Becoming a ‘Cancel Culture Avenger’

OPINION:

Two weeks ago, I learned that I had been blacklisted in a local, private Facebook group called “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County.” 

The group included six members of the Loudoun County School Board, several teachers and county administrators, the Loudoun County attorney and a handful of angry, privileged White women who have come to be known in these parts as Chardonnay Antifa.

The list was created in response to a call for action against parents who had spoken too loudly for reopening schools or against the Loudoun County school system’s implementation of critical race theory. The actions requested included mailing campaigns “exposing” the targets, “hacking” of their websites and a plan to raise money for these activities.  

I was listed as a target twice. The first was for speaking at a school board meeting about concerns that a proposed new teacher conduct code violated their First Amendment rights. The code, as it had been proposed, sought to discipline teachers who spoke out against the school’s commitment to “equity.” The code was so poorly written that it could have resulted in disciplining a teacher for complaining about the school curriculum at a neighborhood cookout.

The second time I was listed was by someone who apparently didn’t like an op-ed I wrote in the Federalist detailing Loudoun County’s implementation of critical race theory. In that article, I highlighted that the school system spent $422K on critical race theory consultants to hold a focus group on school grounds that chose participants on the basis of race. I also took issue with race-based changes in discipline policies and other actions that I believed violate the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights laws. 

At first, I was livid that people had added me to this list. Yes, I knew that writing opinion pieces on controversial topics would open me up to criticism. That’s a risk we all accept when we offer opinions. I fully embrace that risk — if I’m wrong or there is a perspective I’m missing, by all means use the marketplace of ideas to civilly say so. But what is not fine is people creating lists of individuals and businesses to target with illegal activities solely for exercising their First Amendment rights. 

But then I focused and realized these white wine commie mommies unwittingly showed me an opportunity. I could go out there and shine a very public spotlight on this cancel culture plague that is infecting our country, its workplaces, its schools and its neighborhoods. 

And so, I began talking about this issue publicly. I started by using a daily newsletter that I co-founded — The Daily Malarkey — to use substance and humor to mock the list making Chardonnay Antifa (e.g., selling Chardonnay Antifa coffee mugs!). The result? Our readership went up over 2,000% and we were able to communicate to America on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “Fox News Primetime with Brian Kilmeade,” “The Larry O’Connor Show” on WMAL, and other national platforms on the three most effective ways to fight this cancel culture scourge: fearlessness, substance and mockery.

This all has led to hundreds of emails and communications from people I’ve never met. That includes Democrats, Republicans, independents and people who don’t care one bit about partisan politics. And they all said the same thing — we’re sick of this nonsense; keep fighting this fight.

The lesson I took from this is that normal, tolerant Americans, which I consider myself to be, have had enough of people glibly tossing around terms like racist, fascist and sexist. We believe skin color is as relevant as eye color or hair color when judging someone’s abilities and character. We want diversity in our schools, our workplaces and our governmental institutions. Different cultures, perspectives and ideas are what make our country more competitive, more prosperous and more humane. 

Unfortunately, there are too many people willing to use the Trojan Horse of identity politics to either reprogram people or destroy them; all in the name of their warped crusade of self-imagined righteousness.

But at the end of the day, I probably should send the lovely ladies that put me on the blacklist a fruit basket. They lit a fire under me and focused me on a mission to fight this toxic behavior by calling it out wherever I see it. Whether its through biting stories in the Daily Malarkey or helping start the non-partisan Loudoun Parents for Education to recall the school board members who took part in this private Facebook group, I can say this without hesitation — I am 100% on board with becoming a Cancel Culture Avenger and fighting against this out-of-control reign of terror. 

And I look forward to others joining the fight.

• Ian Prior is the former principal deputy director of public affairs at the Department of Justice and the editor of BidenDoj.com