To Cancel or Not to Cancel?

Yes, it seems this is the main question we ask ourselves when we consider the social standing of noteworthy individuals in our society. The problem is, whether or not to 'cancel' someone means a different thing to everyone. You and I, we each have a different background shaped by our upbringing, gender, skin colour, race and everything else that fuels our personal identity. Not one person is the same, which is why we need to consult a larger number of people to define whether or not it is reasonable to cancel someone.

In September 2020, the Pew Research Centre surveyed 10,093 Americans on the topic of cancel culture and its meaning.

Photo: Markus Winkler, Unsplash

In the survey, they found there was a clear affiliation with how one may identify politically and what they believe cancel culture is. It is clear that in the land of the free, there are a few ways in which cancel culture is identified, including: "people canceling anyone they disagree with, consequences for those who have been challenged, an attack on traditional American values, [or[ a way to call out issues like racism or sexism, or a misrepresentation of people’s actions." (Pew Research Centre, 2020).

Undoubtedly, the two main arguments, at least where social media is concerned, is 'cancelling' someone can hold them accountable for past and present actions and on the other side, possibly unjustly punish those who do not deserve to be called out.

What the Internet says

In light of accountability versus punishment, it is important to consider what has been said by the experts, as well as the online community. You see, it must be said there is an important distinction between an opinion we disagree with, and what a society may consider morally wrong to post online. This grey, area, we define as wrong tends to be in connection with being racist, homophobic, etc, says Marie-Claire Chappet, (Glamour, 2022).

Perhaps upon this one, the internet could put their pitchforks away, and agree to disagree. After all, there is always going to be controversy online; it is inevitable. If we consider current controversial figures, one certainly comes to my mind: Andrew Tate. If you are unfamiliar with him - (lucky you!) - , Andrew Tate is an American former kickboxer, whose outlandish opinions have flooded TikTok recently. A quick search of his name on the app brings up a flood of videos of him ranting about women and their behaviour, as well as other blatant sexist and misogynistic comments.

As that is how I interpret his words, we must consider someone else may not. You only have search his name to unlock large discourse of disgruntled females versus his fanbase - mostly of men - who agree with these views, or at least a portion of what he has to say. In light of Andrew Tate, there is a point to be made here: that without opposing views, there would be no room for debate, or any kind of discourse/ discussion on how society should behave as a collective.

On the opposing side, some believe that censorship has been enabled by cancel culture, and as a result, many voices are being silenced and suppressed on either side of the political spectrum. Pippa Noris (2021), points out that some right-wing activists and media personalities have attacked the views and behaviours of liberal figures like Barack Obama, and Hilary Clinton, in the same way liberal activists and online users have trolled conservative commentators like Piers Morgan for his views on Meghan Markle.

To conclude, there is certainly no way to tell if someone is one hundred percent worth cancelling or not. What you may view to be politically incorrect or even out of the scope of a reasonable viewpoint depends on lots of things we have discussed in this post.

You need to be your biggest advocate when it comes to what you see online. Keeping your mind open and listen to others.