1/
Yesterday we found out @ginacarano was fired from Star Wars over Social Media posts
Lots of people talk about cancel culture, but so far no one has given a serious account of exactly what cancel culture is, where it comes from, and how it works
So, Cancel Culture
A Thread🧵
Yesterday we found out @ginacarano was fired from Star Wars over Social Media posts
Lots of people talk about cancel culture, but so far no one has given a serious account of exactly what cancel culture is, where it comes from, and how it works
So, Cancel Culture
A Thread🧵
2/
There's a lot of confusion around cancel culture both because cancel culture is a new phenomenon, and because some people have dishonestly and cynically misused the term in order to score political points. So let's try to get clear about EXACTLY what's cancel culture is.
There's a lot of confusion around cancel culture both because cancel culture is a new phenomenon, and because some people have dishonestly and cynically misused the term in order to score political points. So let's try to get clear about EXACTLY what's cancel culture is.
3/
To begin, I need to say something about "free speech."
Free Speech is not *only* a legal principle. It is that, but it isn't *just* that. Free speech is also an enlightenment liberal **VALUE**
Read that last sentence again because it's the beating heart of my thinking here.
To begin, I need to say something about "free speech."
Free Speech is not *only* a legal principle. It is that, but it isn't *just* that. Free speech is also an enlightenment liberal **VALUE**
Read that last sentence again because it's the beating heart of my thinking here.
4/
Enlightenment Liberals know that exchanging ideas is how we solve problems. Our problem solving mechanism is to exchange information, ideas, perspectives, and suggestions in order to examine them and determine what is true, what is false, and which path forward is best.
Enlightenment Liberals know that exchanging ideas is how we solve problems. Our problem solving mechanism is to exchange information, ideas, perspectives, and suggestions in order to examine them and determine what is true, what is false, and which path forward is best.
5/
This means that for the Enlightenment Liberal the truth is determined not by force, but through an open, rigorous, careful examination of the facts.
That means that enlightenment liberals do not (and should not) try to "win" debates over truth by monopolizing the microphone
This means that for the Enlightenment Liberal the truth is determined not by force, but through an open, rigorous, careful examination of the facts.
That means that enlightenment liberals do not (and should not) try to "win" debates over truth by monopolizing the microphone
6/
or preventing someone else from having their ideas heard. The goal of the enlightenment liberal is to ensure ideas are carefully examined refined ideas using such things as reason, rationality, science, math and logic.
The goal is to enable people sift through ideas...
or preventing someone else from having their ideas heard. The goal of the enlightenment liberal is to ensure ideas are carefully examined refined ideas using such things as reason, rationality, science, math and logic.
The goal is to enable people sift through ideas...
7/
and determine their merit.
In order to do that people must be able to say what they *actually think* so their ideas can be understood and criticized by others.
Free speech is the mechanism we use to subject our ideas to other people for feedback.
Read that again.
and determine their merit.
In order to do that people must be able to say what they *actually think* so their ideas can be understood and criticized by others.
Free speech is the mechanism we use to subject our ideas to other people for feedback.
Read that again.
8/
So, for the enlightenment liberal, the goal is to create a situation where there is a marketplace of ideas where various ideas can be subjected to testing, criticism, and refinement so that the best ideas can be taken forward the ideas that don't work can be left behind.
So, for the enlightenment liberal, the goal is to create a situation where there is a marketplace of ideas where various ideas can be subjected to testing, criticism, and refinement so that the best ideas can be taken forward the ideas that don't work can be left behind.
9/
It is this vision of free speech that is being attacked by Cancel Culture.
So now lets take a good look at cancel culture so we can see how it attacks the value of free speech....
It is this vision of free speech that is being attacked by Cancel Culture.
So now lets take a good look at cancel culture so we can see how it attacks the value of free speech....
10/
Cancel culture is a type of social speech policing. Social speech policing is attempting to enforce ideological conformity by using social power to marginalize your opponent rather then seeking to persuade others by engaging with the substance of the disagreement.
Cancel culture is a type of social speech policing. Social speech policing is attempting to enforce ideological conformity by using social power to marginalize your opponent rather then seeking to persuade others by engaging with the substance of the disagreement.
11/
Governments without free speech laws often jail dissenters as a form of social speech policing.
Now, because the United States has the first amendment, people cannot enforce their ideology using the force of government so they have to do social speech policing some other way
Governments without free speech laws often jail dissenters as a form of social speech policing.
Now, because the United States has the first amendment, people cannot enforce their ideology using the force of government so they have to do social speech policing some other way
12/
This is where cancel culture comes in.
Cancel Culture is an attempt to do via culture what is impossible via government (thanks to the 1A):
Create or take over power structures in order to enforce an ideology across the whole of our society.
Read that again. And again.
This is where cancel culture comes in.
Cancel Culture is an attempt to do via culture what is impossible via government (thanks to the 1A):
Create or take over power structures in order to enforce an ideology across the whole of our society.
Read that again. And again.
13/
Cancel culture is a hack of society that distills
1. Social media
2. Clout/social power
3. Capitalism (everyone needs a job)
into a speech policing death-star that operates according to the idea that while the Government can't punish you for speech, other citizens can.
Cancel culture is a hack of society that distills
1. Social media
2. Clout/social power
3. Capitalism (everyone needs a job)
into a speech policing death-star that operates according to the idea that while the Government can't punish you for speech, other citizens can.
