Canceled

Written By: Hanna Pinang, Ameedah Adeyinka, Jimena Valdez, Minh Bac, Stephanie Manrique, and Ester Atani

Editor: Ezekiel Akinosu and Mujeebat Gbolahan

Published: October 17, 2022

          Like a man with a blindfold, cancel culture leaves everyone clueless. From Logan Paul to Jordan Peterson, a plethora of famous individuals have been booted off most social media platforms, or better known as being “canceled.” All of these people have the same thing in common; they were famous and they did or said something that they should not have. Cancel culture is contrary to all human understanding and a parasite to society due to the fact that it neglects human nature, selectively targets individuals based on their status and social viewpoints, and its false image of reality. 

​

          The issue with cancel culture is not that it emphasizes accountability but rather that it has muddled accountability through the practice of shaming and attacking people for their missteps. As Helen Lopez — an 11th grader at AECHS — puts it when asked about her definition of cancel culture, “I think it is when someone does something that is wrong according to social standards then people attack them, tell them that it is wrong in order to get their point across to the person who did something wrong.” A person’s error serves to underline their human nature and that does not justify berating, punishing or isolating them.  

​

          Ready to strike, the community is challenged by the different points of views of the audience. Who should we stand with? What should we do? What actions are taken?. As Francheska Romero – an 11th grader at AECHS — states “I think cancel culture picks and chooses who they want to cancel and people may apologize online but in real life, they’re going to be the same. Some people change but once a person is in that mindset, they are not going to change.” Not only could this leave a permanent reputation, but the life of a child, a student, or any person could be destroyed in a matter of minutes.

​

          How effective is cancel culture? Several public figures tend to recognise their wrong doings only when they are called out for it. They take a month or two off of social media and feed fans a tear filled apology claiming to be a new person. They are then forgiven by their viewers and sooner or later, they repeat such actions and the cycle continues. Jason Beltran — a 12th grader at AECHS — stated, “No, cancel culture is strictly online. I don't think any purpose of it is reflected in real life society since people who are canceled don't really learn anything. They are only stripped from their fame, not really changed as a person.” The cancel culture system is only a temporary solution to an issue at hand therefore, it is not as effective as it may seem. The public believes that by humiliating or disrespecting others, they are resolving the problem, yet this is simply cyberbullying.

​

          In essence, cancel culture completely disregards the root of the problems and targets one person when there are thousands who do the same things but face no repercussions due to their lack of fame. It is time for change. In our polarized nation, people must be willing to embrace civility.