1/
In picture 1 AOC says Cancel Culture doesn't exist.
In picture 2 Charles Blow says Cancel Culture doesn't exist.
In Picture 3 Indya Moore says Cancel Culture Doesn't exist.
........
Picture 4 has 13 examples of people being cancelled.
The denial of Cancel Culture: A thread.
In picture 1 AOC says Cancel Culture doesn't exist.
In picture 2 Charles Blow says Cancel Culture doesn't exist.
In Picture 3 Indya Moore says Cancel Culture Doesn't exist.
........
Picture 4 has 13 examples of people being cancelled.
The denial of Cancel Culture: A thread.
2/
There are two ideas I keep seeing on twitter I think need to be addressed.
The first is that there is no such thing as Cancel Culture (or anything like it), the second is that what we call Cancel Culture is actually a good thing.
Lets deal with them one at a time shall we?
There are two ideas I keep seeing on twitter I think need to be addressed.
The first is that there is no such thing as Cancel Culture (or anything like it), the second is that what we call Cancel Culture is actually a good thing.
Lets deal with them one at a time shall we?
3/
It seems to most of us somewhat foolish to deny that cancel culture exists. I began this thread with a picture of 13 examples of it, and (as I've show before) if you search the twitter for the phrase "find out where he works" you get, well:
It seems to most of us somewhat foolish to deny that cancel culture exists. I began this thread with a picture of 13 examples of it, and (as I've show before) if you search the twitter for the phrase "find out where he works" you get, well:
4/
So how do people deny cancel culture exists? By denying cancel culture is anything new. The idea being that people have always had limits about who they are willing to employ, and who they are willing to work with, and so people getting fired for what they say is nothing new.
So how do people deny cancel culture exists? By denying cancel culture is anything new. The idea being that people have always had limits about who they are willing to employ, and who they are willing to work with, and so people getting fired for what they say is nothing new.
5/
To see why this misses the point, we need to lay out what makes Cancel Culture uniquely awful:
1. It politicizes every area of life
2. It leaves no room in society for anyone who expresses disagreement. There is no place one can go to "live and let live."
To see why this misses the point, we need to lay out what makes Cancel Culture uniquely awful:
1. It politicizes every area of life
2. It leaves no room in society for anyone who expresses disagreement. There is no place one can go to "live and let live."
6/
To the first point, Cancel Culture doesn't just go after people for what they do say, it attacks them for what they don't say. Cancel Culture demands people actively preach it's values, and if you don't it claims your "silence is complicity" or "silence is violence".
To the first point, Cancel Culture doesn't just go after people for what they do say, it attacks them for what they don't say. Cancel Culture demands people actively preach it's values, and if you don't it claims your "silence is complicity" or "silence is violence".
7/
You can this here, where an activist group demands that local leadership not only act, but they must follow the activist page and speak the activist message. Legislation is not enough: everyone must be a megaphone for wokeness
You can this here, where an activist group demands that local leadership not only act, but they must follow the activist page and speak the activist message. Legislation is not enough: everyone must be a megaphone for wokeness
8/
The second point is related. In the past is was acceptable to leave a job your views weren't wanted at and get a new job that accepted your views, Cancel Culture will not allow that. They don't just want to win the culture war, they insist on shooting the survivors.
The second point is related. In the past is was acceptable to leave a job your views weren't wanted at and get a new job that accepted your views, Cancel Culture will not allow that. They don't just want to win the culture war, they insist on shooting the survivors.
9/
1.There's a difference between people deciding who to support, and a social media machine built as a deathstar of social pressure
2.There's a difference between boycotting when a company takes the other side, and boycotting when a company stays neutral and wont take your side
1.There's a difference between people deciding who to support, and a social media machine built as a deathstar of social pressure
2.There's a difference between boycotting when a company takes the other side, and boycotting when a company stays neutral and wont take your side
10/
Cancel culture defenders blur these lines and ignore the fact we now live in an environment where a guy I've never met, in a state I don't live, can see a video I didn't film, of a thing I didn't say to him, and get me fired from my job providing a service he doesn't use.
Cancel culture defenders blur these lines and ignore the fact we now live in an environment where a guy I've never met, in a state I don't live, can see a video I didn't film, of a thing I didn't say to him, and get me fired from my job providing a service he doesn't use.
