Cancel culture is embraced by some as empowerment of the people, and the long-overdue deliverance of justice. Others fear that cancel culture is the beginning of the end of free speech. While we have seen cancel culture used to bring accountability to those who previously would have been untouchable, we have also seen it deliver real-world harm to regular people whose punishment far outweighed their crime. So do we cancel cancel culture or embrace it? Here are some things to keep in mind as we consider the answer.
There is Power in Cancel Culture
Whether you agree or disagree with the ethics of cancel culture, everyone does seem to agree that there is a great deal of power in the movement. Many people argue that because the power in cancel culture is being wielded by those who were formerly powerless and voiceless, and typically against those that have too much power, it’s a good thing. However, we would do well to remember that power, wielded by anyone, can be dangerous and is easily corruptible. Those with power must handle the responsibility with reverence and respect, words that do not often apply to the online shaming we witness in today’s cancel culture. We are in the very early stages of learning to use the power of our collective voice, and would do well to recognize that we have a far way to go before we understand all of the far-reaching implications and best practices it will ultimately demand.
Potential Unintended Consequences
Many argue that those being cancelled are rich, white, powerful people who can take the hit, but the reality that’s being missed is that these movements don’t just cancel people, they cancel ideas. Once a public figure has been made an example of, it gets increasingly intimidating for others to express controversial sentiments, and increasingly easy to “cancel” even those without power and prestige. The intimidation factor means that the ideas don’t just stop being discussed by the influential, but that any ideas that may be seen as inflammatory become untouchable to an increasingly large number of people. It’s important to look at the broader implications of cancellation, and not just the singular effects on the cancelled individual if we want ideas and ideals to continue to evolve.
Free Speech Isn’t Limitless
There’s much misunderstanding about what the term “Free Speech” encompasses, and about the fact that there are limits on this freedom. First, the First Amendment protects people and the press from having their speech repressed by the government, but does not prohibit private companies and institutions from enacting their own speech policies. Second, there are exceptions to the First Amendment even as the government is concerned, which include: Incitement, Fighting Words, Obscenity, Defamation, Commercial Speech, and Cases in which freedom of speech is outweighed by an even more compelling interest.
There is power in speech. The very reason free speech is important is because of the importance of words, and the very reason that cancel culture holds power is because of the power of words. To put some sort of limits on cancel culture would be to put limits on the speech of those using their words to promote cancellation. To demand an end to cancel culture is to accept and admit that the power of words can be dangerous, and therefore cannot and should not be protected without limits.
Free Speech is Essential
It is largely the progressive left that shows less interest in safe guarding the freedom of speech, but ironically, if the moral-minded majority had had the ability to “cancel” what they deemed to be offensive, evil or unacceptable twenty years ago, progressives would be tragically behind where they are now. As our collective standards, morals and ethics evolve over time, we can look back and see the importance of unpopular ideas, ideas seen even as “evil” or “immoral,” being fought for. If we were to let the masses decide not just what’s right, but what can even be discussed, it would be impossible to ever suss out the truth.
Additionally, freedom of speech and the freedom of the press are inextricably linked in the first amendment. While not all progressives are concerned with the protection of free speech, many are alarmed at attacks on our free press. Journalism has long been the gateway to essential information for the people, and the strongest form of accountability for those in power. The spread of fake news unavoidably brings this freedom under scrutiny, but freedom of the press ensures that those in power do not control the narrative, the importance of which cannot be overstated.
One Final Note
Discussions about cancel culture, and cancel culture itself, can be severely lacking in nuance, but it is in fact nuance that can help us understand the most productive and responsible way to use our collective voice.
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