Noam Chomsky, Malcolm Gladwell Address Cancel Culture In Open Letter

In an open letter, a group of public figures and writers warn readers about the pros and cons of the current world climate.

The piece, titled " A Letter on Justice and Open Debate," featuring signatures from 150 public figures including the likes of J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood, and Noam Chomsky, was published on the Harper's Magazine website on Tuesday with plans to make a reemergence in the October issue of the magazine.

"Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial," the letter begins. "Powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society, not least in higher education, journalism, philanthropy, and the arts."

"But this needed reckoning has also intensified a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity."

The work goes on to explain that the current climate that promotes cancel culture, which is defined by Dictionary.com as the "popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive," is also slowly infringing on American's First Amendment rights -- free speech.

Instead of imposing "swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought," they suggest an alternative, more productive way of getting viewpoints across and encouraging learning on both sides of a topic.

"The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away," the letter reads. "We refuse any false choice between justice and freedom, which cannot exist without each other."

Specifically speaking to their craft and the dire consequences if mindsets don't change lanes, they conclude, "As writers we need a culture that leaves us room for experimentation, risk taking, and even mistakes. We need to preserve the possibility of good-faith disagreement without dire professional consequences. If we won’t defend the very thing on which our work depends, we shouldn’t expect the public or the state to defend it for us."

It seems not everyone was happy with the letter, though. After it was published both historian Kerri Greenidge and trans activist Jennifer Finney Boylan announced the withdrawal of their support on Twitter.

While Greenidge didn't offer up much reasoning for her retraction, Boylan hinted that her recant had something to do with other names on the list, perhaps, one of the most widely known names -- J.K. Rowling.

As previously reported, the "Harry Potter" author has been at the center of much controversy due to her opinions regarding the transgender community. Unlike some stars who have backtracked after being called out for their viewpoint, Rowling instead remained unapologetic and stood by her words. More recently, she offered clarification and reference to works that back up and support her stance on the topic.