Why “Cancel Culture” Should Be Cancelled
Cancel Culture is a phrase primarily describing interactions on Twitter that aim to raise awareness about why a certain person or business is problematic. Conservative politicians have used this word often in efforts to display how the media has attacked them unfairly, and it has become a very common word with negative connotations towards liberals.
March 25, 2021
Cancel culture: the newest mechanism in the conservative arsenal to demonize liberals. Holding people accountable is not a new development, but it undoubtedly has changed forms in the modern digital era.
Making people address concerns about their online history, what has been deemed to be “cancel culture”, has become more violent and personal. People have been sucked into the frenzy of the digital world where accountability has in some ways morphed into a bundle of ad hominems.
However, while there are problems with the digital age, the purpose of “cancel culture” has never been to attack people personally but to recognize the mistakes of the past in order to progress. The term, which at its core has nothing to do with politics has become a quintessential word of the conservative vocabulary, and is only used to create a common sense of victimization to keep the party of thought unified.
The media and liberals have been called out for utilizing cancel culture rhetoric, when they were simply pointing out problematic issues in thought.
Just because “cancel culture” can be hurtful sometimes does not mean the idea of it or the practice of accountability should be wiped away,
For centuries, dissent and accountability have been prominent in societal discussions. History books point out contradictions in a figure’s thoughts and their actions, rhetoricians disagree with others and point out their flaws, and online culture is no different.
People who have said the N-word in their past should be held accountable, racist messaging should be taken note of.
In understanding the need for accountability, whether it be online or in live discussions, there are two key phrases to remember. The first is “history repeats itself” and the second is “the internet is forever.”
People make mistakes on the internet, but in a public forum, there needs to be accountability and discussion between what was said and the people it affected. Saying the N-word or wearing blackface should be pointed out, because both of those things are extremely hurtful to Black people.
It is therefore crucial to have outside accountability to correct the thought process of the accused, help the victims of problematic messaging feel heard, and ensure that the issue does not happen again.
Yes, “cancel culture” on twitter can get messy and mean, but the internet itself is messy and mean, and the culture of accountability has also fallen victim to that when it changed to a digital medium.
Conservatives, liberals, and everyone outside or in between those ideologies can all benefit from holding people and being held accountable on the internet, it just needs to be reformed to be a little more constructive.
All in all, the idea of accountability has not changed, and the phrase “cancel culture” should undoubtedly be cancelled from commonplace vocabulary.
