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In a proper free society, you can also criticize anything. Including humor. Cancel culture isn't new, it only seems different now because the internet has crea

In a proper free society, you can also criticize anything. Including humor. Cancel culture isn't new, it only seems different now because the internet has created one giant market where there used to be many independent ones. When a comedian made an ethnic joke on TV, most people never heard the criticisms from the people being made fun of, their criticism stayed within their community. Now everyone can see everything. It was never the case that everyone laughed at all the jokes. The difference now is that we can actually see the people who aren't laughing, and that feels like a downer. You can tell any joke you like, but you aren't guaranteed that everyone will find it funny. Welcome to worldwide two-way communication.

mc32 4y ago
Sort of... The gist of what you say is true... One potentially has a world-wide audience. However, it's not always the case. If an Indian comedian tells awful ethnic jokes about Americans or Brazilians, do you think any one of us will get wind of it? Same with Chinese making jokes about just about anyone else in the world --the likelihood anyone in the rest of the world will find out, is very slim. There is the slightest possibility where someone with a foot in both worlds would be offended plus feel that they need to bring it to light.
- vannevar 4y ago
  True, there is still fractionalization at the national level. And the 'cancel culture' argument as I'm familiar with it is associated with the US and the UK. But as you say, the gist is true, I just overstated the scale.
asdajksah2123 4y ago
The biggest difference is that cancel culture is slightly inconveniencing the powerful. The less powerful have been "canceled" for decades, not just in the US, but everywhere. How many courses on Marxism/Communism do you see in US academia? In the meanwhile, US colleges have entire departments dedicated to Capitalism (Business school). In the Soviet Union, the opposite was true. (For the record, I'm extremely pro capitalism, and to the extent I criticize it it's because I believe that it can get better, whereas AFAICT, other economic systems have largely failed except in very specific and limited scenarios).
- yucky 4y ago
  >The less powerful have been "canceled" for decades I was under the impression that was a bad thing. Are we saying it's not longer a bad thing if it affects other people? Or is it more a type of schadenfreude?
- legostormtroopr 4y ago
  > How many courses on Marxism/Communism do you see in US academia? At least three from top tier universities [1][2][3], but probably many, many more [4]. > In the meanwhile, US colleges have entire departments dedicated to Capitalism (Business school). The idea that communism or leftism is 'cancelled' in academia very unfounded, and one of the chief complaints by the right and points-of-pride of the left. Business is not capitalism, and vice versa. Trade and the creation of companies happened well before capitalism was an idea. Likewise, business schools study the mechanism of business and its applications (eg. accounting, finance, HR, strategy), which can take place outside of capitalism. [1] https://history.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/course-details/173-general/comparative-history/1551-01-506-361-history-of-socialism-and-communism-3 https://history.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/course-d... [2] https://pll.harvard.edu/course/china-part-9-communist-liberations https://pll.harvard.edu/course/china-part-9-communist-libera... [3] https://polisci.berkeley.edu/course/selected-topics-comparative-politics-rise-and-fall-world-communism-20th-century https://polisci.berkeley.edu/course/selected-topics-comparat... [4] https://www.google.com/search?q=communism+university+course+site%3A.edu https://www.google.com/search?q=communism+university+course+...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
SamReidHughes 4y ago
In Britain they send people to jail for jokes.
- Ekaros 4y ago
  Yeah, actually rather strange that Rowan here hasn't given up his peerage and left that awfully fascist police state...
rayiner 4y ago
Okay, so what changed about the Simpsons that got Apu cancelled? I’m pretty sure that was on national TV when I was a kid (and offended neither me nor any other brown guy I’ve ever met). Cancel culture indeed has always existed. But when John Ashcroft covered up the nude statues in the DOJ we made fun of him.
- tptacek 4y ago
  Did you watch "The Problem With Apu"?
  - bavell 4y ago
    Not OP and haven't watched that documentary but this [0] recent comedy special about Apu and cancel culture was hilarious and highly relevant. [0]: https://youtu.be/fk3svL0GPWI https://youtu.be/fk3svL0GPWI
- vannevar 4y ago
  Nothing changed about the Simpsons. That was my point. Nothing changed about human nature, either. What has changed is that the people who were offended now have a forum to air their grievance, and other people can agree with them who might never have considered the issue at all. You're still free to appreciate Apu, just as the makers of the series are free to change the show in any way they see fit, since they own the intellectual property.

