Article on my views a couple years later..
I did a miniTED talk on cancel culture in front of my classroom for an assignment a couple years ago and I was searching through my files tonight and found the script that I wrote for that presentation. And as I was reading through my script, I felt the need to say a few words on it.
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Back in the day, when we hear the word ‘cancel’, we would think of non-living things. Maybe your meeting got canceled or your dentist had something to do. You cancel an order after you change your mind and don’t want whatever you bought anymore. Perhaps your favorite TV show got canceled because it didn’t bring in good ratings. When something gets canceled, it goes away.
But in the latest use of the word, you can cancel people, mainly celebrities, politicians or anyone who is deemed as a public figure. To cancel someone means to withdraw support for public figures and companies after they have done or said something objectionable or offensive. It is a modern form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles- either online on social media, in the real world or both. The term has also been added to Merriam-Webster’s “Words We’re Watching” list.
How would you usually cancel someone? Here are 5 steps on how to cancel someone.
Step 1: Pick a random public figure to cancel, no matter dead or alive. It is preferable to pick someone with a large fanbase as it would add to your army of cancellers.
Step 2: Resurface screenshots of tweets, pictures or videos from years ago and start tweeting using the hashtag #___IsOverParty or #Surviving___. If that certain public figure is involved in a ‘drama’ with someone else, start picking sides and add fuel to the fire.
Step 3: Wait for the victim to respond and make an apology video or share their ‘receipts’, which are evidence that has not been shared and contains mostly screenshots of private messages. Make sure to find every fault in the apology video or create fake ‘receipts’ to further complicate the situation.
Step 4: Unsubscribe, unfollow, remind people that this certain public figure is ‘canceled’ and that supporting them is wrong until this person either bounces back or stays canceled.
Step 5: Repeat Step 1
