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Nash Rahman

The New Age of Public Shaming: Cancel Culture

While it is an impediment to freedom of speech, the social media phenomenon of “cancel culture” is antithetical to the power of positivity in society. The toxic sentiment exists mainly to promote extreme backlash towards popular figures based on their personal expression and political affiliations. While the friction of the imaginary movement is an effective medium for holding people accountable for their past and present actions, it does more damage than repair.

The Dark Origins of Cancel Culture:


The ruthless social media trend is a variant of neologism1 that establishes a form of boycotting and ostracizing an individual who is believed to have acted or spoken in a questionable manner. This happens most commonly among celebrities as a method of arousing controversy. One of the original usages of the term “cancel” in modern-day context traces back to a 1991 film New Jack City in which Wesley Snipes’ character, Nino Brown, makes a witty remark: “Cancel that b****. I’ll buy another one.” To cancel someone publicly often is used to deprive one of attention in society by broadcasting the act. In relation to this quote, the term is used to describe one’s loss of cultural cachet. The performative aspect to “canceling” people spawned micro-movements but stemmed from major organizations such as the #MeToo movement––a campaign that provides a safer space for victims of domestic violence and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse. Crusades of cancel culture acolytes roared flames of fury into the lives of Hollywood A-listers; most of which were blacklisted with accusations of sexual harassment, discriminatory behavior, and persistent abuse. Today, we see “cancel culture” splattered across the Internet by Generation Z and Millennials.


Is “cancel culture” a result of mob mentality or a modern social justice practice?


Cancel culture promotes the pursuit of a dangerous pack mentality that is often fuelled by toxic ideologies. It gives people online access to a virtual power they have never experienced possessing before. The practice of de-platforming racist, xenophobic, homophobic, or other hateful individuals is necessary, however, cancel culture exists solely to outlaw, shun, and cast certain groups of people out from society. This act of damaging one’s reputation, esteem, and goodwill essentially “cancels” an individual’s opportunity to learn and grow from their mistakes. Moreover, cancellation is similar to a severed contract between an executant and their aficionados.

Cancel Culture Deserves to Be Cancelled


The following question was asked through a poll on Instagram, one of the major social media apps where cancel culture is present: “What do you dislike about ‘cancel culture’?


These were the responses:

  • “How it literally devalues everything the creator [h]as made for no reason”

  • “It’s existence”

  • “[I]t’s a very narrow, black & white view on life”

  • “[H]ow [cutthroat] it is, like, people make mistakes from years ago and somehow it counts now :/”

  • “[People] who apologize and learn from their mistakes still get cancel[l]ed and r still ‘bad ppl’”

  • “People don’t look into the situation and just copy what other people are saying”

  • “It doesn’t do anything except spread hate and is not an effective way of letting [people learn].”

  • “[T]he double standards and hypocrisy in it”

  • “[I]t … creates a toxic environment that doesn’t allow everyone to speak their opinion”

  • “[N]ot making any room for any sort of growth”

  • “[People] want justice for others but grace for themselves & ppl are too sensitive”

  • “[F]or example they [cancelled] a girl that said the n-word when she was really drugged up she went to rehab and apologized [I] mean when you are in that state you really [don’t] know what you are saying anymore”

  • “... most people who partake [in it] don’t actually care about whatever the person [has] done[,] they just like joining in with the bullying”

  • “It’s pretty sick tbh anyone can ruin anyone’s life with a simple lie”

  • “[People] don’t actually let celebs that messed up a … long time ago … grow they just wanna bully”

  • “[I]nstead of informing people on what they did, they doxx them.”

  • [T]hey pick and choose when or when not to cancel someone”

  • “Omg[,] it’s SO TOXIC. Like, yes, ppl can be absolute [...] heads and make awful mistakes, but when we don’t let them learn and grow and silence them instead, they never [use] the chance to right their wrongs/fix themselves, and it only creates more division.”

  • “[I] feel like it's mainly for show and people don’t actually genuinely care about the issue … a person will make 1 mistake and then ppl use that as an excuse to bully the [...] out of them”

  • “[W]hen everyone cancels someone for something so harshly but it’s always something that they’ve done before as well if that makes sense”


Ultimately, it is known that cancel culture evolved significantly when the COVID-19 pandemic was first announced. When quarantining had been recommended and walking or sitting six feet apart had been initiated, movie theaters began shutting down; television shows became discontinued, and some musicals ceased to exist. As a result, the implications of the virus have stretched farther and farther, causing the world and its people to live in what appears to be a bubble. Thus, cancel culture topped the theater industry and became 2021’s biggest entertainment source.

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