Challenging the cancel culture phenomenon

The social media trend of “canceling” individuals on the internet has now become an integral part of our culture. What once began as a tool to boycott public figures for their problematic behavior has now taken on a new form that has harmfully impacted the way we view accountability and forgiveness

Brittany Lang / Feature Editor / The USD Vista

It seems like every day in the Twitter world there is a new hashtag trending in relation to another celebrity, influencer, politication, you name it, being “canceled.” Often you see a hashtag followed by the name of a public figure and “…is over party.” This new form of essentially boycotting other individuals has become such a global phenomenon, that it has now been embedded in the daily vernacular of young adults everywhere. 

Cancel culture has been on the rise for the past couple of years, and has become a way to publicly shame others through social media platforms by exposing their past wrongdoings. The goals for doing so vary, but when it comes to anyone who is a public figure in the spotlight, the aim is to hinder the support and praise they receive, to get them removed from a certain position or role, or, in more extreme cases, put them in jail.

Among the list of individuals who have been “canceled,” there are a few standouts that frankly no one views as undeserving of receiving this title. Some of the individuals have been Jefferey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and Bill Cosby for their heinous crimes committed against young women. Although exposing and eventually charging these individuals for their inexcusable actions took a lot more than a 20 year old sending out some tweets. 

Cancel culture in many instances does bring to light certain actions by individuals that need to be addressed. Although there are varying levels of the seriousness of the actions taken, even at the lower level it is undeniable that we should always take responsibility for our mistakes and do what we can to make reparations, whether they were moments of ignorance, exhibiting microaggressions, and so on.

However, I am less concerned about what will happen to a celebrity after one of their old problematic Instagram posts resurfaces. When it comes to addressing the cancel culture phenomenon, I am much more concerned about the detrimental effects it can have on the human experience and in particular, political activism. 

My fear is that cancel culture has evolved into something new. It has taught us to continuously hold other people’s past mistakes against them, which has an underlying lesson that we are all paralyzed in the time when we said something that was ignorant or did something that was damaging. The implication is that people don’t really change, as if we can never evolve from our past transgressions. 

Cancel culture can halt people from changing their opinions or extending support to a new group, in fear that their past actions will be used as ammunition by others to say they are not worthy to do so. 

Another damaging consequence of cancel culture is that it has recast the notion of “innocent until proven guilty.” Individuals are ostracized over speculation and unsound evidence of misconduct before they have a chance to explain themselves or prove its falsity. Doja Cat and Aziz Ansari are prime examples of individuals who have been impetuously canceled and have had an extremely difficult time trying to undo the damage. 

The harms of cancel culture can manifest in many different ways, and it is time to question what this culture says about us as a society. Most importantly, we need to question how exactly we should hold people accountable while also giving them the room to educate themselves and change their behavior. 

A few months ago, at the height of the BLM protests, there was a photo circulating of a man in a wheelchair holding up a sign which said, “I’m sorry I am late, I had a lot to learn,” while holding another sign which read, ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Though we cannot be sure what he specifically had to learn, we can make a good assumption that he was somewhat ignorant to what the true Black experience in American entailed, and the degree in which racism is institutionalized. 

Around the same time, a TikTok went viral which was made by a young man that begins with footage of himself 4 years prior at a Trump rally, sporting lots of MAGA apparel. Then the video cuts to footage of him today where he is draped in a LGBTQ+ flag, showing that he is now a proud gay man and no longer identifies himself with Trump. 

These two men are living proof that through our own life experiences and education, we are constantly changing and coming into our own. Something that cancel culture and political polarization has hindered society from doing is normalizing having our opinions change. 

Some might jump to say that the man on TikTok isn’t a real member of the LGBTQ+ community because he was once an avid supporter of a president who doesn’t seem to value or advocate for the rights of their community. However, this is a counterintuitive way of thinking. When someone takes responsibility for their past and makes a conscious effort to educate themselves, that is something we should learn to value as a society. 

Although we all may be quick to jump and say, “that person’s actions seem like performative activism” or “their past actions don’t line up with what they’re claiming to support,” we should instead try and assess the authenticity of what they are doing, and see if they are making reparations for anything injurious they have said or done in the past. If so, then they deserve to be excluded from being put in the same category of individuals who have not done the same. 

The essence of political activism is to get others to change their opinions. Afterall, what good would canvassing, protesting, debating, and sharing information do if we only continued to hold one’s past choices against them? This would mean that all these actions taken to advocate for a cause and gain support would be futile.

Holding things against others when they are trying to do better, is extremely damaging to the human psyche — no positive change will come from this and our end goals will never be met, whatever they may be. It is important to acknowledge however, that there might never be consensus on the reasons we should forgive others for their past actions, and what constitutes sufficient indemnification.

However as students of USD, it is conclusive that we ultimately let the victims of such harmful speech or acts decide for themselves what the appropriate room for forgiveness is rather than letting a third-party dictate the action’s degree of seriousness and the adequate reparations for it. 

It could be that a simple apology and the promise to change is enough. In some cases it is not nearly enough, and in very serious instances, the damage is too great to ever come back from. Considering that some of the most arguably undeserving individuals of forgiveness are those who have sat or are currently sitting in positions of great power, it is clear that certain people are untouchable by just being “canceled” on the internet. More has to be done. 

Through involvement in political activism and giving people the opportunity to learn from their past mistakes, we will see results. It is time we all learn to move past the ways in which cancel culture can obstruct the real change we are trying to achieve. Though there might never be an agreed upon standard on how we properly hold individuals accountable, extending respect and appreciation to those who are trying to atone for their past shortcomings is a good place to start.

“The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.”