Tuesday, August 26, 2008

New Zealand: Human Rights Complaint over Cannibal Book

What is the matter with people?

I have a problem with criminalizing historical scholarship.

Sometimes researchers come up with conclusions that do not paint a flattering picture of a given ethnic group.

It doesn't mean it should not be said.

I don't know how the system in New Zealand works, but in Canada, truth is not a defense. This Paul Moon could be fined for giving his historical opinion-- which might be true.

That's wrong. Truth should never be penalized.

I'm reminded of the case of Esther Delisle, the woman who wrote about fascism and anti-semitism in Quebec in the Duplessis era.

Her book was widely decried in Quebec, but never subject to a Human Rights Complaint, as far as I know. In this present-day context, it might have been.

I think this kind of complaint can have a chilling effect on academic scholarship. It will hinder the free exchange of ideas.



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