According to Merriam-Webster, cancel culture is “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.”
Cancel culture’s most widely publicized incidents often revolve around celebrities or public figures, but it can also impact the everyday lives of ordinary citizens.
While most debates and opinions surrounding a cancellation occur on social media platforms, they can also take place in person as well, which illustrates the reach and consequences of this phenomenon.
I believe that individuals should be held accountable for their harmful actions and language. However, I also believe that cancel culture promotes a toxic and unproductive approach for doing so.
Being offended by someone’s missteps is valid, but our aggressive reactions to an individual’s actions that result in “cancellation” foster the idea that fighting hate with more hate is the solution to the problem.
This pattern of toxicity could be attributed to the fact that cancel culture heavily focuses on shaming individuals rather than allowing them to take accountability and educate themselves on how their behavior is wrong.
Cancel culture can rapidly shift from public criticism to online harassment or cyberbullying, involving various threats and hateful remarks.
An argument could be made that if someone was comfortable making comments that could lead to cancellation in the first place, they should have to reap the repercussions of whatever that may entail. However, hate to this extent could have severe consequences, such as a decline in an individual’s mental well-being or pushing them toward thoughts of self-harm.
The line between constructive criticism and relentless online hate is constantly being blurred, especially for celebrities, public figures and influencers.
I believe individuals in positions of influence or fame tend to receive more hate because we hold them to higher standards, shaped by our unrealistic perceptions of who they are, without actually knowing them personally.
Cancel culture has become so ingrained in our society, to the point where people seemingly eagerly participate in conversations surrounding cancellations, viewing it as a form of entertainment.
It has also given many individuals hesitation in expressing general opinions, as others may “cancel” them for reasons that are unwarranted and utilize the term carelessly.
For example, The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) were canceled in 2003 before the term in its modern iteration even existed. The Chicks were canceled after criticizing the actions of former President George W. Bush, by saying, “We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
This is only one of the biggest examples of cancellation, as The Chicks were blacklisted from several radio stations, received death threats and lost support from their fans and sponsorships for simply expressing their political opinions. Some argue that they were never able to achieve the success they had previously again.
I believe situations like this one serve as a strong illustration of how disagreeing with someone’s opinions or viewpoints should not necessarily call for cancellation, yet it can still occur on a significant scale.
The Chicks’ situation is extremely different from those who are canceled for saying derogatory remarks or allegations of harmful or criminal behavior, which can innately provoke legitimate reasoning for a cancellation to take place.
Morgan Wallen, for example, faced rational consequences following a video of him using racial slurs in 2021. He also encountered another wave of backlash after his arrest for public intoxication and disorderly conduct in 2020.
With that being said, The Chick’s cancellation left a lasting impact on their reputation over the course of their career, whereas Morgan Wallen’s situation was downplayed, and even praised, by his supporters, which I find unjust.
It is important to remember that error is an inherent and inevitable aspect of our experiences as humans, whether you hold status or are an ordinary citizen.
When applied appropriately, cancel culture has the potential to serve as a valuable learning opportunity for individuals, encouraging them to take accountability, grasp the societal impacts of their actions and be mindful before expressing themselves.
A constructive solution could involve holding individuals accountable and allowing them to confront the reasonable consequences of their actions, without further exacerbating the situation with excessive hatred.
While it’s impossible to control everyone’s responses to cancellations, acknowledging the harmful characteristics that can arise from cancel culture allows us to consider this solution for future use.
