Illustration of a person engaging in cancel culture. Aubrie Rice // AS Publicity Center
By Jack Taylor
Let’s be honest, most of us have probably heard the word “canceled” being tossed around or have seen hashtags stating celebrities like Youtube Star James Charles and Singer Taylor Swift are over. [#Taylorswiftisoverparty]
It seems as if our society, and in particular, the younger generation is now the digital version of townspeople marching with torches and pitchforks into the night.
Now that’s not to say that some people do not deserve to be “canceled.” Let’s be frank, men like R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein deserve to be canceled. These men are predators with multiple counts of sexual assault filed against them. Yet is there a difference between canceling someone like Weinstein and Youtubers like James Charles or celebrities like Taylor Swift, over something that is trivial. YouTube feuds and Swift’s personal life are by no stretch on the same level as what Kelly and Weinstein have been accused of. Yet people post and tweet in droves as if these things are the same.
But how do we deal with people on a more local level, like our friends and peers. Is it as easy to cancel a friend as it is to cancel a big name celebrity who has been accused of horrendous crimes?
In the age of social media, everything we like or post will forever be embedded online. So in other words, the stakes are even higher for Millennials and Generation Z, since we use technology more frequently.
As with many new ideas that enter the lexicon of popular culture, most people do not know the origin of the term “canceled.” Vox reported the term was first popularly used in the 1991 movie New Jack City. One of the characters in the movie said the phrase, “Cancel that bitch. I’ll buy another one,” to his friend who was complaining about romance drama, and thus the usage started.
Since 1991, musicians and rappers have used the word in music. It wasn’t until recently that the word became used in mainstream discord.
It can be nauseating trying to keep up with which celebrity is canceled. And it’s even more difficult to stop from jumping on the bandwagon with everyone else and tweet nasty comments about celebrities.
It’s widely agreed that people feel bolder when hiding behind a computer or phone screen. A Pew Research Center survey found that in 2017, 41% of U.S. adults have encountered online harassment. Having a sense of distance from those we are shaming emboldens us to say things that we would never say to the person in real life.
Many naysayers of cancel culture, fear that people are no longer allowed to make mistakes.
First-year Student Logan Johnson agrees with the sentiment that cancel culture is like an unforgiving watchdog.
“I think it’s counterproductive because you’re excluding somebody,” Johnson said when talking about how cancel culture is used on a smaller level.
Johnson said canceling someone really depends on the situation and if the person really did something bad.
“If you’re canceling something that’s bad then it can be productive but if you’re just canceling something or someone because you’re being petty then it’s not productive, it’s just a waste of time,” Johnson said.
Johnson also believes that people are quick to cancel someone online but are too afraid to do it in person.
“If you’re just canceling somebody online then you’re not really having to interact with them, and they don’t really know who you are,” Johnson said.
People are also often too quick to pass judgment without fully analyzing the facts. Just look at what happened recently with actress Jameela Jamil. After being falsely reported that she would be the host of HBO’s new voguing competition show “Legendary,” Jamil faced harsh criticism for not having a background in the ball community.
The ball community originated in New York City in the 1980s and was comprised of mainly black and latinx LGBTQ+ members who formed “houses” together and competed in what the community coined as “balls.” The ball community has most recently been made popular by FX’s show “Pose,” but was initially made popular by Madonna’s song “Vogue.”
As a result, Jamil came out as queer and clarified that she was a judge not a host. On top of everything, people accused Jamil for using her coming out story as a way to change the conversation of the controversy.
While there is something to be said about Jamil not being a part of the ball community, no one should be forced to out themselves in any circumstance. I understand and even agree that Jamil may not be the best person to host a show that is supposed to be highlighting the efforts of trans people of color, but its equally horrifying to think that the mob mentality of social media forced her to come out as queer.
Social media has allowed people to speak out in ways like never before. Would backlash like this have been possible in the early 2000s?
I believe cancel culture will take time to work itself out. Like anything that is relatively new, social media has only been around for a little over two decades. People need to take their time before responding or commenting on anything, otherwise we will become distant from one another and any dialogue we have with opposing people will be full of vitriol and anger.
Johnson also agrees with the idea that we are sectioning ourselves off from one another in society.
“I think if things continue in this trend, it may be a very cliquey society, people are going to continue to take sides and become more polarized with their ideology and beliefs,” Johnson said.
If anything, I hope cancel culture makes people stop and take note of what they might be posting and be aware that people make all sorts of errors online.
There is power in calling people out, but we have to be quick and sure of who we “cancel.”