What is cancel culture?
Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable, problematic, or offensive. This practice has grown especially controversial in recent years and sparks the question: Is there still room for growth in modern society?
A closer look:
Many people view cancel culture as restrictive and counterproductive to growth. The majority of the time cancel culture attacks the inappropriate behavior that someone exhibited anywhere from 1-15 years (or even longer) prior to the present day. Especially when the reprehensible behavior happened a long time ago, it seems that ‘canceling’ someone is ridiculous, and in today’s society it is easy to dismiss those who are upset as ‘soft’ or ‘sjw’s’. While it is true that the growth of the offending party is of the utmost importance, many times when analyzing a case of cancel culture the situation is looked at through the lens of the perpetrator and they are granted the ultimate benefit of the doubt. For a second, let’s look at this through the lens of the victim.
First, it is important to recognize that the majority of the time the offense falls into one of these categories: racism, sexism, ableism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia, or transphobia. Imagine, you are from one of these marginalized groups: you move through life experiencing adversity based on something you cannot control. You can’t change your skin tone or whom you love; you get hated upon simply for existing. Now enter the offending party, they say or tweet something attacking your identity. On a personal level, you cannot imagine that another person would treat you that way purely because you exist. On a media platform, if you liked the creator you see that someone whom you loved, and you see this behavior it is a certain type of hurt. You spend so much time looking up to someone and then you find out that they, just like so many others, reject your being. It is hard to continue to like someone who spewed hate into the world with little care for whom it affects. If you’re not a fan of them, you see what they do and you see people defending them: this is the culture that allows that mindset to branch into other parts of society. In any situation this much is guaranteed: they are not the first one to perpetuate this harmful behavior, it affects you emotionally (you are not likely to forget), and finally this is one knife to add to your back and your armor is wearing out. So they give a poor apology, they cry, and expect to move on. Where’s the justice? There is seldom, if any, proof that they have grown as a person and they face no consequences for their actions. This is where cancel culture comes in, it allows those marginalized groups to push back on creators who perpetuated harmful behavior and is a direct result of the consumer-producer relationship.
First, it is important to recognize that the majority of the time the offense falls into one of these categories: racism, sexism, ableism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia, or transphobia. Imagine, you are from one of these marginalized groups: you move through life experiencing adversity based on something you cannot control. You can’t change your skin tone or whom you love; you get hated upon simply for existing. Now enter the offending party, they say or tweet something attacking your identity. On a personal level, you cannot imagine that another person would treat you that way purely because you exist. On a media platform, if you liked the creator you see that someone whom you loved, and you see this behavior it is a certain type of hurt. You spend so much time looking up to someone and then you find out that they, just like so many others, reject your being. It is hard to continue to like someone who spewed hate into the world with little care for whom it affects. If you’re not a fan of them, you see what they do and you see people defending them: this is the culture that allows that mindset to branch into other parts of society. In any situation this much is guaranteed: they are not the first one to perpetuate this harmful behavior, it affects you emotionally (you are not likely to forget), and finally this is one knife to add to your back and your armor is wearing out. So they give a poor apology, they cry, and expect to move on. Where’s the justice? There is seldom, if any, proof that they have grown as a person and they face no consequences for their actions. This is where cancel culture comes in, it allows those marginalized groups to push back on creators who perpetuated harmful behavior and is a direct result of the consumer-producer relationship.
However...
While the intention behind cancel culture is well aimed, most often it fails to work the way it is intended to. Oftentimes, it holds female and POC content creators to higher standards than it does their white male counterparts. Furthermore, it fails account for varying degrees of offenses. Cancel culture takes a very all or nothing approach; it would be more effective if it opted for a more fitting version of accountability and focused on teaching someone why their mistake was just that, instead of just outright cancelling them. While it is good to remove prejudice from public spaces like social media, simply removing it without educating people on why certain things are wrong does not necessarily stop the problem from repeating itself in the future. A no toleration policy will let people know that their bigotry is not welcome, but it may not stop that bigotry from existing on the sidelines.
While there are many valid concerns about cancel culture, there are also a few concerns that really only try to excuse problematic or prejudiced behavior. Here are a few different perspectives on some of them:
But they were young when they said/did that!
Yes, but likely so were the people who consumed their content or were hurt by their actions. Of course, children should not be held to the same standard as adults, but deplatforming someone is not the end of the world. It does not physically injure them and they are not banished from society. They are simply held accountable for their actions and told by the consumers of their content that their past mistakes were severe and that the platform they hold should be redirected to lift the voices of people without such blemishes on their record.
Everyone did stupid stuff like that when they were kids!