11/
The woke are not the first to use power to quash dissent and disagreement. Here's a video of conservstive republican Lindsay Graham throwing away his principles on free speech to silence people disagreeing with the iraq war:
The woke are not the first to use power to quash dissent and disagreement. Here's a video of conservstive republican Lindsay Graham throwing away his principles on free speech to silence people disagreeing with the iraq war:
12/
It is not the just want to silence dissent and control the conversation about every issue which makes Cancel Culture new, it's the social media environment and methods it enables which make Cancel Culture new and different; even if we have seen the underlying impulse before.
It is not the just want to silence dissent and control the conversation about every issue which makes Cancel Culture new, it's the social media environment and methods it enables which make Cancel Culture new and different; even if we have seen the underlying impulse before.
13/
Now that we have, I think, demonstrated that Cancel Culture exists, and is a new phenomenon. Let's deal with the idea that cancel culture is a good thing, that it is merely "holding people accountable," and that anyone complaining about cancel culture is just whining...
Now that we have, I think, demonstrated that Cancel Culture exists, and is a new phenomenon. Let's deal with the idea that cancel culture is a good thing, that it is merely "holding people accountable," and that anyone complaining about cancel culture is just whining...
14/
First, AOC argues people concerned about Cancel Culture are disingenuous and haven't been silenced: They still get published!
Second, Ezra Klein implies being against cancel culture is a power move. a way of positioning oneself as free speech warrior to gain clout.
First, AOC argues people concerned about Cancel Culture are disingenuous and haven't been silenced: They still get published!
Second, Ezra Klein implies being against cancel culture is a power move. a way of positioning oneself as free speech warrior to gain clout.
15/
Both of these arguments are detached from reality. Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro (who both have large audiences) can escape cancellation. Independently wealthy and powerful people can express unpopular views and avoid cancellation working class people can't. THAT is the point.
Both of these arguments are detached from reality. Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro (who both have large audiences) can escape cancellation. Independently wealthy and powerful people can express unpopular views and avoid cancellation working class people can't. THAT is the point.
16/
Among the people in my first tweet who faced cancellation we see a first time author who immigrated from China, two firefighters, a teacher, and a college student who raised $1,000,000 for charity. None of them were powerful or famous, all of them got mobbed by Cancel Culture
Among the people in my first tweet who faced cancellation we see a first time author who immigrated from China, two firefighters, a teacher, and a college student who raised $1,000,000 for charity. None of them were powerful or famous, all of them got mobbed by Cancel Culture
17/
None of these people had the means or the platform to fight back. The teacher and firefighters got fired. The author lost her book deal and had to wait nearly a year for a new publisher to take her book . Of those people, only the college student was saved....
None of these people had the means or the platform to fight back. The teacher and firefighters got fired. The author lost her book deal and had to wait nearly a year for a new publisher to take her book . Of those people, only the college student was saved....
18/
And that was only because some conservative bloggers came to his rescue and whipped up a counter protest to clear the guy's name. Without that, the guys reputation would have been left in tatters.
And this puts a spotlight on exactly what the problem is:
And that was only because some conservative bloggers came to his rescue and whipped up a counter protest to clear the guy's name. Without that, the guys reputation would have been left in tatters.
And this puts a spotlight on exactly what the problem is:
19/
Cancel Culture is carried out by social media mobs with ZERO due process. People get convicted dragged on social media based on a single tweet or a clipped video. With no presumption of innocence, anyone without a large platform has no chance of salvaging their reputation.
Cancel Culture is carried out by social media mobs with ZERO due process. People get convicted dragged on social media based on a single tweet or a clipped video. With no presumption of innocence, anyone without a large platform has no chance of salvaging their reputation.
20/
On this point, AOC is correct, but it doesn't prove what she thinks it does.....
She is right, extremely powerful people have not been cancelled.....it is powerless people without large platforms who have had their livelihoods and jobs taken away.
On this point, AOC is correct, but it doesn't prove what she thinks it does.....
She is right, extremely powerful people have not been cancelled.....it is powerless people without large platforms who have had their livelihoods and jobs taken away.
21/
But that's exactly the problem isn't it? Any group that claims to be seeking justice, but runs over regular people while giving a pass to the powerful needs to take a good hard look at themselves. (and yes, that is also an excellent argument for criminal justice reform)
But that's exactly the problem isn't it? Any group that claims to be seeking justice, but runs over regular people while giving a pass to the powerful needs to take a good hard look at themselves. (and yes, that is also an excellent argument for criminal justice reform)
22/
So please, spare us with the denial. Cancel Culture is real, and we need a solution.
/fin
So please, spare us with the denial. Cancel Culture is real, and we need a solution.
/fin
