Cancel culture are becoming weaponized - Are we losing diversity?
In this blog post, I would like to introduce you to Cancel culture. The reason why I want to pull out this topic, despite the cancel culture has been years existing on the Internet, the effect of cancel culture did not diminish, rather one and after the media event, it is still coming strongly towards people who have said or done something that is not accepted by the public, or someone has deviant from the mainstream view or actions. Thereby, I like to reflect on this Cancel culture with two stories and the link between "Hegemony" and "Counterhegemony."
What is Cancel Culture?
Cancel culture can be understood as a form of ostracism where people get thrust out of their social and professional circle for what they have done or said that is unacceptable or objectionable. For instance, on social media, it is common to see public figures lose support from the public because of their violent, sexist, racist, homophobic or transphobic activities or speech. Moreover, the cancellation practice is not as simple as just losing public support. It often involves other methods, the most common of which is public humiliation and harassment.
Reflecting on Cancel Culture with two stories
I'd like to share with you two stories, one of Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at an earlier press event, and the other is my personal story; both reflect the cancellation process.
I guess it is not the first time that everybody has heard or known about the media events, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock because of his provocative and unappropriated joke about Will Smith's wife about her baldness. In the aftermath of the slap, Will Smith was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years and cannot vote in the Academy Awards. The prevalence of this event is such that everyone on the planet who owns a cell phone will know about it. When I talked to my mom, she knew about the event despite the fact that she lives in China. Media is such a powerful thing.
Another event is my own stories. Once, I re-post a story from Vice about an 18-year-old Russian Instagram influencer who must face 6 years in prison – just for using Instagram, on Instagram, amid the Ukraine war. Then, I was immediately accused by one of my Ukrainian friends of not giving a spotlight on something more important, like the Ukraine war, and she did not give me a single chance to let me speak first about why I posted. Luckily, I am not famous, so the backlash against me was small. However, I was shocked. Since then, I have become reluctant to share my voice on the Internet, even on my private Instagram account, for fear of not knowing when I will be called out for something I did against someone or something. Reflecting on what has happened to me is how the cancellation acted in my personal life.
The two stories demonstrated the good side and bad side of cancel culture. Will smith's slap stories reveal how the public can make public figure realize their negative behavior. The second story, although a personal one, could happen to everyone who shares contrary opinions on the Internet. Moreover, it indicates having a different opinion from the mainstream favored view may lead to destructive consequences. Regardless of the reason for being "canceled," the above cases all have one thing in common: the comments or actions of people conflict with the values of most people on the Internet.
The rise of Cancel Culture was not a recent phenomenon. Most people believe that the Cancel Culture has accelerated in conjunction with the #Metoo movement; rich and powerful celebrities like Harvey Weinstein were called out and taken down. As a result, some are beginning to realize that in the age of digital media, serial boycotts on the Internet may not have the same effect as before. This approach could become a weapon for the weak against the strong. In other words, a group that opposes the dominant idea is a kind of counter-public representation; they challenge the predominant idea or hegemony, therefore, it is rebalancing the power gap. The emergence of a cancel culture can see a more mature and progressive society.
However, the practice of Cancelling has been seen to be gone fierce and out of control. For instance, not only my own and celebrity case, but historical figures like Former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln did not exempt from being canceled, and students were asking to have his statue removed from the university because he once executed Indians. In the wake of this chain of events, the culture of cancellation has become a pejorative term, with some believing that os over-corrected or some calling it "a senseless form of social media mob rule." The Internet age definitely takes some of the blame.
To quote from the article Why the net is not a public sphere, "In communicative capitalism, what has been heralded as central to Enlightenment ideals of democracy takes material form in new technologies...But instead of leading to more equitable distributions of wealth and influence, instead of enabling the emergence of a richer variety in modes of living and practices of freedom, the deluge of screens and spectacles undermines political opportunity and efficacy for most of the world's people." As well as ending my blog with a question to you all, has the cancel culture cost us the diversity we are now trying to maintain?
Hi Xinyi, thank you so much for this interesting post, and thanks for sharing your personal experience too!
ReplyDeleteI believe it is fascinating how digital media create a sense of belonging among people, sometimes even on a global scale, all in support of one common cause; however, it seems to me that the more people get used to find solidarity on the web, the more the probabilities of it becoming a dangerous tool are higher.
As your personal example illustrates, people do not even let the door open for clarification or the possibility of explaining oneself. Therefore, I believe that cancel culture is problematic and controversial for it legitimates disproportionate reactions to individuals’ actions (or publications): it does challenge diversity and freedom of speech this way.
On the other hand, I also believe that, cancel culture has a broad meaning itself: sometimes it becomes necessary to deny people from the possibility of sharing certain kinds of content or ideologies, as in the recent case of Kanye West.
Thus, in my personal opinion, cancel culture should not be considered as a whole but rather analysed looking at each individual case.
Hey Xinyi, thanks for sharing your personal story as well. It is interesting seeing how 'cancel culture' is being developed and how is being used. I remember, when George Floyd was murdered by US Police officers, how people took the streets and demolished statues of Marshalls, Colonels, and other 'influential' people because they were slave owners or just plain white supremacists. At the same time, people are ready to cancel everyone, from Aziz Ansari to Dave Chappelle, but we need to look at 'cancel culture', by the historical context of reference. If you ask me, protesters who canceled these racists and white supremacists that tortured, killed, and oppressed so many humans, it's a good thing to do. To be critical of Lincoln or any authority, for me is a good practice of being an active citizen. Canceling, for example, Leopold B' (King of Belgium) is not just a notion, it's a reality that needs to happen, without though forgetting who he was and what he did. Cancel culture has different ways of communicating; different in popular culture, like Will Smith or Chapelle, and different in a historical and political context. Just like the discourses that Foucault said that we need to examine over a historical period, 'cancel culture' I believe needs to be examined under the context it criticizes.
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