14/
The most common form of cancel culture is using social media to create mobs that create social and financial consequences for people who hold views the cancelers don't like.
Usually the cancelers seek to get a person fired but they sometimes settle for reputation destruction
The most common form of cancel culture is using social media to create mobs that create social and financial consequences for people who hold views the cancelers don't like.
Usually the cancelers seek to get a person fired but they sometimes settle for reputation destruction
15/
This is what people are talking about when they talk about cancel culture. It's not that there's a shortage of platforms from which to express an opinion, nor are they upset about garden variety shunning (I'm not your friend, you can't come to my birthday etc) from peers...
This is what people are talking about when they talk about cancel culture. It's not that there's a shortage of platforms from which to express an opinion, nor are they upset about garden variety shunning (I'm not your friend, you can't come to my birthday etc) from peers...
16/
Cancel culture means 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 fried from my job providing a service he doesn't use.
This is new.
And *THIS* is what people mean by cancel culture.
Cancel culture means 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 fried from my job providing a service he doesn't use.
This is new.
And *THIS* is what people mean by cancel culture.
17/
Social Speech policing comes from the left and right, but Cancel culture is largely a "woke" phenomenon.
The right and center feel a certain strain of "woke" leftism has conquered the arts, the corporate world, and academia, and uses that power to cancel anyone who disagrees
Social Speech policing comes from the left and right, but Cancel culture is largely a "woke" phenomenon.
The right and center feel a certain strain of "woke" leftism has conquered the arts, the corporate world, and academia, and uses that power to cancel anyone who disagrees
18/
That said, social speech policing can go against the left to. Socialist Nathan Robinson was fired from the guardian for tweets critical of Israel.
(he says it was cancel culture, I think it was social speech policing not cancel culture, but it's unacceptable either way)
That said, social speech policing can go against the left to. Socialist Nathan Robinson was fired from the guardian for tweets critical of Israel.
(he says it was cancel culture, I think it was social speech policing not cancel culture, but it's unacceptable either way)
19/
The irony is Nathan Robinson had said Cancel Culture doesn't exist, and that Bari Weiss and Bret Stephens should be fired from the NYT.
People tend to *LOVE* policing speech and handing out "consequences" and "accountability" so long as THEY are the ones doing the policing.
The irony is Nathan Robinson had said Cancel Culture doesn't exist, and that Bari Weiss and Bret Stephens should be fired from the NYT.
People tend to *LOVE* policing speech and handing out "consequences" and "accountability" so long as THEY are the ones doing the policing.
20/
The issue here is again not a legal one. The guardian can fire who they want, but that misses the point. The IMPULSE here is the same, to silence him rather than argue with him.
The goal was not to argue about American foreign policy, the goal was to silence dissenting views
The issue here is again not a legal one. The guardian can fire who they want, but that misses the point. The IMPULSE here is the same, to silence him rather than argue with him.
The goal was not to argue about American foreign policy, the goal was to silence dissenting views
21/
Now, I don't think Mr. Robinson's case was cancel culture as I did not see a social media campaign, the hallmark of cancel culture. But that's not the point. The point is the chilling effect these sorts of firings have and how they make people afraid to speak their mind.
Now, I don't think Mr. Robinson's case was cancel culture as I did not see a social media campaign, the hallmark of cancel culture. But that's not the point. The point is the chilling effect these sorts of firings have and how they make people afraid to speak their mind.
22/
This is what is most harmful. When people are trying to put their finger on a problem they often do it badly to start. They formulate it badly, or insensitively, or blame the wrong issue, or whatever. If we cancel anyone who gets things wrong people stop taking risks...
This is what is most harmful. When people are trying to put their finger on a problem they often do it badly to start. They formulate it badly, or insensitively, or blame the wrong issue, or whatever. If we cancel anyone who gets things wrong people stop taking risks...
23/
They stop stepping outside the narrow band of popular opinion for fear of their job. This has the perverse effect of meaning that only the wealthy can afford the risk of losing their job to suggest new ideas.
As always, the sword of illiberal ideas falls hardest on the poor
They stop stepping outside the narrow band of popular opinion for fear of their job. This has the perverse effect of meaning that only the wealthy can afford the risk of losing their job to suggest new ideas.
As always, the sword of illiberal ideas falls hardest on the poor
24/
This is why Cancel Culture is so pernicious. Cancelers think they can overtake the institutions and put a boot on the neck of people who dare dissent, but one day the roles will reverse creating a pendulum of people cancelling back and forth depending on who has power...
This is why Cancel Culture is so pernicious. Cancelers think they can overtake the institutions and put a boot on the neck of people who dare dissent, but one day the roles will reverse creating a pendulum of people cancelling back and forth depending on who has power...
25/
This is why we must oppose Cancel Culture *NOW,* before the pendulum gets too much momentum. If reactionaries should get power when the pendulum swings back it will be a disaster.
This is why we must have a return to the *VALUE* of free speech and freedom of expression...
This is why we must oppose Cancel Culture *NOW,* before the pendulum gets too much momentum. If reactionaries should get power when the pendulum swings back it will be a disaster.
This is why we must have a return to the *VALUE* of free speech and freedom of expression...
26/
We must bring back charitable interpretations and a willingness to allow people to make mistakes and hold views that are different then our own.
We must be liberals.
/fin
We must bring back charitable interpretations and a willingness to allow people to make mistakes and hold views that are different then our own.
We must be liberals.
/fin
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