Cancel culture.
You’re probably familiar with the term.
It’s a trending topic these days. By trending, I mean it’s the subject of much analysis, chatter and gnashing of teeth on social media sites like Twitter as well as, to varying degrees, on traditional media sites.
A Bloomberg Opinion piece by Pankaj Mishra summed up “cancel culture” quite neatly with this: “A cacophony of new voices are just making it harder for famous and powerful people to blather on about all sorts of things without interruption.” The headline reads: No, Cancel Culture Isn’t a Threat to Civilization
The subject has been trending since a bunch of rich and quite possibly pandemically bored people, including writers Margaret Atwood and J.K. Rowling, whined recently in a statement about the blowback they get when they trot out opinions on Twitter and other social media platforms.
It’s laughable, isn’t it, in a dark sort of way?
While the pandemic rages on and the earth burns in real time, some “famous and powerful people” are consumed by and distracted by the pettiness of virtual reality.
Regular readers here know how I feel about the barnyard that is Twitter. It’s a mad, mad, mad world. It can make you crazy.
Click, click.
— Jillian
Jillian Page 
My twitter presence is intermittent, my following minute. I’d be difficult to cancel.
Rowling, et al, are just now discovering there are lots of people who take political or philosophical differences very personally? And think that destroying someone instead of debating them is perfectly ok? That only means they are not very savvy about today’s political climate.
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This is so “liberal snowflake” driven….little babies who simply can’t deal with any offending views other than their own.
Sadly we are watching the downfall of free speech!
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the BIGly is what you consider “hate speech” %O%@
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“Sadly we are watching the downfall of free speech!”
… then, you don’t understand free speech.
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Unfortunately cancel culture isn’t limited to the online world. Voices are being silenced offline, and people are losing their jobs for making what used to be benign statements. Also, women who dare to venture an opinion receive more than “blowback.” Check the responses to JK Rowling’s tweets.
Fred: I don’t know about the other signatories to the letter, but Rowling is perfectly aware of what happens when one dares speak a “politically incorrect” opinion. She doesn’t mind debate, but as you pointed out, it’s almost impossible to have one in today’s toxic climate.
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Agreed. But, as the saying goes: “you don’t have to watch; and can turn IT off”. All though with gadzillions of satellites and phone towers, and E. Musk, there is little escape; if at all %|%@
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There’s obviously no filter in a faceless social media world. Anything goes with opinionS because chances are you’ll never get your head bashed in by people who disagree or get hurt by one’s statements.
That’s the new culture, and many countries/societies are all following suit.
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the beauty of IT is though, is you never know when or where you will be blown away. But, those are the odds %D
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