Destroyed in a day, Wreaked for life Nathan Yip

As many are quick to understand, Cancel Culture is rising fast and affecting vast stretches of media in all forms. Simple tweets, texts, messages, and jokes can suddenly lead to a collapse of one’s livelihood should a group of people disagree with one another. One prime example of recent Cancel Culture is Hollywood actor, Johnny Depp, who had been accused of abusing his now ex-wife, Amber Heard; though recent evidence today suggests the opposite. The new turn of events has caused public outrage among certain groups of supporters for Amber, as they have attempted to “Cancel” anyone who disagrees with their opinion. Regardless of what one may think, it is in our human right to hold freedom of speech, and the majority of those who support Amber seem to revoke that right, not politically, but socially… There are many other examples as well, such as those who support certain political groups in the US where entire independent streaming services were threatened to be “Cancelled” by the government itself for refusing to show political ads; Independant streaming services that had no connection to the government. 

        For those who do not know what Cancel Culture is; those who say certain things that a vast majority do not agree with or like are often persecuted online, harassed, tormented, abused, and attacked directly, even threatened. Their households are tracked and their identities leaked online to the public, and their jobs are lost; often over a simple tweet, or out-of-line joke. As much as some may deserve such treatment in some rare cases, it is still abhorrent and wrong. In recent days, a small minority of those who support newer ideologies that have begun to be normalized, such as feminism, trans, veganism, and other such ideologies, have abused such a social system to attack and silence those who dissagree with them. Now more than ever, Cancel Culture has made it more apparent and devastating to know that, during our age of information and connectivity, we are separating… 

        A large portion of Cancel Culture can also be referred to as, and often leads to boycotting, in which an individual is forced into hiding from society due to public backlash from a certain event that occurred. Sometimes, one they hadn’t even been part of or known about. Some people have such power and influence to simply point their fingers towards anyone they so choose, and immediately silence them in their entirety with the abuse of free speech. Such a right is a treasure for us all to behold, but it is one thing to cherish it, and another to abuse it for personal gain. Some use free speech online as a method to claim influence, glory, and power over others while hiding behind a screen, and by typing a few letters on a keyboard and hitting enter, can ruin someone’s life forever, silencing them and their followers in the process… Not only are our livelihoods at risk, but so too, is our freedom of speech…

        Although it is rare, some can recover from Cancel Culture, and become “uncancelled”, though it is often difficult and rigorous, depending on the severity of the cause… Johnny Depp for example, managed to recover via a lawsuit against Amber Heard, resulting in a more in-depth analysis and investigation, and revelation of the truth. Regardless however, it is incredibly difficult to even return back to normalcy after being Canceled by Cancel Culture; even long after the event that unfolded, people have likely already smeared information all over the internet, and it only takes a small group of people to recognise a familiar face to send them back into hiding once again. 

        The effects of Cancel Culture on the people involved and affected can be degenerating, awful, and immoral. Most affected in such a way may become depressive, antisocial, paranoid, confused, and mentally frustrated and stressed; the effect of which could lead to suicide if left untreated or cared for, especially following the rise of death threats. The mental effect of Cancel Culture on those affected is nothing to be understated, and is deeply an immoral and cruel way to treat any human being. So, that begs the question, what is the Canadian Government and our social services doing about this? Not very much unfortunately, but it is difficult when dealing with problems such as this. There is only so much one can do without opening controversy upon themselves as well; at its worst, it may result in rioting, though with the actions the Government is taking, it is very unlikely anything as extreme as that will happen. If the Government says something wrong, or does the wrong thing, it may worsen the situation, yet, it would also be hypocritical of the government to take away Free Speech from others as well. Cancel Culture is a terrible thing that exists in our modern society, where we should be more connected than separated, but some are simply unable to understand what it means to be the other person; and that it is completely ok to attack, torment, harass, and destroy someone and their lives over a simple text message…

So, in conclusion, should we be worried? It depends on where you stand… Those who are popular, or are upstanding activists and speakers may be in more trouble than those who aren’t well known online, in the country, or the world at large; but it is best if we remain weary and careful. A single misunderstood tweet, unsavvy message, or an outspoken opinion on a controversial topic could spiral out of proportion. As unfortunate, difficult, and horrible as it stands, our Freedom of Speech is still, to this day, under attack by Cancel Culture, leaving many victims at the mercy of the internet, and the celebrities and manipulators that control its social environment… Until Cancel Culture is taken down, and humanity can properly see one another as people online or in the real world, we may be forced to tread lightly, or be silenced.