The world has been taught one important rule in today’s society—The Golden Rule.
“Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
Unfortunately, cancel culture has become more relevant in society. No one is safe, as it even targets people who do not deserve it.
There are many problems that come with cancel culture, but the biggest problem is that it promotes intolerance in democratic societies that leads to a person being systematically excluded from a group, just because they happen to disagree with someone else’s views.
In a pro-con article for Britannica Pro-Con.org, former President of the United States Donald Trump stated in a speech on July 4, 2020, “One of (the left’s) political weapons is ‘cancel culture’ — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees.”
There is a difference between holding someone accountable for their actions or disagreeing with the choices they have made and canceling someone because you do not agree with their choices or views.
For example, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 2022. Many people condemned his actions, while some praised him.
Last Friday, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences decided that Smith would not be allowed to go to the Oscars for the next 10 years.
Would you consider a 10-year ban from participating in the Oscars the appropriate call to action for one slap, or would you consider it to be uncalled for?
Cancel culture is something where there are consequences that come with it.
A blog reviewed by Jessica Schrader for Psychology Today explained a darker side of cancel culture with this statement, “Cancel culture is undeniably toxic when it involves criminal threats, invasion of privacy (doxxing), or driving a person to suicide.”
If this statement doesn’t scare you, then recall this situation and see if it does: Television presenter Caroline Flack died of suicide on Feb. 15, 2020, after learning she would be prosecuted for assaulting her boyfriend as well as going under fire for the poor decisions she made.
This is how bad cancel culture can affect a person’s life. Not only can it cause the victim to lose their entire career, but their life could potentially be destroyed because of it.
You can disagree with someone else’s opinion and views as much as you wish, but please stop bringing cancel culture into every situation where it’s unnecessary or not needed.
