TWO VIEWS: Should cancel culture be canceled?

As public figures are held accountable for their past actions by soc or not cancel culture actually brings more harm than good

YES

COMMENTARY BY CRISTEL CANTARERO, STAFF WRITER

Hate does not cancel out hate. Whether it is the Hype House or other social media influencers, cancel culture does not allow the opportunity to make mistakes.

Originally, the idea of cancel culture intended to shed light on serious issues that public figures were involved in. Now, the endless amount of backlash has evolved into a culture that lacks room for personal growth and causes people to develop serious mental health issues.

Psychology researchers for adolescent health, Mitch van Geel and Paul Vedder studied the relationship between peer victimization, cyber-bullying and suicide in adolescents. They found that cyberbullying had a stronger link to suicidal ideation than other forms of bullying, having a deeper effect on people’s mental health. Cancel culture multiplies this effect significantly because of the thousands of people that send death threats and humiliate others.

Taylor Swift was one of the first victims of cancel culture. In 2016, Kanye West’s provocative lyrics about Taylor Swift resulted in a public uproar. Her attempts to defend herself were a failure, as even Kim Kardashian went to the media and portrayed her as a liar. The hashtag “#TaylorSwiftisCanceled” trended on Twitter that same day and the results of the 2016 drama had lasting effects for years. Swift received an excessive amount of hate, backlash and death threats for something that was later proven to be false.

The main purpose is to harass people for their mistakes instead of allowing them to change. For example, 33-year-old Youtuber Jenna Marbles recently announced she was leaving her largest platform due to all the hate she was receiving. She was canceled because of videos that resurfaced from 2011 and 2012, where she shamed women, impersonated Nicki Minaj by doing black face and sang along to a song that made fun of how Asians speak. In the Youtube video where she announced her break, she said she wanted to make sure she was not putting out content that could be offensive to anyone. Marbles has apologized relentlessly and has even showed support for the Black Lives Matter Movement.

However, many people ignored the changes she has made as a person and continue to send her hateful messages about mistakes she has made in the past.

When [celebrities] get canceled and their whole reputation is tarnished, it does take a negative toll on their mental health,” junior Ingrid Moises said. “If they want to do future projects they know no matter how good it turns out they will be hated on, no matter what.

Further, when a public figure gets “canceled,” trolls attack all professional and personal endeavors. Any albums or projects released are undoubtably boycotted. People cannot show any kind of support for the artist or business or else they are considered part of the problem. The Internet hypocritically pushes the limits on what is acceptable and holds no remorse for its venomous actions, creating a false reality where people think they are justified in trying to serve justice to every problem in the world.

Cancel culture alters people’s freedom of speech. While allowing people to give their opinions on celebrities more freely, no longer be as open as they used to, out of fear of being “canceled.”

Former U.S. President Barack Obama even discussed the toxicity of cancel culture at the 2019 Obama Foundation Summit, stating that even the best people have flaws, not everyone always knows about issues going on and people participating in cancel culture won’t get far in life.

Ultimately, everyone has flaws, even the people who do the most good. Cancel culture makes public figures the face of brutal judgement for every image, every video and every podcast that they share, leading to detrimental effects on their mental and psychological well-being.

NO

COMMENTARY BY ALEXA OROZCO, STAFF WRITER

Myth: Cancel culture is unforgivingly ruining the lives of moguls and companies over their past actions. This online boycott that originated as a trending hashtag on Twitter, places emphasis on ideas of justice, clarity and fairness. The movement’s intentions are sometimes deemed as “slander” towards influencers and big-name companies, yet the entire focus of the motion is to nurture a culture of accountability, where everyone is socially responsible for being aware of the implications of what they post.

More than anything, cancel culture shows people the truth as well as the motives behind a public figure’s actions. True colors are revealed, wigs are snatched and the internet breaks once again. Often, it is abuse of power, insensitivity and lack of mindfulness that are revealed, all giving reasons to why cancel culture is a positive facet for society.

Earlier this year, YouTuber Shane Dawson came face-to-face with this dilemma when fellow YouTuber Tatiana Westbrook accused him of plotting to “cancel” make-up artist and YouTuber James Charles and manipulating her to spread lies against him as well. Shane Dawson spread false accusations about James Charles being a sexual predator and as a result, Charles lost two million subcribers. When a public figure like Dawson has the motive to harm the reputation of others, they misuse their power and influence for revenge. Dawson’s inevitable “cancel” was only due to his malicious intent and by being exposed, the public can see him for who he truly is.

Public figures with god complexes live with no concern for how their words or actions affect others. The toxicity of Dawson’s intentions is why cancel culture does well for our society, making public figures truly think before they act, knowing that in the same way they became easily loved by many, they could just as easily lose it all. Many times in the past, public figures have said or done faulty things without facing any consequences. Cancel culture ensures everyone is treated equally, regardless of social status.

[Public figures] should see what they did was wrong and either try to improve it after apologizing or take what they did and learn from it, junior Katerina Hernandez said.

Cancel culture also gets the ball rolling for important conversations that do not get much attention. Since the act of ‘canceling’ is directed towards public figures, then people will inevitably pay attention and learn about those sometimes taboo topics too. For example, in 2001, Jimmy Fallon did a blackface impersonation of an African- American actor, Chris Rock, on Saturday Night Live.

Given the recent national call for the reform of Black rights, an act of carelessness resurfacing is enough to ‘cancel’ the individual and rightfully so. Mimicking other races, based on cultural bias and stereotypes, for the humor of it is unacceptable. If actions similar to these are never brought to light, the conversation would not be discussed and racist jokes like Fallon’s would continue to circulate online without discussion of the insensitivity.

“Continuing to support a person who does offensive things is not okay,” junior Kevin Pedraja said.

Cancel culture promotes the idea of “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it!” This may lead others to the misconception that cancel culture interferes with an individual’s freedom of speech. Cancel culture in fact does the opposite. By bringing up past statements or posts by influencers or companies, it showcases the negativity that once surrounded these influencers. It offers a sense of transparency between the audience and the celebrity. It—at its core— gives the world an opportunity to see people for who they are.

“[Celebrities] don’t realize that the things they do have an influence on everyone watching or reading, especially children,” senior Jada Garcia said. “Some famous people decide that they can just say something offensive in a video or tweet just because they have a higher social status.”

It is no surprise cancel culture is wrongly mistaken as cyberbullying because some people may not be given a second chance. But more than enough times, the canceling is valid and people are deserving of it. People who claim they could not grow due to cancel culture, simply choose not to as it simply addresses harm that was done, so we can all do better in the near future.