Percy Hynes White and the Danger of Cancel Culture: Part 2 — COMMENTARY AND SOLUTIONS

Were there missteps in how Percy Hynes White handled the false accusations? Crisis Experts offer insight and solutions to reclaim reputation.

Image courtesy of Percy Hynes White’s fan, Dominika Jelenciakova (Instagram handle: xmi.nikax) who met White in London in late May 2023.

I’ll delve almost immediately into Part 2 of our two-part write up on Percy Hynes White and Cancel Culture, so if you’re not up to speed, please read Part 1 (EXPLAINER) here.

COMMENTARY & SOLUTIONS

In a Nutshell

Percy Hynes White is a Canadian actor on Netflix’s Wednesday. Essentially, a woman called Aries who’s a stranger to him, and 3 of her bandwagon companions Karis, Desiree and Kayla, along with some other people who couldn’t even name a single victim, started writing fantastical and unsubstantiated allegations towards White, which within hours had reached the world’s ears, courtesy of the internet and White’s extended stoic silence on the matter. (White only released a statement 5 months after the accusations surfaced.)

People started scouring White’s past tweets despite him deleting his entire Twitter account, and exposed some posts and comments/likes that are open to interpretation and for the most part appear innocuous. However some of his content was troublingly misogynistic, where he referred to women as ‘bitches’ and ‘hoes’. And one of his posts appears to be likely blasphemous. These tweets, whether intentionally offensive or not, together with the accusations from the 3 ‘victims’ created less than pleasing optics surrounding White.

Rabid fans from his Wednesday co-stars Jenna Ortega and Emma Myer’s fanbases who were not happy that White was close to Ortega, and wanted Ortega/Wednesday to have a romantic relationship with Myers/Enid (Myer’s character) instead, were then triggered and joined the ruckus as well. (Ortega has maintained that she and White are only friends.)

This Ortega/Myers fan group coupled with the general public worldwide who had heard about the allegations and believed White was guilty, then brought an international assortment of vitriolic netizens with their figurative torches and pitchforks, but with real and unrelenting loathing and venom in their hearts along with savage and spiteful words at their finger tips, to the metaphoric doorstep of not only White, but of his costars, family and friends as well.

These haters/cancellers have been harassing White’s nearest and dearest (mostly his mom Canadian TV Writer-Producer Sherry White) since January 19th 2023, which is when the accusations started.

Even Netflix didn’t escape the hate towards White, and neither did a couple of event organizers who tried to get him to attend European fan conferences recently. Soon, the cancellers had inundated everybody’s socials with harsh and hateful comments, and anyone vaguely connected to him wasn’t spared.

A recent fallout from all this might even be Comic Con Liverpool’s announcement that White will no longer be a guest at their event in October. When the organizers announced his appearance in May, the Con’s socials became filled very quickly with disparaging comments and even threats of violence towards White.

So, in a nutshell: This ruthless attempt at White’s ruination over the last six months started with not a drop of proof but rather with just diabolical lies from the accusers’ end, amplified by Ortega/Myer fans’ detestation of him, and enhanced by White’s ill-advised lengthy silence that made people the world over believe the gossip, lies and misinformation that were freely transmitting all over the internet.

The Crisis of Cancel Culture

Well……….

THIS, is cancel culture in the post #metoo format, propelled by the speed of social media — where anyone who’s never met you can say the most horrendous lies about you, and gullible people will believe the untruths and will swiftly scramble to hate you publicly in an attempt to cancel you.

THIS, is cancel culture where anyone who claims to be a ‘victim’ isn’t examined critically and the alleged criminal isn’t given any form of due process before being condemned to a symbolic death sentence. By the way, ‘believe victims’ doesn’t mean we need to believe blindly, without any examination of the facts, inconsistencies or red flags.

THIS, is cancel culture where Chinese Whispers slather the cake of false accusations with additional layers of spice in the form of contempt, assumptions, and just pure lies, making sure to top the concoction with more intentional falsehoods, purposeful misrepresentation and baloney versions of reality — so much so when it arrives hot out of the oven and is served to more and more of the public to consume, nothing real is recognizable in the taste anymore. Except the public doesn’t know this. And they will judge based on what they’ve been given to eat.

THIS, is cancel culture in that it doesn’t take much, and in White’s case nothing concrete at all, for this movement to become irreversibly destructive to the target.

THIS, is the danger and crisis of Cancel Culture in 2023. And it needs to be stopped immediately.

A Solution in the Making — Using the Law

Most people think defamation is only a tort or civil issue, but interestingly many countries actually have defamation as a criminal offence, with attached prison sentences.

Canada, which is where Percy Hynes White and his accusers hail from, is one such country that considers libel defamation as a criminal activity.

Whilst it is rare for the police to charge someone with criminal defamation, Canada’s last criminal trial for defamation was in 2012, where the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to prison for 3 months — for criminal libel that was far tamer than the false allegations that White’s accusers have heaped on him.

