If you’ve ventured onto Twitter in the past few months, you’ve most probably come across a tweet by someone “cancelling” another human for sharing an “offensive” statement on a public platform. The second half of the last decade has seen the concept of “cancel culture” snowball its way into mankind because a fluid set of the world’s population has decided to take it upon themselves to “cancel” or “call out” any human right from musicians to politicians or comedians for every wrong they’ve committed.
Extremely progressive social media deed fuels a public backlash, followed by the calls to cancel the particular human i.e. to end their career usually by boycotting their work, concerts or films etc. So, what’s your take? Is cancel culture the long-overdue solution of bringing social justice, or is it a mob mentality? Is the concept of cancelling effective? Will it be impactful enough to deter bad behaviour and bring about a change?
These questions have filled the air of many conversations in recent times, it’s become essential for humans to realise that the goal of cancelling someone isn’t to ensure he loses his career, status and livelihoods; instead, it’s about establishing new social and ethical norms. The truth today slightly differs, people not only draw conclusions but also voice their social media handles instantly; this culture has blown out of proportion. Admittedly, if a famous personality were to make a homophobic, racist, discriminatory, or racial statement, there’s no excuse, and a badge of shame should be warranted. However, the more vocal group dictates what’s right or wrong instead of a majority agreement of people raising their voice. This unofficial system of boycotting celebrities/public figures has over the years bred toxicity amongst people, and intolerance against people whose opinions diverge from the group norms.
Although it’s quite understandable why millennials are extra-motivated to hold them accountable for their deeds and words since they have millions of followers and one such message of theirs could have a profound impact on millions of people. Conversely, society needs to get past the cultural divide and its lack of civility with the help of open communication; moral values are equally important for a free society. It’s time we cancel this cancel culture. It’s time we treat people with grace instead of opportunistic cruelty. It’s time we believe in the existence of every individual’s private life, their opinions, good or bad, and if they make a mistake – we try and correct them positively. It’s time we worry about the consequences of this culture because what it portrays about the current state of mankind’s heart is extremely shameful.
