Cancel culture: a social climate in which a person, organization, etc is likely to be ostracized in response to a perceived wrongdoing – Collins Dictionary
Recently cancel culture has become all the rage in society. When incumbent Teen Vogue Editor-In-Chief Alexi McCammond resigned from her post before even starting the job, it got me thinking, is cancel culture a good thing?
Let’s rewind. First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge that cancel culture was born from a need to acknowledge racial and societal inequalities in society. From sexism, to injustice to marginalization, a societal implosion was brewing. Cancel culture has called out some deeply problematic and damaging behavior in our society. The #MeToo movement bought to light the sexual harassment that women had suffered at the hands of privileged men, but were too ashamed and embarrassed to bring it to light. As a result of this movement, men like Harvey Weinstein, who were able to dodge lawsuits and sexual abuse cases for decades, were finally brought to justice. Back in 2016 Will and Jada Pinkett Smith faced massive backlash for their outrage of #OscarsSoWhite (all the actors nominated that year for lead and supporting roles were white). However, their boycotting the Oscars resulted in real social change whereby in 2019 the Oscars had a record-breaking number of wins for black actors.
Social media has provided an open platform for companies and individuals alike to express their outrage over hurtful behavior. Celebrities haven’t been spared, television host and comedian, Ellen DeGeneres, was cancelled for being a bully. Allegations ranged from bad fan encounters, firing someone for looking her in the eye and playing favorites with where she extended a helping hand, down to executive producers of her show being racist and committing sexual misconduct.
The fashion world has not escaped unscathed either. Instagram account Diet Prada called out Dolce & Gabbana over their controversial # campaign. The campaign’s patronizing take on Chinese culture, followed by subsequent derogatory DMs written by co-founder Stefano Gabbana responding to critics (which Diet Prada circulated in full) resulted in massive losses for the fashion house. The #BoycottDolceAndGabbana campaign gained support from the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Miley Cyrus. Shortly after the screenshots were posted, D&G was forced to cancel its runway show in Shanghai as local celebrities and models refused to attend and local retailers banned D&G products from their platforms. Cancel culture has infiltrated the very fabric of our society, allowing for a shift in power dynamics. Tweet by tweet people of color, women, and other marginalized minorities are getting closer to taking a seat at the power table alongside the traditional pale, male, stale occupants.
Unfortunately, cancel culture isn’t black and white in nature. It assumes a belief that you are no better than your worst moment, no matter how young you were when you transgressed, even if it was an isolated incident. So, is there room for redemption in cancel culture? This takes me back to my initial thoughts about Alexi McCammond’s resignation from Teen Vogue. A Black, scholarship winning, political reporter who was chosen to lead the team but forced to resign owing to her anti-Asian and homophobic tweets which she had clearly typed out in angst as a teenager (in the US a 17 year old is called a ‘minor’). Before you go ahead and cancel me for even thinking of using her as an example, please note that I find her past (now deleted) tweets despicable and disrespectful, even as a person of colour, racism toward people of another race is still racism. But a 17 year old brain is still developing. Let those who are without sin and have no regrets about anything they ever said or did cast the first stone. “I should not have tweeted what I did and I have taken full responsibility for that,” she said in a statement posted on social media. “I look at my work and growth in the years since, and have redoubled my commitment to growing in the years to come as both a person and as a professional.”
Maybe if she had stayed on as Editor-In-Chief she could have drawn upon her own shortcomings in the past and used the platform as a place to navigate change. This is my issue with cancel culture, the zealously punitive stance which leaves no room for apology, forgiveness, due process or redemption. Critical thinking and due diligence are key before we effectively – in internet parlance – ‘cancel’ someone. A few months back British actress and activist Jameela Jamil tweeted “Nobody is born perfectly ‘woke.’”, cementing my belief that as individuals we are in a constant path of learning and discovery. In our collective drive towards creating a more equal world we need to acknowledge that mistakes are inevitable. It is turning these mistakes into impactful conversations and actionable change that matters. Currently, we are at a crossroads where many people are afraid to say or ask the wrong thing, in a bid to avoid being called out and as a way of self-preservation. Are we at risk of discouraging individuals who are willing to learn and have a desire to be an ally to marginalized communities? Causing alienation and shame is instantaneous in this modern era where moral outrage takes 30 second to be posted on social media platforms. Cancel culture turns us, the public into the judge therefore we need to be very careful before we effectively ‘cancel’ someone. A deep dive into the potential media manipulation and reading beyond the headlines is essential.
When I was a child my mother used to say she has eyes everywhere in a bid to keep me well behaved and on the straight and narrow as a teenager. In hindsight, she was teaching me a very important lesson - Accountability. Maybe this is what society needs more of. If we breed a culture of justice and accountability, perhaps we can elevate the potential toxicity that cancel culture can lead to and start to navigate a changing world in a more compassionate manner.
Comments