In light of how easily libel and slander — especially libel via social media posts — can absolutely devastate and ruin a person’s life in this new era, I really think more countries should utilize their criminal defamation statutes and charge such malicious netizens as needed, making them criminally liable. What’s the point of having such laws on the books, but not using them at a time when it’s vital we protect victims of defamation from being cancelled over malevolent lies.

And for those countries, like Australia and New Zealand, where defamation is strictly tort, perhaps a review is needed in this day and age where online defamation can cause permanent damage very quickly and very easily, leaving no recourse for victims who can’t afford a civil suit. We should give victims the chance to go to the Police and have the State take care of the harmful defamer.

A Current Solution — Using Crisis Communication

Whilst we wait for our criminal laws to catch up with online defamation that’s occurring everyday, victims of cancellation or hate should be aware that experts do exist that can assist in restoring a victim’s demolished image and reputation. These Crisis Experts tend to work in Public Relations, but specifically in the niche area of Crisis Communication.

Bethany Bloch, Managing Editor of Mutant Communications explains that when someone is being cancelled, especially over untrue claims, a crisis communication strategy should immediately come into place. She tells us, “In instances where brands or individuals are the victim of misinformation or disinformation, they should seize the opportunity to correct any and all wrongful perceptions. They can explain the situation, provide any evidence they have, and set the record straight as calmly, transparently, and quickly as possible — and without being defensive.”

Bloch continues, “Speed and agility are definitely key to moving past calls of cancellation or simply mitigating a communications crisis”.

Crisis management relies on two tenets: to speak early, and speak enough. Both of these weren’t upheld in White’s case, which then made his situation spiral into a further public image and reputation disaster.

Angela Sim, Public Relations Director, from Affluence PR agrees, “If you are innocent, you have to step up and reply as honestly as you can. This actor’s [White’s] agency should have made a holding statement for him. And in the meantime, rush through the details to get another statement out in 24 hours. This is what is meant by crisis. To be addressed ASAP. 24 hours is a good timeframe for companies/individuals who need some cross checking, but saying nothing at all when it first happens and allowing the public to form more opinions and do their own search is very detrimental.”

Sim continues, “All kinds of information, gets picked up and propagated by the internet. If there is misinformation and this misinformation is not balanced with real information, then when you do a search you will only find misinformation, which after some time becomes the ONLY information and thus many people will think it is true.”

This is especially accurate in Percy Hynes White’s case, as neither he or his reps issued any statement, leaving the ONLY information being the MIS-information found on the internet, which was then rallied all over the world, bringing about a mob of cancellers.

Perhaps Crisis Communications isn’t an area in which actors and their team of reps are necessarily proficient. In that case, White and his people could have, and should have, sought the help of Crisis Management Experts early on.

Instead White’s case has become an example of what one should not do when faced with unjustified cancellation:- i.e. never remain silent for months and let misinformation circulate freely, internationally.

Image courtesy of Percy Hynes White’s fan, Dominika Jelenciakova (Instagram handle: xmi.nikax) who met White in London in late May 2023.

Fans Step in to Play Detective

When White refused to say anything for months on end, it was his fans who stepped up to defend him. Tani, 30, a senior researcher in a tech firm from Islamabad in Pakistan and Freddy, 20, an American who is in his third year of university majoring in Multi-Platform Production, were the two loudest defenders in the early days of White’s accusations. Freddy’s clearly defined post where he debunks all the false accusations can still be found pinned to his timeline.

Sim says, “Since he [White] remained silent, they [the fans] did well by replying on his behalf for what they know is the truth. But the effect will be 50% of what the effect would have been if the actor had taken responsibility and steps to reply to these comments himself in the first place. His fans would have loved him more, and become more supportive, and his non fans will start to respect him and perhaps become his fans too. By not saying anything, he created more enemies than fans, and turned some fans into enemies too.”

As much as Tani and Freddy managed to do great detective work (they were the ones who discovered the supposed rape victim Jane that Aries mentioned without naming initially), and they managed to piece together evidence that proved White’s innocence to a certain degree, Sim says that, “By remaining silent, he [White] was not giving his supporters information to defend him.” His fans could only find as much information as they could, having no real ties to White.

It was only when White’s mother Sherry White showed up on Twitter that certain information was made clearer, for eg. that Desiree might not have reported her alleged rapist, who was never charged or convicted, and that Percy Hynes White wasn’t even living in that house at the time the alleged rape occurred. S.White didn’t respond to a request for an interview.

Is White’s Statement Enough?

We know White’s statement was not early, but now that he has released it after 5 months from the initial accusatory tweet, does it say enough? Not likely, as White has avoided addressing many issues such as Karis and Desiree’s claims, general accusations of manipulating girls, as well as his questionable tweets.

According to Sim who has seen his statement, she feels “It’s insufficient. Too generic sounding and doesn’t address any specific issues.”

It’s important when releasing statements meant to clear up misinformation and accusations, that one has to be transparent and tackle every aspect of the allegations. Total transparency is key. White’s statement falls short in that sense.

