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Has Cancel Culture Been Canceled?
High-profile celebrities wonder if society has turned a corner
Originally celebrated as a means of holding individuals and institutions accountable for their actions, “cancel culture” soon became weaponized and used as a means of silencing ideological opponents and mandating political correctness. People have lost their jobs and more for the simple act of sharing their opinion.
But has cancel culture gone out of vogue? Some well-known celebrities think so — others…not so much.
CELEBRITIES DECLARING CANCEL CULTURE IS OVER:
Comedian Rob Schneider recently claimed cancel culture is history — even after getting booed during a comedy set on June 1 for alleged “transphobic, misogynistic and anti-vax” jokes. After Schneider’s performance on stage, he only had two words “It’s over.”
“THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CANCEL CULTURE,” New York Times columnist Charles Blow declared in an all-caps tweet. He further contended that what exists instead is simply free speech, suggesting that those with wealth are merely aggrieved by the newfound ability of the public to coordinate their opposition.
During a podcast interview with Bill Maher, comedian and actor Bill Burr remarked that cancel culture “started off with something everyone could agree on, and then quickly it just spun out of control.” He went on to say, “Cancel culture…it’s over. No one cares anymore.”
Mere months after taking over the social media platform X, Tesla founder Elon Musk declared, “RIP Cancel Culture, you won’t be missed.”
CELEBRITIES DECLARING CANCEL CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL:
On “The Breakfast Club” radio show comedian Chris Rock shared his perspective that cancel culture is still real — and it’s killing creativity in comedy. “It’s weird when you’re a comedian because like, when you’re a comedian, when the audience doesn’t laugh, we get the message,” Rock said. “You don’t really have to cancel us because we get the message. They’re not laughing. Our feelings hurt. When we do something and people aren’t laughing we, like, we get it.”
A victim of cancel culture, it’s no surprise that actor Johnny Depp isn’t a fan. “It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe,” he said. “It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Sadly, at a certain point they begin to think that it’s normal. Or that it’s them. When it’s not.”
In an interview, Friends star Jennifer Aniston said cancel culture remains a reality — and she’s sick of it. “I’m so over cancel culture — I probably just got canceled by saying that,” she joked. “I just don’t understand what it means…Is there no redemption?”
Of course, it’s easier for celebrities to recover from cancellation than everyday Americans. The real victim of cancel culture is America’s Average Joe. Public shaming may be on the way out, but to avoid being canceled in the first place a new worrisome trend is emerging: self-silencing.
According to a survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), over 50% of students (56%) are concerned about potential reputation damage due to misunderstandings of their words or actions. Additionally, slightly more than a quarter of students (26%) feel pressured to steer clear of discussing contentious subjects in their classes. Moreover, one in five students (20%) frequently self-censor their opinions and beliefs.
More generally, the National Speech Index shows that 69% of people believe the country is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to being able to express their opinions and views. All of that in spite of a 2020 Politico survey that found “a clear majority” of Americans “across almost every demographic category — says that cancel culture has gone too far.”
Cancel culture isn’t canceled — it’s evolving.