What once used to be a social tool to topple the empire of corrupt public figures, is now a toxic cesspool of entitlement and unnecessary online backlash over the most ridiculous reasons.
Cancel culture is a spectacle where a person in a position of some sort of power or influence is accused of questionable acts and are called to be punished by the mass media.
According to Urban Dictionary, cancel culture “is caused by a critical mass of people who are quick to judge and slow to question.”
With how cancel culture goes, one mistake now defines someone’s entire existence, beliefs and views. How can we help others grow and learn from their mistakes if we are too quick to beat down, punish and exile them from society? To help people rise from the ashes of ignorance or learn and grow and mature, we should help guide them, teach them. And if they still refuse to better themselves then that’s when we should let them suffer the consequences of their actions.
Or, more commonly, when someone’s words are taken out of context or a joke was taken the wrong way. For instance, YouTuber Jackcepticeye, aka Seán McLoughlin, was susceptible to the havoc of cancel culture. In late November 2020, McLoughlin tweeted a meme aimed toward his friend and fellow YouTuber PewDiePie, aka Felix Kjellberg. The meme stated “imagine not having a PS5” above the laughing Tom Cruise meme. The joke was a playful jab at Kjellberg not being able to buy the game station before it ran out of stock.
Fans, however, took this joke as McLoughlin poor shaming people who couldn’t afford to buy the PS5. And so, fans attempted to cancel him. A few days later, McLoughlin explained in a video the meaning behind the joke and spoke up about how he felt after the debacle.
“I feel like I have been pretty genuine, pretty honest and pretty transparent with the type of person I am,” McLoughlin said. “And my character and my morals; I feel like I’ve owned up to stuff when I’ve messed things up. But it feels like all it takes is one tweet and one joke and people completely forget about your character and who you are as a person. And everything is taken in isolation.”
Cancel culture is like walking on eggshells; one wrong step and your life is defined by the twisted, overly offended opinions of people who refuse to think with a relativistic mindset rather than a dualistic one. It’s time for cancel culture to be canceled.