3 ms·

Isn't 'cancel culture' vastly overstated? We hear so much about it because media personalities (mainstream through to podcasters) are the targets of it, so th

Isn't 'cancel culture' vastly overstated? We hear so much about it because media personalities (mainstream through to podcasters) are the targets of it, so they're naturally going over-value the threat of it.

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
I'd argue a phenomenon that affects anyone with an audience of any size is critically important, even if most people don't have an audience.
40acres 7y ago
It's definitely overstated but I do think it exists particularly within social media where everything is public but the social bonds are weak.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
hombre_fatal 7y ago
Jon Haidt, one of the authors of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coddling_of_the_American_Mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coddling_of_the_American_M..., said that "isn't it overstated?" was such a common assertion that it was one of the reasons he wanted to go quantify it for this book. And it's not overstated. Of course, instead of throwing a book at you, here's his 1-hour podcast interview with Sam Harris about the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaniQUlqzgE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaniQUlqzgE Though the book (nor interview) is just focused on call-out culture. But it does talk about some interesting aspects of it, like how calling out is a way to win prestige.
drak0n1c 7y ago
Cancel culture also affects everyday people who belong to friend groups, workplaces, schools, and families. We just don't hear about it because the cases aren't newsworthy. People get suddenly ignored, ostracized, and bullied for being many things whether its LGBT, religious, atheist, or conservative. For examples of people getting cut off or ignored by their families and friends purely based on politics, look up the "WalkAway" group, there are hundreds of emotional video monologues by regular people. Fair warning - it is a partisan FB group, but a majority of the uploads specifically name the cancel culture they experienced as a contributing factor to why they changed their political beliefs. Cancel culture affects ordinary people's social lives and career just as much, perhaps more so than media figures who can rely on the sympathy of like-minded crowds to bounce back.

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago

I'd argue a phenomenon that affects anyone with an audience of any size is critically important, even if most people don't have an audience.

40acres 7y ago

It's definitely overstated but I do think it exists particularly within social media where everything is public but the social bonds are weak.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

hombre_fatal 7y ago

Jon Haidt, one of the authors of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coddling_of_the_American_Mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coddling_of_the_American_M..., said that "isn't it overstated?" was such a common assertion that it was one of the reasons he wanted to go quantify it for this book. And it's not overstated. Of course, instead of throwing a book at you, here's his 1-hour podcast interview with Sam Harris about the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaniQUlqzgE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaniQUlqzgE Though the book (nor interview) is just focused on call-out culture. But it does talk about some interesting aspects of it, like how calling out is a way to win prestige.

drak0n1c 7y ago

Cancel culture also affects everyday people who belong to friend groups, workplaces, schools, and families. We just don't hear about it because the cases aren't newsworthy. People get suddenly ignored, ostracized, and bullied for being many things whether its LGBT, religious, atheist, or conservative. For examples of people getting cut off or ignored by their families and friends purely based on politics, look up the "WalkAway" group, there are hundreds of emotional video monologues by regular people. Fair warning - it is a partisan FB group, but a majority of the uploads specifically name the cancel culture they experienced as a contributing factor to why they changed their political beliefs. Cancel culture affects ordinary people's social lives and career just as much, perhaps more so than media figures who can rely on the sympathy of like-minded crowds to bounce back.