These days, people are getting “canceled” for things they said or did in the past. But what exactly is cancel culture, and is it all it’s cracked up to be?
Cancel culture boils down to folks coming together online to shame someone for something they messed up. It’s like a public call-out, hoping to hold powerful people accountable. Maybe a celebrity makes a rude remark, or an athlete gets caught doing something wrong. Suddenly, everyone’s talking about it online, and there are calls to boycott them or take away their awards.
Take Will Smith, for example. Remember the infamous Oscars slap? Everyone was talking about it, and Hollywood tried to cancel him. He owned up to his actions and even apologized to the people he hurt, but folks online wouldn’t let it go. Hollywood (among other critics) tried to cancel him. That was until his latest movie, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” had major success at the box office, earning $56 million domestically and $46.6 million internationally in the first three days.
How about Chris Brown? He was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats in his attack on his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. He was given five years of supervised probation and six months of community labor. He also publicly apologized back then, and people still crucify him today.
On the surface, this might seem like a good thing. Finally, rich and famous folks can’t get away with stuff anymore, right? We’ve all heard stories about stars who seem to get away with anything. I mean, look at what happened to Diddy and his downfall with the surveillance footage of his assault on then-ex-girlfriend singer Cassidy. His “money, power, and respect” were his safeguards for years until recently.
Cancel culture ain’t perfect. Sometimes, things get blown way out of proportion. A comedian might tell a joke that lands wrong, and suddenly, their whole career is on the line. There’s no room for folks to apologize and learn from their mistakes. It’s like a one-strike rule, and that ain’t fair.
What’s more, cancel culture often targets celebrities, who often have the resources to weather the storm. They can issue a fancy apology written by a team of lawyers and move on. But regular folks? They might lose their job or get run out of town for something they did years ago. Isn’t it messed up?
The bigger problem is that cancel culture might make folks afraid to speak their minds. We all mess up sometimes, but if we’re worried about being canceled for every little thing, then how can we have real conversations about important issues?
Instead of just trying to shut people down, we should look for ways to help them learn and grow.
A sincere apology and a willingness to make things right can go a long way.
Cancel culture might seem powerful, but it isn’t the answer on its own, at least not always anyway. We need to find a way to hold people accountable and give them a chance to make things right. This is just me thinking out loud. Don’t go canceling me, okay?
