Cancel culture has gotten out of hand. Examining why cancel culture is not beneficial.
By Aliyah Brown, Staff Reporter
The term “cancel culture” refers to the trend in which social media users are prepared to use one adverse action by a public figure to justify writing them off as bad people forever. But when does that become toxic?
In today’s “cancel culture,” accusations are often made before it is clear whether or not the individual in question committed the claimed wrongdoing. In most cases, the accused is assumed guilty unless proven innocent, at which point the debate over the allegation dies.
An example of this that comes to mind is the case of singer/songwriter Janet Damita Jo Jackson, commonly known as Janet Jackson. At the end of her 2004 Super Bowl halftime performance, singer/songwriter Justin Timberlake was supposed to pull part of Jackson’s top off, but a wardrobe malfunction caused Jackson’s breasts to be exposed on live television to over 140 million people.
The Federal Communications Commission received 500,000 complaints, CBS was fined $550,000, and the NFL was ordered to restore the $10 million charge to the halftime sponsor. The blame game ensued. As a result, Jackson was prohibited from taking part in any future Super Bowls, was obligated to issue a public apology, and several radio and television stations withdrew her song from rotation.
What was meant to be flavor added to the performance turned into Jackson’s worst nightmare as it became the most-searched performance in 2004 and 2005, breaking the record for “most-searched event over one day.”
In 2004, Jackson was incorrectly “canceled,” while Timberlake was virtually unaffected by popular opinion. On the contrary, Timberlake’s record sales soared. Later that year, in an interview, he said “if you consider it 50-50, then I probably got 10% of the blame. I think America is harsher on women. I think America is unfairly harsh on ethnic people.”
I think people like Jackson should be given second opportunities to learn from their mistakes before being completely written off by the internet. Many individuals were raised in homes where the experience taught them that acting the way they do is normal. Instead of vocally criticizing someone or seeking to harm their professional image, I feel it is more helpful to try to educate them constructively. In a society where no one is perfect, everyone should be given a fair chance to demonstrate their ability to grow for the better. The problem emerges when the person in question persistently refuses to learn from their past mistakes.
Bullying is never acceptable; nonetheless, several individuals have come forward to report that followers have harassed them and even claimed to have their addresses. But, when do I think “canceling” a person is okay or even encouraged?
American musician, songwriter, and record producer Robert Sylvester Kelly, also known as R. Kelly, was accused in 2002 of being a sex offender and convicted of racketeering and various sex charges. In 2019, a three-part documentary titled “Surviving R. Kelly” shed light on the experiences of several of his victims in the years before his incarceration. Because he was an iconic singer, many people were astonished and reluctant to write him off forever. Some even pushed for “separating the art from the artist,” whatever that means.
Nevertheless, someone who committed crimes that continue to affect many women should not have the right to a platform and should definitely be canceled by society. In this case, such horrid individuals should be given no energy or forgiveness. They should be blacklisted and removed from the internet.
This toxic cancel culture chooses to ignore heinous cases like R. Kelly’s but is quick to write off Jackson for something out of her control. Instead of publicly shaming someone like Jackson for an honest mistake or accident, it’s better to address the issue in a manner that guides them to comprehend their faults.
Instead of working with a person to help them avoid repeating a mistake, our culture is preoccupied with pointing out their shortcomings and letting them experience the pain of doing so. I think we as a society should be teaching and learning alongside one another instead of submitting to sending hateful messages and calling on the whole internet to join in. This whole idea of “canceling” a person needs to change if it only applies to people like Jackson and not criminals like R. Kelly.
