8 Signs We Don’t Understand What Cancel Culture Really Is
Feb 23, 2023 • Tim Henares
Feb 23, 2023 • Tim Henares
Are you worried about what you say or do and wondering if the online mob is going to cancel you for it? Here’s our guide to this so-called Cancel Culture and why it’s not something you should be particularly worried about.
True everywhere but especially true here in the Philippines, the fact of the matter is that no matter who the internet is mad at today, tomorrow is another day. Think of all the people we’ve talked about wanting to cancel for all sorts of things. Now, think about which of them have no career whatsoever.
Not many, right? Now, think about the few who seem to be having a downturn in their career. Was it really their being “canceled” that helped hurt their clout, or was it a change in their situation, like, say, leaving the biggest broadcast network in the entire country and joining a fledgling and struggling one?
Back in the day, black people were canceled in these gatherings called lynch mobs. In the ‘80s, parents wanted to cancel Dungeons and Dragons for being Satanic. In the ‘90s, it was Magic: The Gathering, Mortal Kombat, Pokemon, and Power Rangers, among other things.
This is the only point in history where it’s the younger ‘uns who want to cancel things, and suddenly, the older people are not enjoying the shoe being on the other foot. And that explains the pushback, really. For decades, canceling was the purview of older people. Now that younger people have access to the same thing, older people are hating getting a dose of their own medicine.
We’ve heard this recently, particularly in the debate over boycotting. Lately, that debate has been all about Hogwart’s Legacy, and regardless of where you stand on this debate, people will always vote with their wallets.
So what’s the problem there, right? Well, people are speaking up because some might not realize that in buying the game, they are sending a certain message. Now, if one is fine with that, or believes separating the art from the artist is paramount, then okay. What they need to understand is regardless of their reasons, JK Rowling gets only one message: enough people think she’s right, and it doesn’t matter if the people sending that message actually agree with her opinions or not.
And by then, being “canceled” is the least of their problems, and certainly not the reason a courtroom found them guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Until then, a few people not watching you on TV won’t hurt especially if they were never watching you to begin with – which most of them probably were.
It’s not a culture so much as it’s us finally bringing to life the lessons we were taught as kids: there are consequences to our actions. If anything, it’s now a culture where there ought to be consequences to ill behavior: legal, social, and financial. That’s what the movement is aiming for, but clearly, the consequences have yet to be felt, because a lot of people who politicize cancel culture end up enabling these people.
Here’s an example: how many of us would willingly support an alleged pedophile? Now, how many of us would support said person if he supports the guy we’re voting for?
Everyone makes mistakes, and if you think one mistake will get you canceled, then you don’t understand how the internet works.
Not only are you likely to not get canceled over just one mistake (unless it’s one that lands you in prison, which means go back and re-read #5), but it’s so easy to apologize for it if you really didn’t mean to do it – especially if you learn from the experience and not repeat it again. But if you double down on it, by say, doing it every single time you have a birthday celebration or something, then yeah, it becomes pretty clear that you’re just asking for it now.
Yes, people say the internet never forgets, but the only reason people dig up dirt on anyone is because they’re generally doing something again. Look at James Gunn for a primary example: he made some regrettable mistakes so many years ago, and while conservatives (for a change) tried to get him canceled for it, what instead happened is that he not only ended up going back to Marvel, he’s now about to reshape DC after he’s done with that stint. Anyone who says that people never get a second chance on the internet is lying through their teeth, because the reality is, these people probably didn’t even change, unlike James Gunn, who clearly did.
Seriously. You don’t want to get canceled? There. That’s the secret. Don’t. Be. A. D!ck.
Now, if that’s too hard to do, then it shouldn’t shock you when you get pushback for doing what you do.And the fact that you can keep doing it? Only goes to show that not only do you refuse to learn, you even pretty much show how useless cancel culture really is, because you’re clearly not dealing with any consequences for your actions.
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