Intolerance toward opposing ideas is a huge issue right now. People throw around the words “hate” or “bigot” when someone has an unpopular opinion on social topics. This leads to the phenomenon known as “cancel culture.” Canceling someone is not a new idea. Celebrities and companies have always been criticized for speaking out on controversial topics. As people spend more time on social media, there seems to be an increase in trying to “cancel” people with different opinions. It’s quite an extreme reaction to try and ruin someone’s career simply because you disagree with them. Cancel culture is one of the main reasons the U.S. is so divided right now. That’s why cancel culture needs to be canceled.
The rise of cancel culture
Cancel culture is defined as the withdrawal of support from a public figure or company because of their actions or statements. But it goes beyond that. When a group tries to cancel someone, they usually want to ruin their career and end their livelihood. This often happens because someone speaks out against a controversial topic. Recent events have led to the proposed “cancellation” of social media influencers, celebrities, and other public figures. With the ease of spreading information through social media, people can reach a larger audience. This makes it easier to try to cancel those they disagree with. The results of attempts at cancellation usually leads to hateful messages, calls for boycotts, and sometimes threats of violence. We all need to learn ways to deal with opposition instead of trying to cancel others.
The opposite of what America stands for
As a nation, we should embrace individuality and differences. This means that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Anyone can disagree with others’ opinions but it doesn’t make those opinions invalid. It’s so easy to click away from social media when you see something you don’t agree with. The same goes for movies, TV shows, and other types of media. We aren’t forced to watch or read things that we don’t like. So why does anyone feel the need to try to cancel others simply because they have a different opinion? America was founded on the idea of individual freedom. This means you have the ability to think what you want. Even if what you think is unpopular. Tolerance is key. And it goes both ways. If we can’t tolerate opposing ideas, we can never learn to live alongside those who are different.
Do you know why cancel culture needs to be canceled? Because our country will never have peace if we can’t learn to accept differing ideas. As a civilized society, we have to learn to disagree with others civilly. We need to embrace, or at least tolerate different opinions, not try to cancel them. When mob mentality and group shaming takes over, like it does in a cancel culture, no one wins. Public figures, influencers, and corporate leaders are human. They have opinions and allowed to share or not share based on their beliefs. Canceling someone simply because they have a different opinion goes against the foundation of our country. These ideals are what gives everyone the freedom to have different opinions and to voice them. As Americans, we need to realize how lucky we are to have these freedoms when so many others around the world do not.