If You’re Wrong, You’re Wrong

As for the disturbing sexist and disrespectful tweets he made in his youth, fan Freddy explains, “I think that a lot of his past tweets that were shown displayed insensitive humor or unfiltered thoughts that were, quite frankly, made without the consideration of what other people would think/feel about them.”

An apology would do wonders if White regrets how he expressed himself earlier. Sim advises that, “he can apologise for his youth and rashness, and make a statement that his recent life experiences have changed his mind and he urges other youths to be in control of their comments and emotions in order not to hurt others like he has.”

What If I’m NOT Sorry?

We’ve come to expect public apologies from popular figures as long as the majority have been offended, and I am of the opinion that if someone doesn’t feel they’ve done anything wrong, or if they feel there’s nothing for which to say sorry, then one shouldn’t apologize out of pressure or guilt or worse, as a disingenuous attempt to rebuild a public image. Apologies need to be sincere in order to be considered a genuine act of reparation.

If White feels there’s no need to apologise, not even for his sexist or blasphemous remarks, then he shouldn’t do so. He should instead offer an explanation as to why his posts or likes/comments are considered as acceptable. For example, pointing out that those tweets were meant for a close circle of friends or family who weren’t insulted by his words, would suffice as a good enough clarification.

Ultimately, the public would be happier with some explanation over a fake apology.

However, he can’t leave his past tweets unresolved since they’ve already been discovered and are being weaponized by his haters to cancel him.

The Public Awaits

Sim says White should, “apologise where wrong, turn it around into something to learn from, and create content that is more positive to overshadow the negative.” Instead, White has stopped creating content and posting on his Instagram altogether, and has taken down his Twitter page.

By remaining absent from his own Instagram page, White isn’t doing himself any favours in trying to turn the tide on his public image or in remaining connected to his fans, who’ve been going all out to defend him when he couldn’t or wouldn’t.

Some of White’s Twitter fans call themselves collectively as ‘Percy Nation” and on June 3rd they released a statement on Instagram where they said they wondered if White was self sabotaging himself by keeping himself away from the public eye for so long. The statement also said, “We’ve been holding on, but it’s really hard to when we’re essentially talking to the wall.”

They go on to say, “you [White] shouldn’t have to fear the backlash of coming back onto social media because the same dedicated fans are willing to defend you.”

As Sim said, reintegrating himself into social media, and trying to churn out positive content, would be a far better step for White than keeping himself isolated from public engagement.

What is the Next and Final Step?

In any crisis management situation, the necessary final step is to repair damaged reputations, whether self inflicted or damaged by cancel culture. According to Bloch, “when an individual’s reputation is suddenly being dismantled, it is worthwhile to invest in saving it, as much as possible. If nothing else, it will assure people that you’re paying attention, that you’re listening, and that you care.”

Sim advises that White should do a press conference, podcast or an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session, where he can elucidate all unaddressed issues once and for all. This will then give him a clean slate to reinvigorate a positive public reputation. This will also give him the opportunity to be transparent and honest, which the public always appreciates, especially in this case when they’re still unsure of things his earlier statement didn’t qualify.

If White answers all remaining grey areas in a podcast or interview, the general cancellers or the Ortega/Myer fans who despise him will have nothing to hold onto to justify their hate. Unjustified and unsupported hate will usually dissipate quickly.

Crucial Lessons Learnt:

This case study of Percy Hynes White is pertinent in learning what to do and what not to do when one faces cancellation, especially given that we live in an era where any one of us can be hated or cancelled over what we did years ago, in our youth. We also live in a time that half-truths and brazen lies can permeate the globe within hours, and White’s case proves that when that happens, you can’t just sit idly by, without responding.

From the Crisis Management Experts, we also see that there are solutions when you fall from grace, or pushed from grace as in White’s case. Remaining quiet and keeping away from the public eye isn’t the answer to such a predicament. Being absolutely accountable by clarifying everything (and that includes mistakes too), and then churning out positive content, is the way to go to remedy a tarnished reputation/image.

Conclusion

It’ll be interesting to watch the next steps White takes as defamation is a criminal offence in Canada, where he and his accusers lived at the time of the alleged offences. Everyone who falsely accused him could potentially be investigated by the Canadian authorities for criminal libel (and slander in the case of his accuser Jo’s Tik Tok videos). There is a maximum 5 year prison sentence attached to a malicious criminal libel offence in Toronto.

After all, blatant lies from White’s main accusers Aries, Desiree and Karis travelled around the world, convincing haters and cancellers internationally, to step up and undeservedly harass White and everyone he knows. In addition, this might’ve unjustifiably caused White some missed opportunities, work and income. We already know that he was eventually pulled off the Comic Con Liverpool lineup of guests, perhaps due to the excessive amount of hate and resentment his original announcement garnered.

Given the unwarranted and unreasonable negative effect worldwide that the accusers’ libellous false accusations have had on the brand and name of “Percy Hynes White”, perhaps the Toronto Police should be White’s first stop, on his way to reclaiming his reputation and public image.