me "publishing your piece
could get us boycotted" and a second editor informed me I had written
"an unacceptable racist trope."

My crime you see was not to be a progressive (as they define it) and to
dare to question a leftist belief.

The call for publication for this Journal repeats high minded goals and
ambitions.  It's editors have low minded politics as their ultimate
goal.  Progressive ideas uber alles.

Peter Singer admits as much "I started the Journal of Controversial
Ideas because .... I  don’t want a progressive party to throw away its
chances of governing by embracing ideas that clearly are rejected by the
electorate."   (see [
This ref. [newyorker.com]]

You have been warned.

[Name redacted to protect this person from embarrassment, and Florida persons.]

Looks like the Cultural Marxists win again!

Original Submission