Cancel Culture, Free Speech, and the Center-Right

Abstract

This chapter critiques Greg Lukianoff, the president of the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the co-author of The Cancelling of the American Mind who proports to be a liberal democrat who is seeking to protect free speech and the diversity of ideas. However, an examination of the source of his founding and his underlying ideology reveals that he is in actually a center-Right activist seeking to hide his true intentions behind a false narrative and a set of rhetorical tricks. In fact, one reason why Lukianoff is such an interesting example of our current culture war is that he helps to expose the true goals of the Right’s promotion of free speech and criticism of cancel culture. While people like Lukianoff would like us to think that they are just defending the liberal democratic value of free expression, what they are really doing is supporting a well-funded libertarian assault on public universities, the welfare state, progressive politics, and economic regulation. As part of a broad tax revolt from above, Lukianoff receives much of his funding from wealthy, Right-wing donors who are more interested in reducing taxes and shrinking the government than the open exchange of ideas at universities and beyond.