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Navigating Cancel Culture
Cancel culture has both been praised for holding the powerful to account but also blamed for creating a climate where talent and industry executives are afraid to speak their minds. makers investigates the rise and ramifications of cancel culture.
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avigating the culture wars is no easy task. From US comedian Dave Chapelle through to Harry Potter author JK Rowling, numerous celebrities have been cancelled for what they have said in recent years. Simply put, cancel culture is the idea of taking away support for an individual, brands, shows and movies due to what some consider to be offensive or problematic remarks or ideologies.
Sometimes this can have damaging financial and professional consequences. Other times, there seems to be little long term affect. Some see participating in cancel culture as the most effective way to hold public figures to account, especially if no other lawful way appears to be working. The term became popular with the #MeToo movement, as public figures such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and R. Kelly were all cancelled due to allegations of sexual abuse. 152
Since then, cancel culture has made its way into mainstream vocabulary. The verb ‘to cancel’ entered the official Merriam-Webster dictionary earlier this year. Last year, J.K Rowling was cancelled for a succession of online posts and activities that have been labelled as transphobic by many LGBTQ+ activists and organisations. This year, Bourne Ultimatum star Matt Damon told The Sunday Times that he only recently stopped using a homophobic slur commonly used to refer to gay men after his daughter told him it was dangerous – leading to widespread criticism and a clarification from Damon. Brands have been affected too. Starbucks was cancelled for telling employees not to wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts and badges. Pancake brand Aunt Jemima was cancelled last year for perpetuating racist stereotypes. In response, Quaker Oats, the owner of the brand, announced it would retire the name.
