A lot of folks complain about “Cancel Culture” without really knowing what it means and why it’s a big deal.
Cancel Culture is defined as the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.
The phrase itself became mainstream in 2017 while toting itself as a cultural boycott of a certain celebrity, brand, company, or concept.
Notable celebrities canceled included Harvey Weinstein, J.K Rowling, Bill Cosby, Gina Carano, Piers Morgan, Marilyn Manson, and so forth before becoming politically charged.
A growing number of people claim that cancel culture harms more overall than seemingly holding entities accountable for their behaviors.
Now, I sort of agree with that assessment depending on how famous said person or company appears to be.
But, I also have a problem with the timetable of said offensive acts.
If someone expresses a controversial opinion over five years ago, but shows growth and takes accountability for their actions – then I don’t find it fair to cancel them.
However, if that person or company’s action has a long-standing history of violating another individual’s Constitution-protected rights then I’m all game for shutting them down and making them pay for it.
The hardest part though is drawing the line on where we define it as being acceptable and not.
Protected rights should be universal and include race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, and genetic information – not just to be protected from employment consideration.
When one of those – or multiples of those rights is violated and someone comes under harm – then we should totally engage in shunning and shutting down those abusers.
Businesses and private entities should pay restitution to those victims with proper evidence and due process.
If they settle out of court, then that’s their prerogative.
However, everyone should be on their toes and do their utmost best to be compassionate and kind to others.
I’m a firm believer that the world would just be a better place if we all stopped to think a little longer before speaking.
Considering what someone else might be going through in their life and trying not to speak from an emotional standpoint could save us all a lot of confusion and problems.
That being said, you should consider what gossip and rumors do to a person’s life, too.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and a variety of other social media platforms don’t have to share the truth of a matter.
The burden of proof is on content creators, posters, and people to seek that out for themselves.
Though, you can count on die-hard news outlets to seek out the root of things. Sadly, folks tell me often that they don’t read the newspaper anymore and can find all their “news” on Facebook.
Sure, you can be spoon-fed state and national news, but, if it’s from an unreliable source then what’s the point?
Local news is in the hands of local newspapers and any media outlet worth its salt will dispel rumors and gossip.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen a very active rumor mill as of late.
I just have to remind people to keep in mind that employee/employer disputes are private matters and not public knowledge without the discretion of both parties.
More often than not, those disputes are settled without ever having to see the inside of a courtroom.
However, when the rare case is made public and we know about it – we’ll let you know the facts.
