'Cancel Culture': a twenty-first century social media phenomenon seeking the mass boycott of public figures or companies following "objectionable or offensive" actions (Dictionary.com). Born on and popularised by Black Twitter in the mid-2010s, 'Cancel Culture' aims to hold those in positions of power accountable for their misdemeanours - predominantly acts of discrimination and racism - by taking away their public platform. In lieu of recent events, what with some of YouTube's largest creators having some rather questionable remarks dug up and laid bare for all to see, I thought now would be a more pertinent time than ever before to ask ourselves just how effective 'Cancel Culture' is.
Nobody expressed my feelings towards 'Cancel Culture' better than Barack Obama; speaking at the Obama Foundation Summit late last year, the former President of The United States joked: "If I tweet or hashtag about how you didn't do something right or used the wrong verb, then I can sit back and feel pretty good about myself because man, you see how woke I was? I called you out." While it is something which we perhaps would not like to admit to ourselves, the act of 'cancelling' a person or a company is truly nothing but performative; that is to say, a form of activism that one participates in primarily for their own benefit, to gain social capital rather than to achieve change. By way of example, we need not look further than last year's 'dramageddon' involving YouTubers Tati, James Charles and Jeffree Star; was it the allegations of inappropriate behaviour that led James Charles to lose over 3 million subscribers or were people simply jumping on the bandwagon in a 'mob mentality' to feel as if they were doing good?
Leading on from the above point, it ought to be pointed out that, in our digital world of today, we are beginning to take more and more information at face value, often forgetting to question its validity and the intentions of those distributing it. Using the above example of James Charles, it's somewhat terrifying to think about just how many people rushed to rebuke him having not even heard his part of the puzzle. The internet may forgive, but it certainly does not forget and James will most likely always carry a tarnished reputation from the accusations that have been made against him.
Despite these allegations, however, James Charles is among those who have been able to bounce back from the repercussions of 'Cancel Culture'. You see, another problematic trait of 'Cancel Culture' is that it has become heavily biased, meaning that some groups are affected disproportionately by the consequences brought on. When YouTuber Jaclyn Hill released a series of lipsticks that were found to be contaminated with hairs and metal shards, Twitter went into what can only be described as a meltdown. Months later, YouTuber Jeffree Star came out with contaminated eyeshadow palettes and there was but a word spoken on the internet. Sure, it was not one and not two factors that likely influenced the public outcry - or lack thereof - but one simply cannot deny that gender was inadvertently among them.
Speaking of public outcry, let us quickly return to the notion of the 'mob mentality' that I have mentioned above. Another major gripe that I have with 'Cancel Culture' is that it simply does not allow for growth; it is not so much about holding people accountable for their actions and helping them to learn from it as it is hounding and perpetually punishing them. Let's not get the wrong end of the stick here, I am most certainly of the belief that people should be 'called out' for their troublesome behaviour so as to not to normalise or encourage it among their (more often than not young) audience. That being said, it is not going to be ganging up on somebody that is going to encourage them to reflect on their actions; after all, it is only human instinct to respond with hostility and defensiveness when we believe that we are being attacked.
I do, however, sometimes ponder as to whether or not it's my place to tell how we should and should not confront people about their mistakes. What are your views on 'Cancel Culture'? In some cases, I do believe that it has led to a positive change - but unfortunately, from what I can see, these simply aren't in the majority.
Leading on from the above point, it ought to be pointed out that, in our digital world of today, we are beginning to take more and more information at face value, often forgetting to question its validity and the intentions of those distributing it. Using the above example of James Charles, it's somewhat terrifying to think about just how many people rushed to rebuke him having not even heard his part of the puzzle. The internet may forgive, but it certainly does not forget and James will most likely always carry a tarnished reputation from the accusations that have been made against him.
Despite these allegations, however, James Charles is among those who have been able to bounce back from the repercussions of 'Cancel Culture'. You see, another problematic trait of 'Cancel Culture' is that it has become heavily biased, meaning that some groups are affected disproportionately by the consequences brought on. When YouTuber Jaclyn Hill released a series of lipsticks that were found to be contaminated with hairs and metal shards, Twitter went into what can only be described as a meltdown. Months later, YouTuber Jeffree Star came out with contaminated eyeshadow palettes and there was but a word spoken on the internet. Sure, it was not one and not two factors that likely influenced the public outcry - or lack thereof - but one simply cannot deny that gender was inadvertently among them.
Speaking of public outcry, let us quickly return to the notion of the 'mob mentality' that I have mentioned above. Another major gripe that I have with 'Cancel Culture' is that it simply does not allow for growth; it is not so much about holding people accountable for their actions and helping them to learn from it as it is hounding and perpetually punishing them. Let's not get the wrong end of the stick here, I am most certainly of the belief that people should be 'called out' for their troublesome behaviour so as to not to normalise or encourage it among their (more often than not young) audience. That being said, it is not going to be ganging up on somebody that is going to encourage them to reflect on their actions; after all, it is only human instinct to respond with hostility and defensiveness when we believe that we are being attacked.
I do, however, sometimes ponder as to whether or not it's my place to tell how we should and should not confront people about their mistakes. What are your views on 'Cancel Culture'? In some cases, I do believe that it has led to a positive change - but unfortunately, from what I can see, these simply aren't in the majority.