Cancel Culture Is Toxic
Topics: Culture, U.S.
Public Release Date: November 09, 2021
You know the drill. Someone does, or says, something offensive. A public backlash — typically on Twitter — ensues. Then come the calls to "cancel" that person, brand, or institution. That usually means the loss of cultural cache, political clout, and often a job or career. While the term "cancelling" has roots in a misogynistic joke, it has come to be one of the most prominent tools of progressive activists.
Many see "cancelling" as a modern-day means of holding people to account, calling out injustice, and breaking down ingrained systems of prejudice and exploitation, particularly for the historically marginalized. But others see it differently. They are sounding alarms about the emergence of a new cancel culture where digital mobs police our speech, invade our rights, and even put our physical safety at risk. They argue that cancel culture has created a society ruled by online censorship and eroded our public discourse.
Against this backdrop, we ask: Is cancel culture toxic?
ARGUING YES:
Kmele Foster: Political Commentator, Co-Founder of Freethink
Garry Kasparov: Founder of the Renew Democracy Initiative and former World Chess Champion
ARGUING NO:
Erich Hatala Matthes: Author, Moral Philosophy Professor
Karen Attiah: Washington Post Columnist
MODERATOR:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist