“Wait, she’s canceled?!” This statement and others like it play out all too often today. All of a sudden, when we hear that a public figure has been canceled, we begin to dislike that person due to the fear of being viewed differently by our peers. What lurks behind this canceling though is just exactly what the individual did wrong. Why are they being canceled?
Ellen DeGeneres, Kanye West, and Jimmy Fallon have all been cancelled for various reasons, ranging from alleged worker mistreatment to comments of antisemitism. But think to yourself, have all victims of cancel culture been rightfully accused? We often let one post, one video, or one comment dictate our perspective on a complicated issue, but don’t take the steps to do our own research. We might be right about the wrongdoings of others, but must confirm the news with reliable sources. At the end of the day, we all make mistakes, but taking those moments as a learning opportunity is what really matters.
According to the 2021 Pew Research report “Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment,” the term “cancel culture” is a slang reference to the word “cancel,” which was first used in a 1980’s song. Ever since, the term has been thrown around to describe social media news or a way to call out someone’s behavior.
But what happens when cancel culture goes too far?
In April of 2024, James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, famously announced that he would be walking away from the program in one year’s time. While Corden’s decision was, according to his announcement, based on a desire to end the show at a good time and see what the future would hold, fans immediately began speculating online about much more sinister reasons.
According to Trilby Beresford of The Hollywood Reporter, Corden, in his monologue, told his audience, “I never saw it as my final destination, you know?” The rumors about him getting fired flooded social media platforms. One Reddit user commented, “Now that I know he’s a fake, his shtick is unwatchable.” Despite Cordon’s clear statement as to why he was moving on from the show, months of harsh statements about him followed. Suddenly, Corden was “fake” and social media became full of negative comments about him that were never part of the dialogue before his statement of leave. The shift of the public’s opinion toward Cordon quickly shifted from adoration to misinformation and dishonesty.
The experiences Corden and others have faced reveal just how cancel culture creates a domino effect; when one knocks the first domino down, the rest follow. In search of drama, social media users tend to perceive information in a twisted way, ruining the reputations of others. It seems surreal, almost as our disagreement with choices that others make – and that don’t impact us at all – become our top concern.
In spite of cancel culture’s destructive nature, the trend has exposed unacceptable behaviors of celebrities, especially around sexual misconduct. Currently, news of rapper, producer, and music executive, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ misdeeds have been covered by mainstream media platforms such as BBC and CNN, with his terribly troubling past coming to light. Combs is alleged to have committed acts of sexual violence towards various women including ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, who filed a lawsuit against him in 2023.
Although Combs has been adamant about his innocence and has sought to address the sickening allegations, video evidence seems to show otherwise. In March 2016, a surveillance video of him beating Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel revealed a side to Combs that shocked fans. Today, the number of victims who have filed against Combs is one-hundred and twenty. In this case where a significant number of victims exist, cancel culture instills a sense of hope for uncovering the truth.
If cancel culture is going to continue to exist, it should promote awareness, not initiate hate. Despite cases such as the one against Combs, which is a fairly unique situation in the world of cancel culture, far too many people are unfairly judged and unable to recover from the public’s criticism. This is where the issue in cancel culture lies. So let’s be better, let’s uplift one another rather than seek pleasure in the downfall of others. Let’s cancel, cancel culture.
