Does cancel culture improve society?

Photo by Markus Winkler

At its core, cancel culture identifies and moderates what’s considered by some to be immoral behavior or speech. It’s about restoring virtue in society through punishment and shame, by holding perpetrators accountable.

Of course it’s predicated on the belief that the canceller’s moral outlook is superior to the person they are targeting.

The cancellations tend to follow a certain pattern:

First comes the public shaming. That can involve a series of unfortunate events, like pile-ons, threats, mocking, public humiliation, harassment, and so on. This shaming ritual is only limited by the imaginations of the perpetrators.

Then comes the distancing phase. The time-honored custom of unfollowing. Friends stop talking to friends, ghosting them—particularly common if they had borrowed money. Don’t expect any party invitations. You’re going to be staying home alone. But Macaulay Culkin turned out just fine, right?

You also no longer have to go to work…on account that no one will hire you. And if you currently have a job, the mob will start a letter writing campaign to your employer to ensure you’re fired. Literacy is alive and well! But don’t worry, life’s pretty good without having that 9 to 5. Only problem is that maybe paying rent is a little tricky and mac and cheese isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’re on day 80 of that meal regime.

And then there’s the final destination. Some who have been cancelled in the worst ways take it to the grave. Literally. And permanently.

Like prison, these consequences can serve as a deterrent to engaging in ways not deemed morally correct by the puritans—though unlike a court, the judge, jury and executioners are the mob.  The thing is: Mobs aren’t particularly well-known for being wise or for practicing restraint.

And how do we determine which transgressions need punishing?  How do we control the severity? And while it makes some sense for those who know their actions or speech are a crime at the time of offense, many are caught off-guard.

But there’s no forgiveness. No path towards redemption and re-entry into polite (and impolite) society. No statute of limitation. No repaying debt to society. No rules, really.

What is the end goal we’re looking to achieve? Remove them from society? Take away their livelihood? And what is the natural conclusion of that? How does one survive without employment? A starvation diet is always an option. Homelessness, too. Or government support, perhaps? Hey—guess who foots the bill.

When it comes to cancellations, how does society benefit? Well, it certainly sends a warning. It makes people feel virtuous and better than the person being targeted for cancellation.  I mean, who doesn’t like feeling superior? But does that hit of dopamine justify the reputational assassination?

Would a conversation not be more productive in terms of challenging someone else’s thoughts and actions—perhaps even changing their trajectory?   Isn’t promoting personal growth over termination more useful?

Sure, some people will never change—but we can always give a second chance, and then shoot them down later, right? A moving target makes for better shots.

And what about the systems that promote, attract, or hide bad behaviors? Perhaps changing those incentive structures and overall culture would cultivate better behaviors. Sure, it takes a bit more effort to change them…but it seems like it would have overall better results for society than using private citizens for target practice. And, yes, even celebrities.

Cancel culture may seem like a sharp tool for sculpting a better society for the puritans to enjoy, but it’s truly a blunt instrument and not particularly well-sterilized, so it infects everything.

So why not trade the pitchforks for genuine conversations and opportunities for change, as well as tackling systemic issues that lead to bad patterns of behavior as opposed to just casting spells on individuals. Sure, it takes more effort than retweeting a call-out post, but it seems like it’s just a little more…useful…you know?

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