Square Up
Casey - Do Two Wrongs Make a Right?
Society holds on to the idea that “mistakes define you.” What started as a controversy has quickly descended into a torrent of slander, and even death threats towards those targeted. It is understandable to want those with enormous influence to be checked; however, do we truly have the authority to hold them accountable?
Celebrities can sway opinions through their social media platforms. Should their reach be classified as phenomenal or detrimental? Behind this fame and fortune is an individual like everyone else. There is a flaw behind the idea of ‘canceling.’ It is the lack of understanding and forgiveness. One wrong word can quickly end a career. By allowing this to happen, we would be resigning those that did something bad to their fate since they have been cancelled. What we do not comprehend is that mistakes make us all the same, and humanity has the unique ability to learn from those mistakes.
Adding to the ineffectiveness of cancel-culture is the act of publicly ostracizing someone. Shaming someone for an action that they did is more likely to guide them towards finding others that validate them than acknowledging their mistake. A possible solution to this is contacting cooperations and platforms to explain the situation going on and let them handle it. This would provide consequences and stop their negative influence from continuing.
The day we end frivolous arguments against each other and join together as a community is how we will put an end to hate. There are people who suffer from cancel-culture without a chance to change. There are also others that it does not have any effect. Further, even some innocent bystanders are cancelled.
“Cancel the true antagonist hiding behind the media: the toxicity in our culture. ”
Jordyn - Torment or Punishment?
“Cancel culture” has become a large debate over the past year. With everything that has transpired in the past year, “cancel culture" is not always the best route to take in order to hold people accountable. However, I do believe many need to be held accountable for their words and actions so they can learn from their mistakes.
Celebrities have a large platform that can reach across the globe. They may just be normal people, but unfortunately, we do have to hold them to a higher standard. Celebrities can change so many lives, and some people take advantage of that.
For example, the “influencer” Andrew Tate gained popularity late last year for projecting his platform to promote his harmful, misogynistic ideologies to young boys. Teachers of boys in middle school and high school have come out across social media sharing their experiences with the change in many after Tate gained a large platform and went viral spreading his horrific messages of abuse and subservience of women.
Cancel culture is not something to be taken lightly. “Cancelling” may at times be overused for petty reasons, but other times it has been completely justified. As a society we need to be more aware of who we are supporting and idolizing, or a solution to this constant spread of misinformation and negative commentary may never present itself.
