Is Cancel Culture Good For Society?
|| Image by Mary Pahlke from Pixabay ||
Cancel culture is a complex phenomena. In simple terms it means withdrawing support (hence the word 'cancel') for an individual such as a celebrity, influencer or political leader or their work, for having committed an act or expressed an opinion deemed objectionable to the people who are calling the individual out.
Like many other social phenomena it comes with its own pros and cons. Many individuals or their works have been demonized, justly or unjustly, due to cancel culture.
In cancel culture, the individual being subject to this phenomena is usually judged by the general public without any safeguards on evidentiary proofs and in most cases purely based on emotions riled up by a mixture of facts and fictions.
Even if the said individual did commit the alleged offensive behavior, is it appropriate for society to subject him/her to contempt, public odium or censure? Can we call ourselves a cultured society when we indulge in such group behavior?
What if the individual who did commit the alleged offense is a powerful person and there is no other effective way to censure him/her but through cancel culture? What if there are other ways, but justice would be delayed in employing them, and therefore justice, in essence, would be denied?
What if the said individual did not commit the alleged offensive act but was in fact framed by others who are jealous of him/her or who have something to gain by calling out?
What do you think?