No Apologies with Katherine Brodsky

We as a society are self-censoring at record rates. Say the wrong thing at the wrong moment to the wrong person and the consequences can be dire. Think that everyone should be treated equally regardless of race? You're a racist who needs to be kicked out of the online forum that you started. Do you believe there are biological differences between men and women? You're a sexist who should be fired with cause. Argue that people should be able to speak freely within the bounds of the law? You're a fascist who should be removed from your position of authority. When the truth is no defense and nuance is seen as an attack, self-censorship is a rational choice. Yet, our silence comes with a price. When we are too fearful to speak openly and honestly, we deprive ourselves of the ability to build genuine relationships, we yield all cultural and political power to those with opposing views, and we lose our ability to challenge ideas or change minds, even our own.

In Katherine Brodsky’s book, No Apologies: How to Find and Free Your Voice in the Age of Outrage—Lessons for the Silenced Majority, released earlier this year, she argues that it's time for principled individuals to hit the unmute button and resist the authoritarians among us who name, shame, and punish. It’s to push back against the dangerous illiberalism of the vocal minority that tolerates no dissent— and to find and free our own voices in the process.

Brodsky has spent two years researching and interviewing those who have been subjected to public harassment and abuse for daring to transgress the new orthodoxy or criticize a new taboo. In this lecture, she will share some of those experiences as well as the motivation and journey behind writing the book in the first place—including her evolving views on the landscape of intolerance, how it affects areas like science, arts, academia, and so much more, and the creeping authoritarian speech laws that have found a stronghold on so many countries around the world.

Participants:
-Katherine Brodsky, a journalist, author, essayist and commentator
-Rod Dreher, director of Network Project, Danube Institute

Language: English

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024, 5.30 PM
Venue: Lónyay-Hatvany Villa - 1. Csónak str., 1015 Budapest
(Entrance: Aranybástya Restaurant)

We reserve the right to make any changes related to event organization. Participation in the event is free, but registration is required, which can be done by email at events@danubeinstitute.hu or by clicking on the R.S.V.P. button: