The Navy said he canceled a speech commitment in his academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with the popular podcaster and author Ryan Holiday because he wanted to avoid what he saw as political content aimed at the young naval officers.
Holiday, who frequently speaks about the value of stoicism and has written several books, including “the obstacle is the way,” he said he had planned to talk to the leadiamarinas about the “search for wisdom.”
Holiday said he shared his informative slides in advance with the Navy, which included a reference to the history of the New York Times about the recent decision of the US Naval Academy. Uu. Of withdrawing some 381 books of your library. The Navy asked him to omit the reference, and Holiday said he refused.
“The idea that there are issues that are outside the limits or that they cannot handle is absurd in their face,” Holiday told ABC News.
In this file photo of March 9, 2018, Ryan Holiday speaks at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Jim Bennett/Wireimage through Getty images, file
When asked why Holiday’s speech was canceled, the Navy said she chose to make a “change of schedule that aligns with her mission of preparing the guards for service careers to our country.”
“The Naval Academy is an apolitical institution,” he added. “It focuses on the development of moral, mentally and physically to cultivate honorable leaders, create a culture of excellence and prepare future officers for military service.”
Holiday said that the Navy had not given him guidance before speech and that he did not see his presentation as openly political because he did not tell the guards how to vote. He said that it should not have been a surprise for the Navy that would like to discuss current events.
“I assumed that we had the basic standards … of academic independence,” said Holiday.
In this archive photo of October 10, 2023, Ryan Holiday raises behind the stage at 92nd Street and in New York.
EVAN AGUTINI/INVISION through AP, files
The Navy withdrew the books after President Donald Trump ordered the military to stop “promoting, advancing or instilling the following non -American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist and irrational theories.”
In the list of books deleted from the Academy Library is “I know why the caged bird Sing” by Maya Angelou and “How to be an anti -racist” by Ibram X. Kendi.
A separate visit to the filmmaker Ken Burns was also recently canceled, although cancellation does not seem to be linked to a dispute over the content. A Burns spokesman said that the award -winning documentary filmmaker had planned to meet privately with the faculty and staff at the end of this month and now hopes to visit the school in October.