This take in itself is very removed and desensitized from the struggles and maturity that marginalized groups are forced to go through. No, everybody did not do offensive stuff when they were young, not everybody came from a place where there was another community that they could throw stones at. People of Color often do not perpetuate racist behavior in their youth, and that is because they were forced to live through the effects of racism and most times took special caution not to attack the identity of others. Furthermore, the justification of harmful behavior based on age sets a moral standard that young people are not able to a) be morally enlightened and considerate of others and b) be held accountable for their actions. This is simply a poor standard to set and we should be striving to be better.
What they said or did isn't hurting anyone now! No one would have known if no one dug it up.
The comments when resurfaced do hurt people, so let’s address the “no one would’ve known if it wasn’t dug up”. This is true, but this is not a unique scenario in which that defense could be raised. Take, for example, someone being a murderer would not bother you if you didn’t know about it, but once you do it affects how you view them. The same concept, even if it is to a lesser extent, applies here.
But they've grown now! There's no longer any point in cancelling them.
If they had actually grown and taken accountability for their actions (which is possible, and does happen), then this might be true. However, in most cases of cancel culture, influencers only apologize or show their actions after they have been exposed. This reveals that they are simply sorry they got caught. Furthermore, in these scenarios they are shrouded in the benefit of the doubt: despite seldom ever showing any proof they have grown as a person, they are automatically assumed to have changed. That perception is lazy, and more so speaks to the fact that those offering forgiveness weren’t affected by their actions at all. Also, in many cases, when people make excuses for the harmful actions of influencers, it is not out of concern and forgiveness, but out of guilt or self-preservation.
What they said/did wasn't even that bad!
Ask yourself if their hurtful behavior was directed at you/your community. If not and people from those communities are speaking out about it then it is best to take a step back and listen to what the affected community says. Listen to them.
My black/gay/female/etc. friend wasn't offended! They though it was funny!
While your friends' feelings may be valid, if the majority of their community disagrees with them it is important to listen to the masses. Sometimes, one person from that community doesn’t speak for everyone.
But their future is going to be ruined now!
If their actions hurt someone and as a result they are being denied certain opportunities that is simply a consequence of their actions. From an employer or college standpoint it is simply unfair to force students of color or members of the LGBTG+ community to have to exist in the same space as someone who has acted aggressively towards their community. Furthermore, in a capitalist society with competitive jobs and colleges, people are well within their rights to deny candidates based on poor behavior that could separate them from other more deserving candidates without stains on their record.
But everyone makes mistakes!
It is true that nobody is perfect and we will all at some point say or believe things that may be harmful. However, while that might be understandable, it is still not acceptable. Also, there is a large difference between being a little rude and being openly racist. While even creators who are openly prejudiced can grow as people, it is not their victims’ responsibilities to provide them education and a space to do better when they are being hurt. Usually, when creators or influencers are “cancelled” for something small, they still go on to be successful and whole people, and they often regain their platforms later. So, while cancel culture might have flaws, it isn’t hurting people’s lives as much as the prejudice they were canceled for might be hurting marginalized groups. If deplatforming people seems too harsh because everyone is flawed, perhaps people with “flaws” like racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. should not have been given such prominent platforms in the first place.
Something to note:
Sometimes, even after an influencer apologizes, it does not take away from the harm that was done. In order for an apology to be complete and effective, it must acknowledge responsibility, say why what happened was wrong, and promise a better plan of action in the future. Also, reparations must be made. Depending on the instance, that can be as simple as simply educating oneself and others more about the issue and why it is wrong, but for many times, that might not be enough. If an influencer does not include all of this in their apology or future content, chances are, they have not actually learned from their mistakes, and they are just apologizing to gather sympathy and regain followers.
When an influencer gives an apology, only those from the community have the right to offer them forgiveness. Also, the influencer is not entitled to forgiveness from the community they hurt. The influencer or offender should not be banished from society, but deplatforming them stops them from spreading the harmful content and is a fitting punishment depending on the offense.
When an influencer gives an apology, only those from the community have the right to offer them forgiveness. Also, the influencer is not entitled to forgiveness from the community they hurt. The influencer or offender should not be banished from society, but deplatforming them stops them from spreading the harmful content and is a fitting punishment depending on the offense.
If you would like to learn more, you can visit:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/cancel-culture/
https://www.insider.com/cancel-culture-meaning-history-origin-phrase-used-negatively-2020-7
https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate
https://www.antiracismdaily.com/archives/understand-the-role-of-cancel-culture-anti-racism-daily-kjm6k
https://www.insider.com/cancel-culture-meaning-history-origin-phrase-used-negatively-2020-7
https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate
https://www.antiracismdaily.com/archives/understand-the-role-of-cancel-culture-anti-racism-daily-kjm6k