Kerby Anderson

In a provocative commentary, Madeleine Kearns reminds us that “Cancel Culture Harms Us All.” She calls it “the persecution of one’s political opponents in the place of debate and the complete condemnation of those who make mistakes.”

She has found that there are two common arguments against cancel culture. One argument is that cancel culture isn’t real and is “only an exaggerated right-wing talking point.” The other argument contradicts the first argument: people who are canceled deserved to be.

Throughout her commentary, she provides examples of women who have been cancelled in their professions or on campus. Many of them are radical feminists that you would never expect to be cancelled, but their feminist statements often contradict transgender ideologies. Thus, they are labeled transphobic and cancelled.

She also explains that: “Advocates of cancel culture conflate feeling offended with having their rights violated. Really, it is they who violate the rights of others through thuggish and totalitarian means.” She says that these tactics often merely come down this: “I don’t like this person’s views, so I will shout and tell lies about them until they shut up.”

This is another concern with cancel culture. She also provides examples of people who didn’t say anything wrong but were intentionally misrepresented by posting short soundbites or statements that were devoid of any context. “Cancel-culture activists are not interested in explanation, investigations, or even the truth. They act in bad faith and are obsessed with power and narratives. That’s why they rarely bother to find out what a person has actually said or done before whipping up a social-media mob.”

This commentary is a reminder for us to stand up against social media bullies who are using cancel culture to hurt lots of people.