You’ve Been Canceled!

You probably have heard it a lot in the last couple of years about the “Canceled Culture” what is it?

The Merriam-Webster says “The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary” so has the Canceled Culture been canceled? So back to the internet and the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as,

a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you:

The main argument against cancel culture is that it doesn’t enable people who have wronged society the opportunity to apologize and learn from their mistakes.

If you are an Internet user, chances are you have come across the idea that we live in a "cancel culture" or "call out culture."

Okay I will use that definition, so we canceled J.K. Rowlings because of what she says about trans people.

The year in cancel culture (yes, it’s still a thing)
From Chrissy Teigen to Chris Pratt to J.K. Rowling, social-media mobs came for these celebrities in 2021
Desert News
By Jennifer Graham
January 1, 2022


Last January, actor Bryan Cranston took to Twitter, saying that his wish for 2021 was for cancel culture to end.

“I think we’re unfortunately in a coarser environment,” said Cranston, best known for playing Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” “I think our societies have become harder and less understanding, less tolerant, less forgiving. My question for today is, where does forgiveness live in our society?”

Okay what are some other synonyms for “Canceled Culture?”

Well “uppity” comes to mind, back to Merriam-Webster;

2 somewhat old-fashioned, disparaging + sometimes offensive, see usage paragraph below : aspiring to a rank or position higher than one deserves or is entitled to

So when someone wants a statue of Robert E. Lee taking down the right-wing says it is “Canceled Culture” while those who were oppressed see it as a symbol and a constant reminder of their slavery and oppression.

Pew Research did a poll on the “Canceled Culture.”

Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment
BY EMILY A. VOGELS, MONICA ANDERSON, MARGARET PORTEUS, CHRIS BARONAVSKI, SARA ATSKE, COLLEEN MCCLAIN, BROOKE AUXIER, ANDREW PERRIN AND MEERA RAMSHANKAR
May 19, 2021

People have challenged each other’s views for much of human history. But the internet – particularly social media – has changed how, when and where these kinds of interactions occur. The number of people who can go online and call out others for their behavior or words is immense, and it’s never been easier to summon groups to join the public fray.

The phrase “cancel culture” is said to have originated from a relatively obscure slang term – “cancel,” referring to breaking up with someone – used in a 1980s song. This term was then referenced in film and television and later evolved and gained traction on social media. Over the past several years, cancel culture has become a deeply contested idea in the nation’s political discourse. There are plenty of debates over what it is and what it means, including whether it’s a way to hold people accountable, or a tactic to punish others unjustly, or a mix of both. And some argue that cancel culture doesn’t even exist.

Does calling people out on social media represent accountability or unjust punishment?

So how you view “Canceled Culture” depends upon whether you a conservative or a liberal. Conservatives see it as something bad while liberals see it as speaking up to injustice.

Back to J.K. Rowlings, she denies our right to exists, should we remain quite? And bow down to her and beg forgiveness? Or should we speak up against her and call her out for what she is, a bigot?

As the James Baldwin famous quote said, “We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”

The conservatives see it as “Canceled Culture” while we see it as “Speaking truth to power.”