Let’s talk about “cancel culture” in academia. I know it’s real, because I’ve experienced it—the several times rightwingers have publicly called for my firing or death in response to reporting they saw as leftist “fake news.”

In fact, I know a number of left academic colleagues who’ve faced public campaigns for their firing, silencing, or death. I have conservative colleagues, too. That hasn’t happened to any of them.

Which isn’t to say that I don’t know of conservative colleagues who’ve been shouted down. I do, and FWIW, my 2 cents, worth no more than that, is that this is wrong. But you do you. Just don’t threaten to kill anybody. And that threat is aimed far more often at leftists.

I also don’t deny that many conservative students experience difficulty or fear about expressing their views. Again, just my 2 cents, but I think that’s bad. You know what’s worse, tho? The death threats against leftist professors.

Another feature of the real “cancel culture” of academia: at its worst it’s not about cancelling individual professors but “professors,” period. Last time I got swarmed by rightwingers my name almost got lost in the frenzy to “hang” all professors.

I was about to write there’s nothing parallel on left to rightwing notion of killing *all* professors. Then I remembered some fools who call for the death of all cops. But here’s a difference. Such fools are denounced across spectrum. Would-be professor-killers get pandered to.

My point isn’t to say the left is innocent and every rightwinger a fascist. Political tendencies aren’t “innocent”; movements aren’t ideologically uniform. But “cancel culture” at its most speech-suppressing rhetorically violent is far more prevalent on the right now.

Which I think we—libs, lefties, fact-based conservatives—recognize, if not before Jan 6 certainly now. More interesting question: why so many right wingers believe they’re threatened by “cancel culture” even as they wield it. I don’t mean grifters like Hawley; I mean believers.