commentaries
Cancel culture needs to be cancelled
COVID-19 Special Issue Volume 40, Issue 4
ILLUSTRATION BY CATHERINE ESTORIL
C Anne Nicole CARIG
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This just, all the more, goes to show that cancel culture takes effect on the people themselves and not on the mistakes that they have made. With all these said, cancel culture may just be equated to “blatant hate”, and it is not quite an effective measure to address issues of indifference.
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ancel culture is a direct attack to someone’s identity more than to the problematic, culturally inappropriate and socially immoral behavior or statement that one has committed or said. President of the Mises Institute, Jeff Deist, identified cancel culture as the “means of shutting people out of jobs, opportunities, platforms, and social setting— attempting to impoverish people, financially and otherwise.” An article from 2019 suggests that the reference of this culture is believed to have originated from the 1991 film New Jack City which had the word “cancel” directing to a person in the script, a line from a character which put forward the idea of removing a person from someone’s life owing to the violence that the person has caused. From 2014 to present, social media users have recognized it even more and made use of the term “cancel” to collectively shun and boycott people whose behaviors are perceived offensive and/or unbecoming. At length, there are a number of celebrities and influencers, both internationally and locally, who have been “cancelled” by a vast population of social media users, specifically on the Twitter platform. There is no way racism, sexism, homophobia, and other derogatory remarks would have been acceptable and it is just right that we reach out to people who have perpetrated such insensitivity and draw apology, atonement and changed actions from them. However, as time progressed, the cancel culture has suffered grave repercussions as people deliberately abused it to instigate hate on social media and worst, it even led some to exercise entitled vigilantism. In the light of mob mentality in social media, a lot of people nowadays refuse to understand an issue and its underlying factors, and eventually just side with what the vast majority thinks is correct and proper, disregarding the possibility that it could have not been the absolute truth. It does not only hinder growth and improvement but also unintentionally promote cyberbullying, online negative criticisms, and toxicity which can potentially harm the target’s mental wellbeing. Also, cancelling someone does not necessarily guarantee the downfall of the wrongdoer’s career and reputation, if that is the supposed goal of the act. This just, all the more, goes to show that cancel culture takes effect on the people themselves and not on the mistakes that they have made. With all these said, cancel culture may just be equated to “blatant hate”, and it is not quite an effective measure to address issues of indifference. To be fair, cancel culture would not have existed and further ensued had there been an effective implementation of the law to everyone. It primarily aimed to serve social justice for those deprived of it and to hold people accountable for their unbefitting conduct. We cannot deny that for some, it could have been the last trope for someone to finally speak up for the long withheld grievance. However, cancel culture does not just impose the scheme of “eliminating” as the means of “correcting” but also propagates the idea of exclusivity and casting out. There are so much more “humane” alternative ways to correct someone’s improper behavior, and one of which is to educate and let them learn what could have they possibly done or said wrong. We must also give them room to have character development, most especially when they have sincerely atoned for their past mistakes. Even the law is considerate to every punishment it serves; it gives people a chance to correct and realign their lives. Inculcating a culture that does not allow growth ruins the opportunity to shape a better and harmonious society. Above all, we must also understand that there is a bigger challenge we must solve that lies in our distorted stigma and old ideologies that push people to be indifferent or ignorant of these issues.
The Official Student Publication of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
