OPINION
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Cancel Cancel Culture This behavior creates a toxic, cut-throat environment and results in unnecessary hostility. BY JENNA BARACKMAN MANAGING WEB EDITOR
Kevin Hart is canceled. R. Kelly is canceled. Justin Bieber is canceled. Shawn Mendes is canceled. These days, it doesn’t take much for fans to turn against celebrities. Whether the mistake has been rehashed from decades ago or is recent, the ridiculous and pompous “cancel culture” ruins the lives and careers of celebrities and regular people alike. Cancel culture is a form of boycott in which someone, usually a celebrity, is called out publicly for previous actions, such as old, offensive tweets, videos or jokes. In this light, cancel culture seems almost beneficial in the fact that it forces celebrities to acknowledge past mistakes. And it definitely does have advantages. However, in most cases, cancel culture is a manifestation of “woke” culture, where people think they are better than others because they are more politically correct. Those “exposed” by cancel culture suffer devastating effects. Cancel culture is used to raise those who are “socially just” on a faux pedestal for calling others out. It also creates competition on who can be more politically correct, greatly increasing hostility on social media. The movie ”Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” released in 2006, was a box office hit that scored a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with positive reviews from both audiences and critics. The Guardian, in their review in 2006, categorized
the jokes as “very close to being offensive.” Now, the movie is regarded as one of the most offensive movies of all time due to racial, nationalistic and religious stereotypes of Kazakh people. Years ago, the phrase “that’s gay,” though regarded as highly offensive now, was used daily without repercussions. The realization that these remarks are offensive is good, but holding people’s actions in the past to the standards of the present is unrealistic and wrong. Because the standards of what is offensive have changed so much, people should not be held to those same standards when determining who is “canceled.” No one should be fired for posts on social media from years ago. Hart was forced to step down from hosting the 2019 Oscars after being bombarded with hate when slightly homophobic tweets from 10 years ago resurfaced. Hosting the Oscars is an honor that should not have to be taken away for mistakes over a decade ago. Comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres came under fire for sitting next to and laughing with former President George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys’ game. DeGeneres responded that she is friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that she has. Many people in DeGeneres’s situation would have just apologized and kept their head down, but she did the right thing and stood up in the best way against the toxic cancel culture. Although celebrities should not be immediately forgiven for past mistakes, it’s important to keep in mind the differences in social standards between a decade ago. Mendes was canceled for tweets posted when he was only 13 years old. At the age of 13, all people go through a stage of immaturity. However, when Mendes was 13 it was socially acceptable to post immature comments online. Entire careers should not be
dictated by the decisions and thoughts of our 13-year-old selves, as this would create problems beyond just those in the spotlight. Similarly, a video of 14-year-old Bieber singing racial slurs to the tune of “One Less Lonely Girl” resurfaced. It’s horrifying to watch, but Bieber, now 26 years old, should not be bound to that mistake forever. Celebrities are not the only ones affected by this phenomenon. Losing a job as a regular person as opposed to a celebrity, who is likely a multimillionaire, is vastly different. Heather Lowrey was not only fired from both of her jobs at Va Va Vixens burlesque group and American Income Life Travis Moody Agency, but the Secret Service launched a full investigation into Lowrey for tweeting “If someone was cruel enough to assassinate MLK, maybe someone will be kind enough to assassinate Trump #bekind #trump #lovetrumpshate.” The tweet was obviously satirical, but Lowrey’s life is unfairly ruined because of it. Cancel culture has, however, produced some good movements, such as #MuteRKelly, a campaign that sought to end financial support for Kelly’s career after 18 allegations of child pornography, kidnapping, sexual assault and other crimes against underage girls. The #MeToo movement was perhaps the most successful example of cancel culture because many celebrities were finally called out about sexual harassment and assault that had previously gone unnoticed. However, these are rare examples of cancel culture, which usually consists of people called out for petty Tweets or videos from a different point in political correctness. In general, cancel culture is toxic. Though there are a few positive examples, cancel culture is a stain on modern society and encourages hostility.
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10 LE JOURNAL
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