To be canceled: To dismiss something/somebody or to reject an individual or idea.
As of 2018, Bill Cosby, Kanye West, Brother Nature, Cardi B, Laura Lee, and many others have been some of the people that have been canceled by their fans. This is not a new term but has gained traction in the past year.
As people become more socially aware and wanting to be concerned about different issues, when someone does not align with that, they can be automatically cut off.
This can and has at times created a big impact. People are held accountable and at times are burned at the stake socially. Accountability is important but there should also be a component of allowing a person to be aware of the mistakes they make and having the ability to change to do better and be accepted.
There is an importance in being conscious of who you support and being aware of the people you follow that they, for the most part, align with your beliefs. But where is the line when they do not?
The power people have to create these powerful celebrities, influencers, and politicians and to then cancel these people when an idea they don't agree with surfaces is part of the power of society and consumerism. Figures have lost their jobs, network deals, TV shows, or even gone to jail.
People have the ability to write out their every thought on social media, so it becomes immortalized on the internet. Although some of these people deserved to be canceled, such as Bill Cosby who assaulted many women, some others made mistakes at a young age.
The cancel culture limits someone to have growth in their career or online. We have all have changed throughout the course of our lives and hopefully learned to become better people. This includes becoming socially aware of different culture, ideas, and people around us. So how can we grow further if others will keep bringing up our past?
Cancel culture does not allow people to learn from their mistakes, it must be a traumatic event to be isolated from the people that support you over a mistake. That your life is on display for millions of strangers to dissect. That behind a screen people judge even harder and forget that they themselves have mistakes too.
If you were not allowed to analyze your own mistakes, apologize, and learn from it, then would you be who you are today? Would you have grown if someone was constantly degrading you and stopping you?
Depending on the situation, some people do deserve high consequences, but I believe that most people come from a good place and want to learn to change. Is it fighting fire with fire to get someone fired or for someone to lose their school status or rewards?
What you display on the screen does represent you, but it is also not a black-and-white representation of your character. A person is always evolving and learning. With a society that exemplifies social awareness, everyone is trying his or her best. Working to better educate someone and be open to sharing experiences is what will help an individual want to learn more and be less ignorant about the situation.
