should we cancel cancel culture? SARAH WATERS AND AZARIA JONES
Pro’s
Trends are some of the defining features of a year or era- the mullets and ripped jeans of the 1980s, the boo-yah saying and Tamagotchis of the 1990s and even the cha-cha slide of the early 2000s. Each of these trends may either be remembered with fondness or horror -often depending on what side of history you’re on- but now there seems to be a new, more political trend emerging within today’s era- “Cancel Culture”. This trend, like most, is also either loved or hated- but often for more complex reasons than the simple personal preference of earlier trends; instead often requiring the assessment of one’s own moral compass in reference to a specific community’s opinion. Cancel Culture involves a group of people, or even a singular person, “exposing” a person of fame or importance who has previously committed acts deemed immoral or inappropriate by a sizable group of people. This creates an environment of peer pressure, which often forces the person to apologise, lose support, or even lose their job over the alleged claims. This has been helpful in a number of cases, such as the most commonly mentioned case of cancel culture; the Jeffry Epstein case. In examples of alleged sexual assault, celebrities/influencers such as J.K Rowling and Bari Weiss were ‘under fire’ due to discriminatory opinions. These cases can be seen in a positive light, where many of the people’s supporters are able to see the person’s values and whether they align with their own, making it easier for people to see who to support and agree with. It also enables the general community to be able to observe and even partake in acts of justice as they see fit, or even simply be aware of the issue as a whole directly from other members of the community, rather than filtered by sources such as the media or the celebrity themselves. The other benefit of this method includes the community’s ability to hold a person accountable, rather than depending on a few key people to judge for them. This way, people can use their power of the majority to change the world to what they would rather see- often attempting to further free it from obvious negative behaviour such as racism, sexism, or homophobia, and to hopefully promote a more morally just community. We have all seen cases of people who simply should not be in a position of power or influence, and cancel culture can be a way to ensure that they are punished and have their power taken away. Once deemed ‘America’s father’, Bill Cosby was a man whose work could be seen flashing across the screens of most TV’s in the 80s and 90s. He held significant power and influence but was later accused of sex offences. While this was originally overlooked in 2004, 10 years later, more people came forward, detailing what had happened between them and Cosby. Cancel culture worked in this instance to charge and ‘cancel’ a man who once held power and was considered ‘good’- by everyone except his victims. 012
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