An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West

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Kisin was born in Russia and immigrated to England on his own as a child of eleven; sent there by his parents who knew his life would be much better there than in newly post-Soviet Russia. As a young child in Soviet Russia, Kisin was told never to discuss anything that was said within the family home, lest even the most innocent comments were twisted or misconstrued by informants and used as evidence of anti-government activity, leading to job loss, imprisonment in a gulag, or disappearance. Russia pioneered cancel culture. Because of this Russians were distrustful of one another and constantly self-censored. [7-10] The prosperity and political freedom of the West has allowed people to live healthier, longer, and freer than ever in human history – the Christian and Enlightenment values upon which this is built are worth defending Comedians asked to sign 'behavioural agreement' for London university gig". The Independent. 12 December 2018 . Retrieved 31 October 2022.

Konstantin Kisin | Substack Konstantin Kisin | Substack

The solution to the suffocating tendencies of ‘wokeism’ is to reinvigorate the Western tradition of both freedom of speech and the dignity and identity of the individual, both of which emerged uniquely in the West over thousands of years. Exactly how this can be done is not clearly set out in Kisin’s book, but the internet is a key player in promoting a genuine diversity of views that allows citizens to access alternative ideas to what they are fed in the mainstream media, and from their universities. It may also be time for those who appreciate the best of Western civilisation to focus less on criticising established institutions and more on starting their own. Asking her how they ended up in these prison camps, what they did wrong, how they reacted to it, how they conducted themselves ... there were some very powerful moments that I hadn't known about before" he said. "It gave me another perspective."

Like many other things expected here, he found that precisely such principles were up for grabs. Kisin himself has made headlines in the past when he was asked to sign a form before a comedy gig promising that he wouldn’t say anything that might upset anyone in the crowd: almost a definition of how not to entertain an audience. Groupthink is another of the things which Kisin found in the West without expecting to. As he says at one point, “If there is one thing my Soviet childhood taught me, it’s that subscribing to someone else’s ideology will always inevitably mean having to suspend your own judgment about right and wrong to appease your tribe. I refuse to do so.” Woke’ ideology sees free speech as a threat to diversity, because ‘woke’ diversity is really uniformity of thinking about gender, sexuality and race relations In 2017 400 people in Russia were arrested for saying something forbidden on social media. In the same year 3300 Britons were arrested for saying the wrong thing on social media. [70]

Konstantin Kisin - Wikipedia Konstantin Kisin - Wikipedia

But it is not just that speech is being silenced, the meanings of words are being changed in such a way that public dissent becomes very difficult. After all, who would criticise diversity, inclusion, and safety? And who would be outrageous enough to question someone regarding the gender identity they affirm for themselves? Konstantin Kisin: Orwell That Ends Well – The Student". studentnewspaper.org . Retrieved 31 October 2022. Justifying his actions after it was claimed that Kisin had agreed to similar restrictions for a different gig in 2017, he stated he was "absolutely certain there was nothing about religion, atheism, respect or kindness in the rules [of the 2017 contract]. Had there been, I would not have agreed." [23] Bibliography [ edit ] There are plenty of jokes in there. But there are some things I think are important to say, with serious chapters where jokes would be inappropriate." Bennett, Steve. "When the safe-space row comedian WAS prepared to watch what he said: News 2018: Chortle: The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk . Retrieved 31 October 2022.

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Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware -As anti-British sentiment grows, and patriotism comes under fire, journalist, comedian and Russian immigrant Konstantin Kisin decides to embark on a peculiar activity: to write a love letter to the West. For all of the West's failings - terrible food, cold weather, and questionable politicians with funny hair to name a few - it has its upsides. Konstantin would know. Growing up in the Soviet Union, he experienced first-hand the horrors of a socialist paradise gone wrong, having lived in extreme poverty with little access to even the most basic of necessities. It wasn't until he moved to the UK that Kisin found himself thriving in an open and tolerant society, receiving countless opportunities he would never have had otherwise. Funny, provocative and unswervingly perceptive, An Immigrant's Love letter to the West interrogates the developing sense of self-loathing the Western sphere has adopted and offers an alternative perspective. Exploring race politics, free speech, immigration and more, Kisin argues that wrongdoing and guilt need not pervade how we feel about the West - and Britain - today, and that despite all its ups and downs, it remains one of the best places to live in the world.After all, if an immigrant can't publicly profess their appreciation for this country, who can Englisch. India Willoughby on Being Trans, Trans Athletes and Women's Spaces". Triggernometry. 14 April 2019 . Retrieved 1 October 2023. Likening the tone of his memoir to that of his tweets, the comic, who co-hosts the YouTube channel and podcast Triggernometry with fellow comedian Francis Foster, told BCG: "It's a combination of commentary, humour and pisstaking.

Immigrants Love Letter West by Kisin Konstantin: Books ( 28

After Kisin refused to agree to those terms and chose not to perform, the UNICEF on Campus society at SOAS apologised and clarified they did not wish to "impose that guests would have to agree to anything they do not believe in". The SOAS Students' Union said that it did not require external speakers to sign any contract before appearances, and that the UNICEF on Campus society had been "overzealous" in interpreting the guidelines. [19] [20] [21] [22] Promising to add greater historical context to current social debates, he claims that "very, very few people who talk about privilege understand just how privileged they are to be living in the West, one of the most prosperous, successful societies ever." It is one of the most positive developments of recent years that such people are emerging. Not least because they are breaking the stranglehold that traditional media used to have on the business of ideas. Episodes of Triggernometry regularly chalk up greater viewer numbers than Newsnight or other political shows on terrestrial TV. And there are reasons for that, not least that when they say “here is an important question that’s central to our future”, they do not then devote a four-and-a-half-minute segment to it where the airtime is divided between four maniacs. They ask experts and give them time to talk. And as part of his research, he spoke to family members, including his grandmother, who was born in a gulag.

Comedy Review: Konstantin Kisin: Orwell That Ends Well, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14), Edinburgh". www.scotsman.com. 10 August 2019 . Retrieved 31 October 2022. The catchphrase of ‘wokeism’ is ‘diversity’, but as Kisin says, “As a rule, the more outward ‘diversity’ an institution has, the more political uniformity there usually is among the people within it.” [82] Diversity really means, in true Orwellian fashion, uniformity. Much the same goes for ‘inclusivity’, which is the term most often used to justify excluding people for holding the wrong views.