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How do we think about cancel culture? How do we think about cancel culture?
Cancel culture is critical for democracy Cancel culture is critical for democracy
Cancel culture is a myth Cancel culture is a myth
Cancel culture must be cancelled Cancel culture must be cancelled
There's no such thing as cancel culture There's no such thing as cancel culture
Cancel culture redresses systemic oppression Cancel culture redresses systemic oppression
Cancel culture is being weaponised by a privileged elite Cancel culture is being weaponised by a privileged elite
Cancel culture is a valuable form of protest that asks society to prioritize justice for victims over perpetrators’ comfort Cancel culture is a valuable form of protest that asks society to prioritize justice for victims over perpetrators’ comfort
Cancel culture typifies the snowflake mentality Cancel culture typifies the snowflake mentality
Cancel culture represents a shift in public accountability Cancel culture represents a shift in public accountability
Cancel culture is a byproduct of smart technology Cancel culture is a byproduct of smart technology
Cancel culture may not be widespread. Cancel culture may not be widespread.
Cancel culture discourages dialogue and creates a climate of fear Cancel culture discourages dialogue and creates a climate of fear
Cancel culture is an insidious form of virtue signalling Cancel culture is an insidious form of virtue signalling
Cancel culture exists to promote a ruthless mob mentality Cancel culture exists to promote a ruthless mob mentality
Cancel culture is rooted in the ethics of white supremacy Cancel culture is rooted in the ethics of white supremacy
Cancel culture endangers democracy and freedom of expression Cancel culture endangers democracy and freedom of expression
Cancel culture represents a crisis where free speech is silenced Cancel culture represents a crisis where free speech is silenced
Cancel culture incorrectly assumes that morality is binary Cancel culture incorrectly assumes that morality is binary
Cancel culture strengthens the surveillance state Cancel culture strengthens the surveillance state
'Cancel Culture' needs to be properly defined 'Cancel Culture' needs to be properly defined
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How do we think about cancel culture?
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Cancel culture is a myth

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Cancel culture may not be widespread.

How widespread is cancel culture? What is its impact? How often are people cancelled? It is possible the cancel culture debate is more hysteria than reality. Without data, it is hard to know. The validity of arguments for and against cancel culture are hard to assess with understanding how real cancel culture is.
Jessica Valenti Sarah Manavis
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The Argument

Cancel culture refers to the idea of 'cancelling' prominent brands, figures, and celebrities for their actions or remarks that offend. A pivotal belief underpinning this idea is that those in the public eye should be held accountable for their opinions and ultimately what they share in the public sphere. 'Cancellation' can be understood as Nakamura describes it - a 'cultural boycott' - which refers to the hypothetical way in which people, refrain from interacting with the brand or figure in question as a result of their actions.[1] Manavis argues that while the terms 'cancel culture' and 'cancelled' are recent phenomena that are a product of social media usage, the principal idea behind 'cancelling' people is one with which we are familiar. It is essentially a form of democratic organisation which has been given a new name and can be likened to boycotts of companies and politically-driven protests. That said, Manavis believes that the effects of 'cancelling' people are not longstanding, and figures such as JK Rowling who was cancelled for making transphobic comments, can continue their commercial success without much, if any, disruption.[2] So, given that the effects of cancel culture are not explicitly noticeable, we can doubt whether cancel culture has a real impact and thus, real consequences. If the act of cancelling does not manifest in actuality, that is if no boycott occurs, then we have reason to believe cancel culture is a myth. Although the term is widely used, the intended outcome is rarely ever achieved.

Counter arguments

Singer Taylor Swift discussed the negative impact that cancel culture can have with Vogue US and said that “A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote cancelled, is a very isolating experience. ”[3] This suggests that the impact of cancel culture is noticeable and that the very act of many social media users expressing disagreeing and publicly shaming prominent figures is sufficient to show that the culture is widespread

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/style/is-it-canceled.html
  2. https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2020/07/cancel-culture-does-not-exist
  3. https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/08/taylor-swift-opens-feels-million-people-hate-vocally-10540566/
This page was last edited on Monday, 7 Sep 2020 at 18:49 UTC

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