Hello! What I am most curious about, in your and similar responses, is what is meant by “silencing”? My post links to the full text of Shriver’s speech; since she gave the Brisbane address, her most recent novel, The Mandibles, has remained widely available to readers. I would never petition booksellers to stop offering her work, or petition news outlets to remove the text of her speech. I support Shriver’s expression remaining accessible to the public, so that people can read it and make up their own minds. I simply offer a critique of her argument, for readers to consider in turn. Shriver has called for the end of the term cultural appropriation and all the related complex politics, which is a more direct request for silence. But I would love an explanation of how Shriver has had “her right of tongue and pen stripped away from her,” by my response that directs readers to consult, if they wish, her still freely publicized texts.