mc32 4y ago

Sort of... The gist of what you say is true... One potentially has a world-wide audience. However, it's not always the case. If an Indian comedian tells awful ethnic jokes about Americans or Brazilians, do you think any one of us will get wind of it? Same with Chinese making jokes about just about anyone else in the world --the likelihood anyone in the rest of the world will find out, is very slim. There is the slightest possibility where someone with a foot in both worlds would be offended plus feel that they need to bring it to light.

vannevar 4y ago
True, there is still fractionalization at the national level. And the 'cancel culture' argument as I'm familiar with it is associated with the US and the UK. But as you say, the gist is true, I just overstated the scale.

asdajksah2123 4y ago

The biggest difference is that cancel culture is slightly inconveniencing the powerful. The less powerful have been "canceled" for decades, not just in the US, but everywhere. How many courses on Marxism/Communism do you see in US academia? In the meanwhile, US colleges have entire departments dedicated to Capitalism (Business school). In the Soviet Union, the opposite was true. (For the record, I'm extremely pro capitalism, and to the extent I criticize it it's because I believe that it can get better, whereas AFAICT, other economic systems have largely failed except in very specific and limited scenarios).

yucky 4y ago
>The less powerful have been "canceled" for decades I was under the impression that was a bad thing. Are we saying it's not longer a bad thing if it affects other people? Or is it more a type of schadenfreude?
legostormtroopr 4y ago
> How many courses on Marxism/Communism do you see in US academia? At least three from top tier universities [1][2][3], but probably many, many more [4]. > In the meanwhile, US colleges have entire departments dedicated to Capitalism (Business school). The idea that communism or leftism is 'cancelled' in academia very unfounded, and one of the chief complaints by the right and points-of-pride of the left. Business is not capitalism, and vice versa. Trade and the creation of companies happened well before capitalism was an idea. Likewise, business schools study the mechanism of business and its applications (eg. accounting, finance, HR, strategy), which can take place outside of capitalism. [1] https://history.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/course-details/173-general/comparative-history/1551-01-506-361-history-of-socialism-and-communism-3 https://history.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/course-d... [2] https://pll.harvard.edu/course/china-part-9-communist-liberations https://pll.harvard.edu/course/china-part-9-communist-libera... [3] https://polisci.berkeley.edu/course/selected-topics-comparative-politics-rise-and-fall-world-communism-20th-century https://polisci.berkeley.edu/course/selected-topics-comparat... [4] https://www.google.com/search?q=communism+university+course+site%3A.edu https://www.google.com/search?q=communism+university+course+...
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

SamReidHughes 4y ago

In Britain they send people to jail for jokes.

Ekaros 4y ago
Yeah, actually rather strange that Rowan here hasn't given up his peerage and left that awfully fascist police state...

rayiner 4y ago

Okay, so what changed about the Simpsons that got Apu cancelled? I’m pretty sure that was on national TV when I was a kid (and offended neither me nor any other brown guy I’ve ever met). Cancel culture indeed has always existed. But when John Ashcroft covered up the nude statues in the DOJ we made fun of him.

tptacek 4y ago
Did you watch "The Problem With Apu"?
- bavell 4y ago
  Not OP and haven't watched that documentary but this [0] recent comedy special about Apu and cancel culture was hilarious and highly relevant. [0]: https://youtu.be/fk3svL0GPWI https://youtu.be/fk3svL0GPWI
vannevar 4y ago
Nothing changed about the Simpsons. That was my point. Nothing changed about human nature, either. What has changed is that the people who were offended now have a forum to air their grievance, and other people can agree with them who might never have considered the issue at all. You're still free to appreciate Apu, just as the makers of the series are free to change the show in any way they see fit, since they own the intellectual property.