The Ugliness of Cancel Culture

I felt compelled to author this in response to recent events taking place at my university, a single case of the much broader dangerous culture shift I’ve observed taking place in my generation. As the title of this post may have given away, I am of course talking about “cancel culture.” Cancel culture is a form of social ostracism most prevalent through social media platforms that my generation, the Zoomers, actively participate in. After having witnessed cancel culture taking place at my own university, I am thoroughly disgusted by these events; I am disappointed at my peers’ participation in it; and I am ashamed of my own inaction to do something about it.

To summarize the situation, the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM) is our school’s student government and recently held elections for positions. One of the candidates for president was a devout Christian and right-wing Republican, and although I personally might disagree with their political beliefs, I can at least acknowledge that they are well-meaning and have the best interests of the students at heart from their own point of view. Our student body, being verbally and unapologetically liberal, dug into this candidate’s political beliefs and publicly shamed them on social media platforms. This candidate was cancelled. Their campaign was driven into the ground. They were attacked, cyberbullied, and cancelled to the point of their mental health deteriorating so badly that they had to be hospitalized.

It frustrates me to write this. This entire situation was taken too far. This was the ugliness of cancel culture. Bobcats, you ruined a man’s life just because he had different political beliefs than you. Bobcats, you attacked and cyberbullied a man so harshly and so unapologetically fierce and with such great verbosity that he ended up in the hospital. Do you see what you’ve done now? Do you understand how unproductive and detrimental your witch hunts are? I am ashamed, right now, to be affiliated with you people.

Our generation is so quick to see an individual who doesn’t conform to our political ideologies or ways of life and attack them for being the way that they are. Such hypocrites we are! We walk around with badges that proclaim inclusivity and love and diversity and all your typical feel-good double rainbow virtues, yet the moment someone is different, they are ostracized and attacked with hatred. How can you claim to be inclusive and loving when you savagely and unfairly attack people whose worldviews are different than yours? You don’t care about the values you signal – you merely preach them for clout and superficial influence or perhaps even more scarily: out of fear of being ostracized and “cancelled” yourself.

To attack an idea is one thing, but to attack a person is another. Cancel culture has proven itself time and time again to be ugly and nothing more than bloodthirsty rabid dogs leaping onto targets to claim their pound of flesh. The events that have unfolded at our university are disgusting. All participants should be ashamed of themselves.

I was so disappointed when I logged on Facebook and saw a post on our student group page with 21k+ members of the candidate being cancelled by the people that I knew, by the people that I trusted. I saw comments and reactions and so much chatter from so many people who I once affiliated with and once called “friends” actively participating in hate, actively participating in cyberbullying. These were the people I chose to be friends with? These were the people I chose to be around?

Real change comes through education, not through hate. By attacking your opponents, you do nothing productive but make them dig deeper into their existing ideologies because they see your side as hostile and morally corrupt which – admit it – you are. If you want someone to see things from your point of view, then it’s important to foster and encourage civil discussion. It’s important to understand through love, not hate, why a person thinks the way that they do. Just as much as it’s important to share your viewpoints with others, it’s important for others to share their viewpoints with you. You see someone whose political beliefs are different than yours? Sit down and have a coffee with them and talk about it. Discuss. Educate. Learn about them, and teach them about you.

To cancel someone, to bully them just for the way that they believe, is unproductive, detrimental, and more than anything else, a statement to how little you actually care about the beliefs you claim to uphold.

I’m disappointed in my peers who participated in this. I know that some of them read my blog. I want them to know that I’m disappointed. I want them to reflect on these events and understand why they’re hypocrites for what they did, for what they do, and for what they hopefully won’t do again.

The world is full of hate. Let’s fill it with love. The world is full of ignorance. Let’s fill it with understanding. The solution is education, discussion, and open-mindedness, not this ferocious and ugly “cancelling.” Our generation is next in line to change the world. This world is ours to save. Think about the people that you’re becoming. This needs to stop.