How do we think about cancel culture?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: How do we think about cancel culture?
Position1 of 4›: Cancel culture is critical for democracy

This approach argues that cancel culture empowers marginalised groups. It understands that society is built in institutionalised hierarchies that cut across social identities. The de-platforming of offensive views is therefore an important type of activism. Cancel culture has become an important tool to redress these inequalities.

Supporting arguments · 3

Cancel culture is being weaponised by a privileged elite
Critics of cancel culture are largely made up of society's traditional beneficiaries; influencers who are in a position of power. They fear that, by being cancelled, they will lose their power, fame, or wealth. Those who are cancelled are people who use their privileges to gain unfair advantages, or even cause harm to others, either directly or indirectly. Cancel culture is critical for ensuring that these corrupt individuals do not get to rule the world.
Cancel culture is a valuable form of protest that asks society to prioritize justice for victims over perpetrators’ comfort
In a democracy, citizens have the right to peaceably protest ideas or institutions that they find harmful. Cancel culture gives marginalized voices a platform, and allows society to progress by educating themselves about historical violence. Rather than threatening free speech, it asks for society to prioritize ethics.
Cancel culture redresses systemic oppression
Cancel culture empowers marginalised individuals to fight back against structural inequalities that have traditionally held them back.