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 wi…
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