Wild Card

 "Cancel Culture"

    Most know about cancel culture if you have been involved in the media in the last 5 years. Cancel culture really skyrocketed in 2020 because of the pandemic so everyone had time on their hands to evaluate and dissect controversies. Cancel culture can happen to anyone most notably influencers and celebrities. If we are being honest, it is more difficult to cancel a whole celebrity than an influencer. When in terms of canceling, most people don't know the full meaning and how to utilize it. Yes, some celebrities and influencers and the things that do are beyond no return but other people in the media take too far to write off a person. Cancel culture is a modern form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person. Those who are subject to this ostracism are said to have been "cancelled". 

    The notion of cancel culture is a variant on the term call-out culture and constitutes a form of boycotting or shunning involving an individual (usually a celebrity) who is deemed to have acted or spoken in a questionable or controversial manner. Accusations of cancellation have also been criticized on the ground that public criticism is also part of free speech, that it is not strictly left-wing and that people claimed to have been "cancelled" often remain in power or enjoy a fruitful business (Cancel culture Wiki). When you choose to cancel someone, it is in a sense where the person can no longer be forgiven. In context, it relies heavily at the extent or damage that the influencer or celebrity has done. Many regard cancel culture as toxic because it can take on many forms of bullying and harassment. Cancel culture at its early stages was seen in mostly politics but has surfaced in entertainment, social media, popular culture, and much more. Cancel culture is very demeaning and can be detrimental to one's career if a swarm of people on the Internet get a word about a controversy. Cancel culture affects people in different ways. In one way, cancel culture is a means for publicity for someone and can use that to their advantage and capitalize on it. For example, let's imagine a celebrity or influencer gets in a scandal that involves other people, they might be as popular as the others, and by getting wrapped up in a scandal possess exposure. Then next thing you know, you see this person everywhere, whether it is a commercial, the news, reality show sometimes getting in drama can bring some fame. 

    Others might not be so lucky. Some cancellations stem from a person making mistakes on multiple occasions and haven't grown from their past. For sure, cancel culture is deemed as free speech but at the expense also of full ridicule and humiliation to celebrities and influencers. Some use cancel culture as a way to punish celebrities and influencers instead of educating or actually being upset about the matter at hand. In more ways than one, cancel culture is keeping celebrities and influencers in check and people of the world determine if they are worthy. Nobody sets boundaries on cancel culture and at times "hit below the belt" on occasion. Technically speaking no one is ever full "cancelled". Some still get the same opportunities and thrive off the attention. Just like anything on the Internet, you have to be very careful what you say or do because it may or may not backfire on you in the long haul. Once something is presented to the Internet, everyone can have a perception of how to handle the situation at large. As soon as it is broadcast all over the Internet, there is no turning back. Cancel culture doesn't come in a form of a celebrity or an influencer, it could also be brands, shows, and movies. Anything these days can be cancelled with controversy and backlash starts a war.  Today in this wild card I will discuss recent examples of cancel culture. 

    Chris Harrison – The longtime host of ABC’s “The Bachelor” franchise decided to “step aside” after defending current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell when old photos surfaced of her attending an Old South antebellum party. “While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf,” Harrison explained. “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so deeply sorry.” 

    Jimmy Fallon-With cancel culture comes apologies for the actions that caused the cancellation in the first place.The #IsOverParty is an ode to cancel culture, most recently used to cancel Jimmy Fallon after a video resurfaced of him in blackface imitating Chris Rock. While #JimmyFallonIsOverParty was quick to trend on Twitter, some users were quick to condemn his cancellation. “The culture of canceling people is ridiculous. Jimmy Fallon did this 20 years ago when he was young and had to listen to his boss in order to put food on his table,” wrote one user in the thread. The 45-year-old talk show host has since apologized, writing on Twitter that it was a “terrible decision” to wear blackface, that he is “very sorry” and thanked his fans for holding him accountable for his actions, despite how long ago it was.

    Dr. Seuss- The once irreproachable children’s book author has been the subject of racial reckoning. The company that oversees Seuss’ publications announced that they were pulling licensing rights to six titles, due to racially insensitive depictions of Asian and Black characters. 

    Gina Carano- Carano, 38, who played bounty hunter Cara Dune in the first two seasons of “The Mandalorian,” was fired from the show for her controversial social media posts. Lucasfilm made no secret of why she was canceled, ripping “her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities,” which it called “abhorrent and unacceptable.” Carano’s most controversial message — and the one that appears to have been the final straw — came when she shared an image from Nazi Germany and compared it to today’s overheated political climate. “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…. even by children,” her post stated. 

Overall, no one is safe from cancel culture. People should always be mindful of the things they say or do and should be held accountable for the actions and face the outcomes. We as people of society should not use cancel culture as a way of being toxic and belittle, humiliate, and bully. Cancel culture teaches you that someone is always watching what every move you make and should be fully aware of what cancel culture can affect. 

Sources: Washington Times https://nypost.com/article/what-is-cancel-culture-breaking-down-the-toxic-online-trend/