"ENTERTAINERS DO HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON THEIR AUDIENCE, WHETHER IT IS IN CHANGING POSITIONS OR CONFIRMING BIASES"
Over the past few years, many of our lives have been pulled out of their respective vacuums to face the harsh realities of other lived experiences. When comedians decide to wade into these discussions, why should they be any different? But there is another side to this: can accountability go too far, and what is too far? Cancel culture has been born out of the idea that one’s access to success and influence is not only cut off, but is reversed. The person being “cancelled” is publicly shut down for the harm they have exacted, and it’s a tough line to walk. Who should be held accountable, and what does accountability look like? The second season of The Morning Show on Apple TV+ explores this discussion (spoilers ahead). In Season 2, disgraced morning show host Mitch Kessler is a shell of his former self. He is living alone in a mansion in Italy, away from his family, and trying to lay low. He continues to be recognized in public and encounters people trying to engage him on social media for further notoriety. Just prior to his sudden death, Mitch admits he wants to do better and be a better person; he doesn’t want to harm anyone else. Upon his death, his former colleagues struggle with understanding how they can give themselves the permission to grieve a friend when that friend was responsible for so much harm. Some people find themselves embarrassed when their comments from the past – maybe years and sometimes decades old – come to the surface. Do people deserve to publicly learn and rehabilitate their image when their intentions are genuine? If they have demonstrated a journey of learning over those years, should they still undergo harsh public criticism? The reality is that marginalized folks gain nothing from excluding anyone from a journey of learning and getting better, but not everyone has the capacity to accept that. No one needs permission to do any of that – but we should have the maturity and intellect to understand the impacts of either decision. That is at the root of any movement or any advancements that marginalized communities have made. We need individuals outside of our communities with more power than us, to understand our experiences and to help. Sometimes that means we need to interact with people who have, either intentionally or through ignorance, caused some harm to us and to others. The concept of allyship is designed to make this learning journey welcoming and understandable. Some roll their eyes at the word, or words like reconciliation, because in a way they minimize and overly reward folks who are on these journeys, and place them on pedestals to be celebrated. But if it takes the participation award that comes with a label like allyship, is that really such a negative thing when the upside is much greater? When do comments go too far? When does accountability go too far? How do you react when you’re challenged? What do you do with your learns? What does accepting someone’s learning journey look like? These are all questions we need to ask of ourselves when participating in discourse around social justice and when we hold people accountable. It’s also something entertainers should understand. Participation isn’t a one-way street.
TRISTAN COOLMAN is based in the suburbs of York Region north of Toronto. He works full-time in retail by day, volunteers with Pflag York Region in his spare time, and desperately tries to keep his succulents alive in between. Follow @pflagyorkregion on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; follow Tristan at @iamcoolman on Instagram, @tristancoolman on Twitter.
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to him are comedy gold, and he gives his audience permission to laugh at the harm to others. Chapelle has shared in great detail his experience with anti-Black racism, and it’s hard not to be drawn in by these deeply touching moments in his comedy that make you think. He expertly navigates anti-Black racism in his acts, but he continues to exploit the lived experiences of trans and other queer folks. The last time he left the stage, he left because people were laughing for the wrong reasons. We’re still laughing for the wrong reasons – but his lack of understanding for trans and other queer lived experiences prevents him from understanding that. That is the basis for perpetuating hate and, in this case, it’s transphobic, homophobic and more.
