The New York Times demonstrated again this week that it remains solidly part of the cancel campaign culture. The Athletic, owned by the Times, joined the mob in calling for the Indiana Fever to dump Sophie Cunningham for publicly opposing biological males playing in women’s sports — a position shared by the vast majority of citizens.
The column by Candace Buckner blames Cunningham for creating a “circus” and says that she is a distraction from the game due to her public stance. So, she is now “too combustible, her takes too “turbulent” to play basketball.
Of course, if she supported transplayers, she would presumably not be combustible but admirable.
Notably, the Times does not view those who have attacked Cunningham and her fans as too “combustible,” including coaches wearing opposing slogans and statements in favor of biological males in women’s sports. The New York Times itself reported that almost 80% of citizens hold the same position as Cunningham.
The Oct. 6 column called on Indiana not to renew Cunningham’s contract after two seasons when she becomes a free agent because she is “too combustible.”
However, the Times does not believe that those coaches and players speaking out in favor of such inclusion are “too combustible.”
There was no call for sacking figures like Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton, who reportedly yelled profanities at girls who were simply supporting women in sports and Cunningham.
Nor was there a call to sack Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve for wearing a T-shirt supporting trans players in a game against the Indiana Fever and Cunningham.
Liberal sentiments are never combustible for the Times. The newspaper ran a long line of columns supporting Colin Kaepernick in his kneeling protests during games. Conversely, columns attacked former player Enes Kanter Freedom for wearing a T-Shirt reading “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”
For most of us, the hatred for Cunningham is baffling. These athletes have a unique perspective on this controversy that can help inform the debate on both sides. We should welcome the insights of athletes for and against transgender players in this national discussion.
Instead, Cunningham has been subject to the same hateful, unhinged attacks that we have seen on other influential figures such as J.K. Rowling. There is no room for civil debate or any difference of opinion.
The purpose of these campaigns is obvious. Even with the vast majority of citizens supporting Cunningham’s position, press and pundits want to deter others from publicly taking such positions. It is designed to chill speech and deter dissent.
On Friday’s episode of “No Hesitation with Sophie Cunningham & Drew Hanlen,” Hanlen correctly called the piece an “absolute hate piece.” Cunningham responded even more succinctly to the Times with “suck it.”
I am not concerned for Cunningham, who has shown great courage and steadfastness in the face of these critics. Rather, it was the latest evidence that the Times has changed little in fueling the mob and canceling opposing voices.
The Times has thrilled the extreme left with its signature relativism in defending any abuse on the left, from looting to murder. It has continued to feature violent extremists as political attacks rise around the country.
The same newspaper that fired editors and denounced Sen. Tom Cotton for his NYT column quelling violent protests would go on to print individuals who have said that they are ok with killing conservatives or capitalists.
Just before the anniversary of the Cotton controversy, the New York Times published a column by University of Rhode Island professor Erik Loomis, who defended the murder of a conservative protester and said that he saw “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence.
After canceling Sen. Cotton, the Times had no problem with publishing the views of a Chinese figure called the enforcer of Beijing in the crushing of protests.
The New York Times is undeterred because its readers seem to value the very hypocrisy revealed in these controversies. They can rely on the Times to offer spins and deflections to relieve them of any self-examination after tragedies like the Kirk assassination.
While denouncing disinformation, the Times has embraced false narratives and continues to publish distorted historical claims.
As with its cancellation of Sen. Cotton, the Times shows that the left is ready to resume the prior campaign of cancel campaigns and censorship of opposing views. That includes an athlete who merely voiced a view in favor of female athletes that is shared by roughly 80 percent of the country. It is not shared by the Times or its viewers, so (once again) Cunningham must go.
Opposing viewpoints are intolerable to many on the left, and the editors of the Times are once again rationalizing the worst impulses of American politics.
The “debate” is heightened because each side views the other as an existential threat.
Cunningham may view herself as defending her job. Once WNBA teams start fielding XY players, XX players will be sitting on the bench. Or they’ll be off the payroll altogether. The WNBA will not be about competition but rather will be a DEI performance. Like the Harlem Globetrotters. Or worse, the draw will be sadism. Ick.
Why the WNBA coaches don’t view the potential encroachment of XYs into the XX space of the WNBA as an existential threat, I will never understand.
Gay or straight, XXs deserve a league where all the competitors are also XXs.
As long as they are not juicing (as part of a transition, for example), I don’t care if some of the XXs now in the WNBA identify as male. Their gender does not change their sex. They have the same XX muscles and hormones and lung capacity and height as the other XXs. What is the WNBA’s policy on juicing, by the way?
Obviously, XYs already have a league. One that happily accommodated Dennis Rodman, for example. As long as they win like Dennis, XYs wearing make up or with breast implants will be welcomed into the NBA I am sure. As with the WNBA, a players gender nonconformity with the rest of the NBA does not matter. Only their XY status matters. And winning, of course.
Sophie doesn’t want to hear: “XXs, the XYs want your job. They have had breast implants. Their Adams apples have been shaved. They are 6′ 8″ but slouch in a feminine way. You don’t like it? You’re going to have to beat them on a basketball court. Ready? Jump ball!”
