2. To rehearse a little: Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957) was an important British modernist painter, novelist, & social theorist. In the 1920s, in particular, he wrote some brilliant radical social critiques (Art of Being Ruled, Time & Western Man).
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3. Lewis was a much-praised writer in 1920s, but his reputation became more polorized with is 1931 book Hitler, arguing that the Nazi leader was "a man of peace" that British could work with.
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4. Lewis wrote a string of pro-appeasement tracts that were attacked by British left (although praised by conservative & establishment organs like Times Literary Supplement):https://twitter.com/HeerJeet/status/1115005882083966976 …
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5. Lewis' career suffered as a result of his fascist fellow travelling & also some roman a clefs he wrote that skirted the edge of Britain's (admittedly harsh & excessive) libel laws.
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6. But it's also true that even though Lewis was criticized for his fascist fellow travelling he always had powerful patrons in publishing and art (including the BBC which repeatedly adapted his novels into radio dramas).
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7. Lewis saw himself as a victim of censorship. "there is really nothing to protect us from the consequence of our rash words." As if there should be no consequences for praising Hitler.pic.twitter.com/omKsOnzOPK
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Lol. “It’s satire!”
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If only he could have lasted long enough to send Islamophobic tweets as part of a coordinated smear campaign, and then, as though to demonstrate his real commitment to free thinking, block anyone who catches on. He would have fit right in.
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He's a big fan of Mill, isn't he?
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What these people mean though isn’t free speech, of which they have plenty, it’s freedom from consequence
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