Dear Friends,
LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM.
(01:58) Canceling Gandhi;
(21:58) CO2 pipeline update from South Dakota, with Joy Hohn;
(39:42) Vegan vs Omnivore, with Mark Clipsham;
(55:54) Seed saving in the Fertile Crescent, with Kathy Byrnes.
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, who in recent years has joined the legions of leaders lesser minds love to cancel. 
Move over George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln. Make room for the Indian who toppled the British Empire, as his cancelers ignore the big picture and focus on what they consider Gandhi’s shortcomings.
To be clear, there are politicians and celebrities who do dumb, hurtful, or even illegal things. They absolutely need to be called-out and held accountable.
But cancelling the dead because they don’t stand up to modern standards?
In 2017, an Indian activist who goes by the pen-name Dalit Diva wrote, “It’s time that activists from other communities start learning about [Gandhi’s] toxic legacy. For behind his carefully crafted image is a calculating, cunning leader who was deft at playing communities against each other for the benefit of caste Hindu privilege.”
It’s astounding that anyone would accuse Gandhi of doing anything to “benefit caste Hindu privilege.” He fought tirelessly for bringing untouchables into the mainstream of Indian society, even welcoming an untouchable family into his ashram. That decision cost him financial support and was condemned by privileged Hindus.
Not that Gandhi didn’t have faults. When it came to se-uality (I gotta spell it that way or it’ll be sent to your spam account, sorry), Gandhi was a mess, though it helps to understand where that might have come from. Forced to marry at age 13. The shame of having s– as his father lay dying in an adjacent room. The influence of Hinduism’s restrictive views on the subject. Gandhi was so conflicted about s– that he became celibate at age 38.
Some of his views on diet are pretty extreme as well. Most disturbing were the racist views he espoused early in life — which he later renounced. Bottom line: though revered by many Indians, Gandhi was human and flawed.
As with other historical figures, the Cancel Gandhi movement has caught on. Faculty at the University of Ghana petitioned successfully to remove Gandhi’s statue from campus. In Malawi, work on a statue of Gandhi was halted because of protests. Two years ago, the Gandhi statue in Washington, DC, was vandalized.
As Vinay Khosla wrote regarding the canceling of Gandhi, ML King, and Margaret Sanger, “[I]t is possible to condemn a select few of their actions while recognizing and appreciating the absolutely revolutionary changes they brought about. … So, before you cancel some of the most famous historical figures, those who subverted the status quo and uprooted centuries-old systems of oppression, ask yourself what gives you the right? I promise you, just because you’re ‘woke’ doesn’t make you judge, jury and executioner for Gandhi’s legacy.”
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. If you appreciate our blog and program, please consider a donation.
Ed Fallon
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LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PODCAST:
(01:58) Canceling Gandhi;
(21:58) CO2 pipeline update from South Dakota, with Joy Hohn;
(39:42) Mark Clipsham and Ed have a food fight;
(55:54) Seed saving in the Fertile Crescent, with Kathy Byrnes, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.
You can also hear the Fallon Forum on these affiliates:
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Please support the local businesses and non-profits who make this program possible. Click on their logos on the Fallon Forum website and in our weekly email, and visit Dr. Drake Family Psychiatry, Story County Veterinary Clinic, Bold Iowa, and Birds & Bees Urban Farm. Thanks to Des Moines Irish Session for providing our bumper music. Thanks for supporting the civil alternative to the shock jocks!
Ed Fallon