Cancellation

Funny as it sounds but the next thing that has got to be cancelled is the idea of “cancelling” itself.

Cancel culture must be cancelled. It just has to be.

Quick recap: according to dictionary.com, cancel culture is the phenomenon or practice of publicly rejecting, boycotting, or ending support for particular people or groups because of their socially or morally unacceptable views or actions or it is the shared attitudes and values within a particular segment of society that lead to such public.  

It does not really do anybody any good; it actually worsens the condition of both parties – the accused and the accuser. And I am speaking on behalf of art and media and everything that falls under this category.

Because of this kind of culture and practice people can no longer distinguish good from bad or what is truly wrong from what is just a product of its time. The art of critical thinking is just lost and gone from people. Critical thinking requires reading into the material. In the light of recent events, beloved books written by Dr. Seuss are being cancelled due to their sexist and racist remarks. I am highly against this idea. We as a culture have to first realize that art is a product of its time. Art is a reflection of society and culture. It shows what kind of culture that society has had in the past and how it has grown.

Think of culture and the society as a living organism. As internal and external forces alter the organism, it becomes almost unrecognizable from its original state. Seeing the art in the environment that it was created for and in versus viewing the art in an altogether different environment will generate different perspectives. On top of this, as globalization becomes more and more frequent and the scope larger, more and more individuals from different backgrounds will come to view the art and see it in a completely different lens. The global reach of what was once considered local will now be seen in an environment completely different from where it came from.

This is where education begins.

This is a very good opportunity for people to learn a couple of things. Firstly, about history, culture, and society. People by now should have realized that we are very interconnected with the internet, trade, communications, media, etc.; we are no longer isolated from each other. Individuals from the other side of the planet could easily come into contact with others on the other side. Our cars are Italian and German, our fast food is American, our phones are Korean, our TV shows come from all over the world. What is acceptable in one corner of the world can be looked down in another. As we get further exposed, cultures seep into each and thus influence each other, and that’s why we must teach.

People from different backgrounds introducing their culture to other’s must explain the history of why they do things; the reason why for all that we do. We must also stay educated in our own cultures in order to properly promote it. Then we can determine which of the other’s culture works best with ours. We must be critical in what can enter and what we allow to enter. We must learn about ourselves before we get to know others.

Secondly, we must learn to forgive. As we get to know about ourselves even further, we begin to see the faults and shortcomings that we have been dealt. Probably the immaturity of our youth or the ignorance of our upbringing has caused this lack of knowledge. However, because we are getting to know what we lack we can fill that void and correct it. We must learn to forgive our inadequacies and educate ourselves on what we are lacking. But that doesn’t mean that we will simply let it be.

We should let those who are in the actual wrong know the gravity of their words and actions and that is part of the education. But only where they were wrong. A person’s wrong doing is not the entirety of their being. It might have just been a hiccup; so, this hiccup should be the one that should be penalized. We cant discredit all a person has done for a simple mistake.

Discern.

Be critical.

We aren’t perfect, no one is. And that’s nothing to condemn someone for.