The Overview (Supported by Cosmology and Theology)

This observation comes across me, from time to time, that folk just are not satisfied with the old tried and tested phrases and feel the need to make up new ones. This in turn gives an opportunity for other folk to become all excited about the new one. Some are for it, others are not. Both sides invoke the overused word ‘Freedom’. Then follows the process where another group of folk decide to comment on the new term and analyse it backwards, forwards and upside down. In consequence everyone involved piles in and the pitch  becomes febrile. At this point social media’s version of nuclear fusion takes place and a ‘star’ is born ; the term becomes a new stellar object in the said social media firmament. The public looks and sees it is ‘good to use’, memes like planets are born out of the dust. The Cosmic analogy is completed. Let there be posts and tweets. And on the Seventh Day, no one rested for fear of being left out. (See- Religion and Science are always there and make such good partners).

So, this Cancel Culture.

Somebody says something controversial or outrageous in the public domain. Someone else takes offense which is likely to be justifiable or possibly understandable and says so in the public domain. The offended person gets a lot of support. The person who made the remark might default to ‘Freedom’ and will get their own support base, and the whole becomes the latest ‘thing’ on sections of social media with both sides hurling accusations in all directions, the meantime others will take neither side but make those analytical comments on ‘Cancel Culture’. You will note by now the particular cause is imitating the life cycle of the Social Media label under which it resides.

Those who object to the original remark will then adopt this notion that they will no longer have anything to do with the person who made the remark and urge others to do so in the secret hope that the originator becomes as social non-person who nobody will like or listen to. Human Nature being what it is they sometimes make such a noise that they raise the originator’s profile, who then becomes a lightining rod for those who have issues with the social / racial / political / theistic  base of those who are objecting. This will be advantageous for the person who made the comments if their social media stock has been falling, and if they are very astute they will set up a You Tube ‘Thing’ or a podcast about how dangerous this Cancel Culture is to ‘Freedom’. They will then have achieved a social media prize of being from henceforth being associated with the ‘Cancel Culture’ debate. This does come with a certain dangerous caveat for some unhinged by too much social media to feel ‘Cancel’ should be taken to the extreme, ie removal of the deemed ‘offender’ from this mortal world.

It is often assumed this debate takes on a simple Right / Left dynamic. This would be incorrect. Treading into the social media minefield I would cite the case of J R Rowland (UK Labour Party Supporter; Anti-Brexit; Feminist, Target of the US Religious Right) who entered the transgender debate and started off a firestorm, which carries on these days in a multi-layered fury which divides already persecuted groups and only benefits homophobic misogynists. Comics with either Left leaning or anarchic-lite views also come into this region.

So Cancel Culture

Or Ostracism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism

Or Boycott? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott

Or Shunning, or outlaw, or persona non grata, or non-person, or?

Truth be known, nothing new here folks. For many a year, decade, century and beyond aside from the big political, social or religious movements it’s been living under the banner of ‘Naah. I don’t like them. Wouldn’t go and see them /listen to them / read them, if you paid me’ and that would take on its own popular tone, and the rest of Life went on. It would be ugly where someone in a community broke that community’s own taboos or ways and would be cut out. Nothing new here folks. Humanity in action. Sometimes a question of taste, sometimes unpleasant, other times quirky.

I’ve been cancelling folk in my own personal world for years. Aside from my poor wife putting up with the ‘Not having that (bad word) speaking in my house’ outburst. I keep it mostly to myself. Why raise their profile any higher by making an issue out of my choice. Hands up those who embargo persons or subjects in a similar fashion……… Thought so.

In my socially dyspeptic view the term ‘Cancel Culture’ is simply nothing less than a marketing ploy to add zest to a cause or profile. For Pity’s Sake if Trump is using it as an excuse to snake-oil sell his hypocrisies under the guise of this ‘CC’ being a threat to Freedom (there’s that word again) then you know it’s a term which has no discernible new ethical value.

I therefore give this out to you as my own advice. If someone uses the term Cancel Culture as a concern or is critical of it as a threat to ‘Free Speech’ (another questionable term), ask yourself this…

‘What’s in it for them?’