Lionel Shriver wrote an article for the NY TIMES about a wave of PC outrage a smart young woman unleashed against her at a writers’ conference. Shriver seems to believe that the young woman in question was serious in her outrage against the writer’s assertion that it’s ok to write about experiences other than your own. Shriver makes the mistake that is common to those who remember the 1970s and takes this PC outrage seriously.
In reality, however, it is not even remotely true that “young people tear one another apart over who seemed to imply that Asians are good at math.” What they really slaughter each other over is who gets to be in the spotlight. It’s all about branding, self-promotion, making a splash to get noticed.
And the young woman who used Shriver’s remarks to fake mortal offense not only got a publication in the Guardian out of it but now has Shriver herself promote her heretofore unknown name on the pages of The New York Times. I say, good for her. Two minutes of exaggerated hand-wringing and she is world famous. That’s smart. And if dense old fogeys like Shriver don’t understand that this is simply a battle for Twitter followers, then the joke’s on her.
The best way to protect oneself from this sort of con artists is not to whine about free speech but simply not to mention their name. Don’t give them the spotlight, and they will move on to another idiot they can bamboozle.
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