By George Pitcher2025-03-28T16:35:00
Free speech protects great minds discussing ideas, not small minds abusing people, says George Pitcher, as he looks at the recent cases of Laurence Fox and Kathleen Stock
Eleanor Roosevelt is supposed to have said that “great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” The verb “discuss” is doing a good deal of heavy-lifting here, but this week has provided two perfect examples of minds at both ends of the gene pool.
At the shallow end of that pool, we have an actor, Laurence Fox, who has taken on the tough role of contrarian politico-activist, in which it would only be polite to say he is far from convincing. At the deep end, we have Professor Kathleen Stock, whose hounding from her post in 2021 over expressed transgender and gender identification views has caused the academic regulator to fine the University of Sussex close to £600,000.
We needn’t dwell on the unfantastic Mr Fox. It’s in the nature of small minds to believe they’re playing in the deep end, discussing ideas, when in reality they are simply attacking people. Thus he has been charged with a sexual offence by publishing a tawdry “upskirting image” of TV presenter Narinder Kaur. He has form in this regard, he isn’t big, he isn’t clever and he needs to be taken back indoors until he learns to behave.
By contrast, Prof Stock does discuss ideas as part of her academic endeavour and, oddly enough, discusses ideas of gender with which Mr Fox may agree. The difference is, so far as one can tell, that she is not attacking individuals. It appears that the university…
2025-07-07T08:55:00Z By Sarah Sedgwick
After their child came out as transgender and cut off all contact, the grief for Christian parents Gary and Leah was profound. But it is possible to keep loving in the silence — with grace, humility and hope — even when reconciliation feels out of reach, says Sarah Sedgwick
2025-07-01T19:01:00Z By David Hoffbrand
A festival that claims to champion peace and progressivism became a stage for antisemitic chants, says David Hoffbrand, and too many Christians are looking the other way
2025-06-30T12:00:00Z By AJ Gomez
Following recent reports that Michael Jackson accepted Christ just days before his death, AJ Gomez investigates the King of Pop’s faith journey
2025-07-04T15:43:00Z By Rev Jamie Sewell
While many churches prioritise order, structure, and predictability, Rev Jamie Sewell says true revival isn’t born of control, but of holy disruption
2025-07-04T14:46:00Z By Joshua Luke Smith
Don’t have time for hours of quiet and stillness with God? Don’t feel bad, says Joshua Luke Smith. It isn’t the size of our offering that matters to God, but the heart behind it
2025-07-03T16:29:00Z By Chris Goswami
25 years ago, Chris Goswami heard his Chinese professor predict his country’s rise as a global superpower. With that predication now being reality, Chris explores the forces driving China’s growth and why its growing influence is something Christians should be thoughtfully engaging with
Site powered by Webvision Cloud