Should we cancel ‘cancel culture’?

In the third episode of my new Duck-Rabbit podcast, which looks at polarisation within our society, I wanted to examine whether the assault on freedom of speech is real or imagined, whether constraints on speech to protect us from causing offence are justified, or whether the hate speech laws are enough.

We need to define the boundaries of harm more clearly, as being offended should never in itself be a reason for restricting free speech. And we must do more to understand the experiences and beliefs that cause people to have different views about freedom, rights and responsibilities. We must be allowed to make mistakes and say sorry, and to embed respect, tolerance and forgiveness. My colleague Shaku, who discussed the topic with me on the podcast, has written a follow-up blog here. You can read more of my thoughts here.