Cancel Culture Needs to be Canceled.
To Leigh Folk Festival…
To Leigh Folk Festival
Yesterday I read online a statement on the Leigh Folk Festival Facebook page, which read:
“Leigh Folk Festival is, and always has been, an inclusive environment where everyone should feel welcome and comfortable, from artistes, to attendees, volunteers and crew”
The statement went on to say that a member of an act due to perform at this year’s festival has “made remarks online that are not in keeping with Leigh Folk Art’s values. As soon as we were made aware, the act’s performance was pulled from the line up”
I, as a member of the local public, and a regular attendee of Leigh Folk Festival, would like to know what the “festival values” are, as I have never, in over a decade, ever seen or heard anything about these “values”.
I also think it is owed to the public that we know what these “values” are, as it now appears very clear this festival is NOT an “inclusive environment where everyone should feel welcome and comfortable” because there is an elusive, unspoken set of “values” that we apparently must all “align” ourselves with.
As a previous customer, I feel this makes the festival seem incredibly unwelcoming. How do I know whether all of the thoughts or views I’ve ever had in my life are acceptable to the festival or not?
I don’t know how Leigh Folk Festival plans on even vetting these unspoken, mysterious “values” through attendees, artists, volunteers and crew…
Will there be a questionnaire upon entry?
Why wasn’t there a questionnaire before?
How is this going to work?
How is this going to be monitored?
How can you guarantee that everyone at the festival will have the correct views, opinions and thoughts and that it all “aligns” perfectly with the “festival values”?
If Leigh Folk Arts/Festival is not going to be vetting the entire festival for these “values”, why did you only single out one act for violating these unknown “values”?
Surely it would make more sense to screen everybody for their views and values to make sure that all of their thoughts, feelings and beliefs align with Leigh Folk Arts/Festival?
Did Leigh Folk Arts/Festival ask the unnamed member of public for their “values” before taking their complaint?
I think Leigh Folk Arts/Festival should have, otherwise the curators and managers at Leigh FolkArts/Festival may have to consider whether or not they have now accepted a complaint from someone who holds some “values” that do not “align” with the “festival values”. What a conundrum.
I want to point out too that I know who the band is. Whom By Fire.
They have written a public statement.
They’re a well known and well loved local band who have been around for a long time.
I personally think it’s strange that the managers of Leigh Folk Arts/Festival would act like they don’t know anything about this band, quote:
“We or our curators would never knowingly book an artist known for this kind of behaviour”
First, Leigh Folk Arts/Festival is suggesting this band is “known for this behaviour” but Leigh Folk Arts/Festival has not once specified what the actual “behaviour” is here other than some random unknown complaint from someone anonymous who said they were anxious or distressed…apparently over some remarks made online?
I’m confused about what this complaint has to do with anything.
If a member of public is anxious or distressed over a comment online, that person has bigger problems and needs to seek professional help.
Additionally, no consideration has been made of the possibility that other artists, staff, volunteers or attendees and members of the public might feel worry, anxiety or distress now that they are aware that they’re going to be potentially judged and/or publicly shamed and/or punished for their thoughts and opinions, even in their own personal lives.
I want to know if there’s anything in the contract or “festival values” at Leigh Folk Arts/Festival which specifically states that despite Leigh Folk Festival only occurring once per year, all artists, musicians, staff, volunteers and attendees *must* “align” their “values” with the “Festival values” all year round, outside of the festival, in their own lives, including on their personal social media accounts... Because Leigh Folk Arts/Festival has publicly canceled a band over something that wasn’t even said at the festival… and also, since no one knows what exactly the “remark” was, this leaves it completely wide open to all sorts of interpretations.
Second, the curators at Leigh Folk Arts/Festival *DO* know this band, one of the managers knows the band very well in-fact.
Hayley Hill is the Leigh Folk Festival manager and she was actually previously Whom By Fire’s band manager, she attended the wedding of the female artist in the band.
So to say:
“We would never knowingly book an artist known for this kind of behavior”
Is dishonest, and really sinister, considering that Hayley does know this artist, and without even specifying what the “kind of behavior” is, she is claiming to not know what this artist's typical behavior actually is.
Since Hailey Hill knows the band very intimately, I’m surprised it did not cross her mind to just contact the band herself and inform them of the complaint, allowing them to defend themselves or put forward a statement for themselves and attempt to resolve the issue, rather than to publicly shame and smear them in this way. It’s very unprofessional and it contradicts the Leigh Folk Arts/Festival statement on the website about dealing with discrimination and harassment, which states:
“If anyone feels they have been discriminated against by the charity or harassed at a charity event they should raise this with the chair, or a Trustee if this person is not available or involved.
The chair, or a Trustee if this person is not available or involved will arrange to investigate the complaint, listening to all involved. (If the complaint is against a committee members, that member will not be part of conducting the investigation).
If the complaint is against a particular individual, this person will have the opportunity to express their point of view, accompanied by a friend. The person making the complaint will also have this opportunity.”
I have spoken to the band and read the email that Leigh Folk Arts/Festival sent them and it says almost word for word the same thing that the public statement said.
I consider this copy & past hit job to be completely unprofessional.
It’s so interesting that this band was not given the opportunity of an investigation after the complaint was made - in which “listening to all involved” would have given the accused a chance to defend themselves or try to resolve the issue, after-all, Leigh Folk Arts/Festival already says on the website:
“If the complaint is against a particular individual, this person will have the opportunity to express their own point of view”
Why was Whom By Fire not given an opportunity to express their point of view?
