Hannah Grace
Names big and small can’t seem to escape the public’s attention nowadays. Thanks to social media, anyone can learn a lot about someone with just a few clicks. This is helpful in a way, but also dangerous. Without knowing the whole story, a person can assume the worst. Let’s dive into cancel culture.
How It Started
According to Merriam Webster, to cancel means to stop giving support to someone. For example, boycotting an artist or a politician’s work. Canceling began from a good place–Black Lives Matter and #MeToo on Twitter. The term canceled was used here after becoming quite common (Screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper first used the term in “New Jack City”). Unfortunately, it went on to be a famous negative word.
Cancel Culture Today
You don’t need to look twice online to see how rampant cancel culture is. Some jump on the bandwagon for the hell of it, while others take the opportunity to call out people. Many find it toxic, many still believe it’s not much cause for concern. Cancel culture has already been successful in attacking a number of personalities, though.
“While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty…this stifling atmosphere will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time,” – J.K. Rowling
“When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being. You’re sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, Kill yourself.”
– Taylor Swift
Canceling doesn’t always involve harmless opinion as some may think. Both social media users and high-profile individuals got a lot to say about cancel culture. Considering all of this, is there anything positive about canceling someone?
The Good
People of high status usually get away with things others can’t. Being well-known, especially being liked by many, can save your reputation. However, cancel culture changed that. Those who abuse their power behind closed doors and those who lead shameless double lives aren’t safe anymore. Once a piece of evidence comes out, they’re over.
The Bad
Sadly, cancel culture’s cons seem to outweigh its pros. Canceling can do serious damage to a person regardless of whether they are popular or not. It can ruin a celebrity’s career and end an ordinary individual’s. When netizens come for you by the numbers, even a simple slip-up can be fatal. One wrong move and you’re done. No matter what your real intentions are.
Canceling can be helpful or not depending on circumstance. One should always keep in mind that no one is a true judge. We’re all human. We make mistakes and we can choose to change. If someone is genuine about righting their wrongs, they deserve forgiveness. Cancel culture is getting even more toxic now. People cancel anyone for the silliest things. Maybe properly exposing those who must be exposed is way better than mindless rejecting.
Can you relate? Share your thoughts below. We’d love to hear them!