The MAGA spin machine, which includes Turley is amazing and getting more desperate as Election Day approaches. Turley accuses the NY Times of engaging in a “cancel campaign”–what about Trump going after all of the media that stood in solidarity with CNN, MSNOW and Politico after he literally cancelled them by blocking them from entering the people’s White House and our Air Force One plane for publishing the truth about him that he didn’t like–demanding that they be prosecuted for “anti-trust” violations? The NYT is one newspaper outlet–not the federal government with the power to take away broadcast licenses and to charge media with “anti-trust” violations.
Today’s piece is a two-fer: go after non-MAGA media and to continue the culture wars affirmation by attacking transgender women. How many players in the WNBA are transgender? ZERO! Sophie Cunningham was expressing her opinion, and the NYT was expressing its opinion about Cunningham’s opinion. That’s it. But, does MAGA media stop there? Oh, no. The disciples need affirmation, so Turley goes on and claims that the NY Times “fuels mobs” and cancels opposing voices–uh, Turley, exactly WHAT mob did the NYT “fuel”? If you want to talk about “fueling mobs”, what about Trump after he lost to Joe Biden, telling his disciples to “fight like hell or you’re not going to have a country any more”? The NYT is one media outlet–if you don’t agree with what they publish–then don’t buy their newspaper.
The hype goes on: Turley claims that the NYT “supports looting and murder”—when? WHAT “murder” did the NYT “support” as an official policy of the newspaper? What about Trump sitting on his fat can for over 3 hours while his supporters trashed the Capitol, visiously beat up the Capitol Police, one of whom died from his injuries, and while the faithful ransacked offices, stole Pelosi’s computer, urinated and defecated inside the building and while one of the faithful got shot after breaking into the Capitol because, based on Trump’s lies, she was determined to break through to the floor of the House and ignored a Police Officer’s command to halt?
AND, importantly, Erik Loomis speaks for NO ONE other than himself and publishing something he wrote does not constitute endorsement of his opinions. Today’s piece is just another item falling under the Republican strategy to portray Democrats as crazy and extreme, to fit in with the Republican marketing theme of “common sense vs. crazy”–which include things like claiming that all Democrats are socialists–that’s not part of the Democrat platform, taking something said by one Democrat candidate and claiming that it represents all Democratic candidates, lying about El Sayed being part of Al Qaida, and all of the other desperate measures to try to keep power.
The “Left” does not have the power to “cancel” or “censor” anyone–and disagreeing with someone is NOT “cancelling” them or deterring free speech or opposing opinion–but Trump DOES have the power to “cancel” and “censor” opposing views, and actually does so routinely. When a non-MAGA media asks him for proof of some lie he tells, he calls them “fake news” and refuses to answer or just doesn’t call on them. He threatens the FCC licenses of non-MAGA media. Now, he’s threatening media that stand in solidarity with CNN, MSNOW and Politico–THAT’S cancelling and censoring.
ATS
More of the word games we all expect from left wing nuts.
Trump did not cancel anyone. He chose the reporters that he allowed to the covetted WH press room and other limited access forumns.
No reporter is off the air because of Trump.
No network is off the air because of Trump.
No Reporter has lost their job because of Trump.
Your analogy is garbage.
Further this issue was covered here.
The federal government only has the power that those on the left gave it.
I will be perfectly happy to PERMANENTLY get rid of the left wing nut created “equal time rule”
I will be perfectly happy to get rid of broadcast licenses,
I ill be perfectly happy to disempower government as much as you are willing.
But that is NOT what you want.
You want to stop TRUMP from doing the same things you did and will do if you ever get power again.
No one is attacking Transgendered people.
Just barring them from competing with Women.
This is a completely stupid debate. Two pro players made the absurdity of this left wing garbage obvious by chosing to identify as women and seeking to participate in the WNBA.
Do you have a problem with that ? If so how is it you plan on precluding men who identify as women to thwart YOUR political idiocy from crushing women while still allowing MTF Trans men to crush women in womens sports.
This is pretty trivial – if you allow MTF Trans to participate in Womens sports within a very short time ONLY MTF Trans will participate in women’s sports.
In 2017 a dallas regional Males under 15 Soccer team obliterated the US Women’s national team 5-2.
Professional female athletes can not compete against 15 year old boys.
MTF Trans can either have their own league or compete against those with the same sex chromosomes.
Or we can just entirely eliminate womens sports, Or we can go ahead with your nonsense and the WNBA will become entirely Trans and no one will watch and it will die.
Women’s sports have enough problems attracting viewers – do you really wish to completely destroy them.
While Title XI does not apply to professional sports – REALITY does. Everything about a sport is about what those who pay to watch want.
Do you honestly beleive that people will pay to watch Men who failed to compete at a professional level competing against each other identifying as women ?
Id like to see China’s human cloning results. 🤔 Are the gonads intact?
Oh for heavens sake, we’re cloning now like starfish. The old male female form of reproduction did produce a greater variety oth.
Too bad Cunningham lost her job? Did I read it right?
Oh for heavens sake, we’re cloning now like starfish. The old male female form of reproduction did produce a greater variety oth.
Too bad Cunningham lost her job? Did I read it right?
Newsflash. The NYT is run by a midwit nepot who is devoid of any sense of authentic decency. His family leaves him in place because he does not bother them.