Why were they just publicly canceled, shamed and smeared instead, without any warning?
This completely goes against Leigh Folk Art/Festival’s own guidance.
It’s especially terrible that the band still has not been told what exactly it is that the complaint was specifically about. So there’s no way for them to defend themselves anyway. It’s really disturbing to witness.
The public statement then ended with an eerily sinister:
“We thank the public for alerting us to this and we stand with the LGBTQIA+ community. 🏳️🌈”
The Leigh Folk Festival Diversity & Equality Policy names all of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010, including sex and religion or belief. To comply with these requirements, Leigh Folk Arts/Festival actually has to accept other people’s beliefs, including the lack of belief in a very controversial new ideology.
For reference, it’s worth looking into Maya Forstater’s case, where she successfully won a tribunal against her work place for discriminating against her because she does not believe that humans can somehow magically change sex, which is a core belief of Trans & Queer Ideology.
https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/maya-forstater-v-cgd-2022-judgment-transgender-gender-critrcal/
Additionally, Joanna Cherry recently was successful in pushing back against Edinburgh Festival which also attempted to discriminate against her for her lack of belief in Trans & Queer Ideology.
https://joannacherry.scot/news/stand
I’d like to add that I personally don’t even know what “The LGBTQIA+ Community” is because I cannot for the life of me, fathom what a 45+ year old man who’s addicted to porn and has a sexual fetish for dressing as a woman… has in common with a teenage girl who’s struggling with body image issues… and what any of that has to do with being gay or lesbian.
I also do not concede to this ridiculous idea that anybody should be above criticism of any kind. Nor do I concede to this idea that when a band is a booked to play a festival, they must signal their allegiance to “LGBTQIA+” all year round, outside of the festival and in their personal lives just incase someone complains.
Please make your mind up, Leigh Folk Arts/Festival. Is this a public “inclusive environment where everyone should feel welcome and comfortable” or is it an LGBTQIA+ festival that has strict ideological codes and “values” which must be adhered to, both at the festival and outside of the festival otherwise one is not welcome?
The band seems to be under the impression that the “remarks online that are not in keeping with Leigh Folk Arts Values” were regarding the recent comments Dan made questioning what appears to be the sexualisation of children in our schools and another post regarding a book reading at Southend Pride of an author who reportedly advocates paedophilia.
If this is true, we need to know. I, as a previous attendee would personally not want to attend ANY event where paedophilia is advocated for and celebrated, and I definitely would steer clear of an event that publicly shames people for opposing paedophilia and the sexualisation of children. Some might consider this to be a controversial stance, but I just cannot stand child abuse.
Please let us all know where we stand,
If there is a set of “values” we must all comply with, we have a right to know about it, as most people do not want to be caught on the receiving end of a public shaming by Leigh Folk Arts/Festival for merely having the “wrong thoughts”.
Cancel Culture needs to be Cancelled.
Thanks sincerely,
A very distressed, anxious local.
The Famous Artist Birdy Rose.
https://twitter.com/thefamousartbr/status/1671492439230627840?s=61&t=Ctg2tCifRpTct89b_Xlu2A
Art, in all its guises, can unite people who share no other common ground. Advancing that idea a little further, art stagnates when everyone is singing from the same songbook, or is too afraid to be themselves, or to go out on a limb and engage in a little wild improvisation. Sometimes, (rarely, if I am honest), I am happy to entertain Diamanda Galas, pictured covered from head to foot in fake blood, wailing in tongues and demanding "Give me sodomy, or give me death". Other times I just want to listen to Coldplay. I can enjoy the music of Morrissey and, to a lesser extent, his bat-shit insane novel, without necessarily agreeing with his socio-political outlook. I endorse the art. As long as the artist isn't doing anything too heinous, I consider their life and their opinions to be their own business. The way Dan is being discussed in certain quarters, you would think that he had recently re-annexed Poland.
The performative and unprofessional manner with which the organisers of the Leigh Folk Festival have handled this online brouhaha may blow up in their faces, if they legally compelled to identify the offending social media posts, and find themselves in the position of defending the morally indefensible.
I sympathise with them to an extent because I know from experience that there are broken individuals who, to all intents and purposes, live online, and who like nothing more than to band together and gleefully destroy the lives of strangers. I have seen mobs like this drive people to suicide and then laugh about it afterwards. I wish I was joking. If you are a organisation, or an individual, who somehow gets on their radar, and then fails to fall into lock-step with their demands, they will make trouble for you. Sadly, had the organisers of the Festival stood their ground, the people pressuring them to drop Whom By Fire, would have probably made an even bigger stink. It takes courage to stand up to an online mob.
That being said, when you defer to the mob, all you do is kick the can down the road. In time they will return with greater demands and more of them. Meanwhile, your supporters, who represent the core of your audience, will quietly walk away in search of another folk festival with blackjack and hookers, or they will just stay at home and put on a Sandy Denny record.
That is why you do not allow someone who has no lived experience of the more insalubrious corners of social media anywhere near your organisation's accounts. If they cannot relate to you the completely avoidable folly that was 'Dub the Dew', then they have no business managing your Twitter or Facebook page.
I cycled to Chalkwell this evening but felt no desire to venture any further west. The mediocre sunset was still better than any curated entertainment occurring a half-mile upriver. The Festival has been tainted, unnecessarily in my opinion. Cooler heads could have worked this out.