Despite the Left’s repeated claims that “democracy is under attack,” they have no trouble silencing criticism of their policies or beliefs. Many participants at a podcast convention in Dallas last week became “triggered” by the presentation of conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, despite the fact that Shapiro’s company, the Daily Wire, was among the event’s funders. This is just the latest iteration of the fanatical prejudice of the Left.
Shapiro was not accepted by some attendees at the Podcast Movement convention, as was reported earlier by Maria Leaf of the Washington Examiner. Simply due to his political philosophies, some attendees felt that Shapiro was a symbol of hate, and they did not want him there. On Twitter, many people vented their frustrations. The group acknowledged their error in having Shapiro as a sponsor and issued an apology because of his attendance.
Because Shapiro was there, one of the attendees expressed concern that they would not be safe while attending the event. They tweeted: “Hey @PodcastMovement what the f***. As a trans person, as a queer person, as someone with a uterus, this does not make me feel welcome. This does not make me feel comfortable.”
With the apparent exception that this visitor posed no threat, despite their best efforts, they were unable to keep their cool and accept the possibility that a conservative Republican would also be present at the podcast conference. They were not in any danger at all; rather, they were insulted by the existence of variety in the form of someone who holds a different opinion than they do. Strange, since the Left is always preaching about how vital variety is to progress. But when it comes down to it, lefties have repeatedly shown that they don’t mean what they say.
So you were fine taking money from The Daily Wire as long as it stayed hush. Interesting.
Also, if the mere presence of @BenShapiro somehow “harms” you, you need more help than you can find on any self help podcast.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 25, 2022
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After hearing some of the guests complain nonstop, the Podcast Movement’s Twitter page issued an apology for having to have Shapiro on the show. They had no problem accepting Shapiro’s sponsorship money, but they didn’t feel comfortable having him in attendance. In a statement as well as in a tweet, Podcast Movement deemed it unacceptable for Shapiro to appear in the video.
Hi folks, we owe you an apology before sessions kick off for the day. Yesterday afternoon, Ben Shapiro briefly visited the PM22 expo area near The Daily Wire booth. Though he was not registered or expected, we take full responsibility for the harm done by his presence.
— Podcast Movement at #PM22 (@PodcastMovement) August 25, 2022
What’s really objectionable, though, is the group’s lack of courage in the face of dissent and its failure to cultivate intellectual variety. Those who complain loudly about their lack of safety are just being fanatical. It’s safe to say that Shapiro poses no danger to anyone. The threat, instead, comes from people on the left who are always trying to stifle criticism.
Interestingly, Podcast Movement’s CEO and founder, Daniel Granger, was chastised for his criticism of the organization’s apology on his LinkedIn profile, where he alluded to the authoritarian nature of Podcast Movement’s tone.
Granger said in the piece, “All Podcasters are equal, but some Podcasters are more equal than others,” plainly evoking Animal Farm, a literature classic written by George Orwell on totalitarian regimes.
However, on the radical Left, statements and actions like those of the Podcast Movement last week in Dallas are normal for the type. They see as an immediate threat anything or anything that might undermine the success of their ideas. Ben Shapiro was not the first person to suffer this, and he will not be the last.
