Cancel Culture: The Good, Bad, and Really Ugly

Cancel Culture — a relatively new term that has quickly taken over social media platforms. Cancel Culture refers to the practice of withdrawing support from public figures and companies after they have either done or said something that would be considered offensive or disrespectful. The main goal of “cancelling” someone or something is to hold them accountable for their wrong-doings. What started off as an internet joke, quickly turned into anything but that. With this new social media phenomenon taking over Tik Tok and Twitter specifically, it seems like nobody is exempt from being cancelled.

Cancel Culture came to be around 2017 after the idea of cancelling celebrities for problematic actions or statements became popular. Although still a pretty new term, the trend of calling celebrities and influencers out on their wrong-doings dates back to the early 2010s. Tumblr was a popular platform where users created blogs where they could post pictures, videos, links, and messages, along with the ability to “reblog” or repost other users’ content. At the time, fandom communities made up for most of Tumblr’s users. I was first introduced to fandom communities back when I was in middle school through Tumblr and I remember watching the fights and debates unfold between members of different fandoms. A phrase that came to be from Tumblr was “Your Fave is Problematic” to point out to other users why their favorite celebrity or artist was imperfect. A Tumblr page I found that was created 7 years ago is dedicated specifically to calling out celebrities with photo evidence, screenshots, and bullet points listing what they have said or done wrong.

The Good

Cancel Culture started off with good intentions. It has been incredibly effective at combating issues like sexism and sexual assault as we saw with the #metoo movement. With issues like racism and homophobia people were made aware of their comments and actions and how detrimental they could be to someone. With this idea of cancel culture, people have been able to be held accountable in ways that weren’t possible in the past. For lack of better words, cancel culture prevents shitty people from getting away with doing or saying shitty things.

The Bad

Even though this trend of calling people out for their B.S is nothing we haven’t seen before, it seems like the good intentions behind why Cancel Culture started are forgotten about.

Now, I’m not trying to say that anything I have included below is right or should be forgiven just because these people “apologized” or said they will learn from their mistakes. However, there is a big difference between shedding a light on their wrong-doings and harassing them on different platforms for what they have done. Instead of helping people grow from their mistakes and change for the better, cancel culture is more of a bullying tactic. Sure, in the moment it might seem like the right way and only way to hold someone accountable for their actions, but what do we get from that? There is no push for growth or improvement from the mistakes made when we quickly shut these celebrities and influencers out.

The Really Ugly

In my opinion, the worst part about cancel culture is that is does the exact opposite of what it aims to do. The whole reason this phenomenon came to be is to get people to stand up for what’s right and make their voices heard. Ironically, cancel culture has caused people to be afraid to learn, engage, and speak up due to the fear of being cancelled themselves.

Scandals

Rachael Kirkconnell and her racist past

One of the most recent scandals that took place earlier this year was when racist images resurfaced online involving Bachelor contestant and winner, Rachael Kirkconnell. Kirkconnell appeared on the 25th season of The Bachelor which featured Matt James as the first black Bachelor since the show first aired two decades ago. The show is filmed until the end of the season before it is aired on television. In the final episode, Matt told Rachael he wasn’t ready to propose, however he wanted to leave the show as boyfriend and girlfriend to see where real life together would take them. When the show made national television, rumors and allegations started to come out surrounding Rachael Kirkconnell and her racist comments and actions. Following the news, Rachael was faced with hate comments and harassment from bachelor fans everywhere, even from those who didn’t religiously watch the show. Eventually, Matt broke his silence and explained that following the recent events, he and Rachael decided to go their separate ways.

Tik Tok user @maddyybierster uploaded a video which claims that Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell, who appeared on Matt James’ season as the first Black Bachelor, used to bully her when they attended high school together for liking black men.

Soon after that Tik Tok went viral and users found out she might be racist, Bachelor fans dug up old photos from Rachael’s social media accounts. It was revealed that Rachael had attended an antebellum plantation-themed formal when she attended school at Georgia College & State University.

Chris Harrison steps down as The Bachelor host

It’s only right to follow up one of the biggest television scandals so far this year with yet another scandal related to the same topic that resulted in Chris Harrison being cancelled. With everyone’s eyes on The Bachelor and what had just come out with Rachael Kirkconnell, people wanted to hear long-time Bachelor host, Chris Harrison’s take on the subject. In a virtual interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on Extra, Harrison is asked what his thoughts are about Rachael Kirkconnell and the allegations attached to her. He started his response off with where I’m trying to go while writing this post: is it fair to tear apart someone’s life over a mistake they made? However, he quickly threw himself under the bus by insinuating that her actions weren’t as big of a deal because it occurred in 2018 as opposed to it happening now, in 2021. Harrison was quickly met by backlash from the public and the women who were on the same season as Rachael Kirkconnell for defending her racist actions. Harrison came out with an apology and announced that he was stepping down temporarily as The Bachelor host while he takes time to educate himself on his mistakes.

Interview between former Bachelorette contestant Rachel Lindsay and former Bachelor/Bachelorette host Chris Harrison where he is asked about the controversy surrounding Rachael Kirkconnell.

Apologies and Statements

With every “cancellation” usually comes a written apology, statement addressing the rumors, or video uploaded to some social media platform. Whether the apology be released the day after the scandal or two weeks after, it seems like once cancelled, these celebrities can do nothing right. Take James Charles for example; a popular Youtuber and make up guru who rose to fame in 2015. He has been the center of many scandals in the past, and honestly, he is the only person I have seen that can get cancelled five times in one week. He recently found himself in yet another scandal in which he was accused of talking to underage boys. Charles came out with a statement on his social media platforms and even posted a 14 minute long video explaining the rumors that were circulating about him. Even after talking about the rumors and explaining the situation in which he defends himself, the comments under the video are nowhere near forgiving and accepting.

James Charles posted this apology video titled “Holding myself accountable” in response to the rumors going around that he was talking to underage boys.

Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell issued an apology via Instagram after images of her attending an Old South antebellum-themed party surfaced online.

Chris Harrison’s apology via Instagram after he faced backlash for defending Rachael Kirkconnell’s actions.

So, where do we go from here?

Due to its fear and shame factor, cancel culture poses a toxic way to hold public figures accountable for their actions which ultimately leads to fear rather than genuine change. Former President Obama touched upon cancel culture while speaking at an event in 2019. He explained that cancel culture promotes the idea that a person is no better than the worst choice they ever made. Rather than being so quick to cancel, individuals should make a stance to educate and promote growth instead of creating fear of being cancelled. At some point we need to realize that everyone makes mistakes. Yes, some may be way worse than others, but in the end we are all human and deserve the chance to become better versions of ourselves.

Questions to consider after reading:

1. Do you think Cancel Culture is always the appropriate measure to take when addressing people’s actions/mistakes?
2. Most of these celebrities and influencers issue apologies, statements, or videos acknowledging what they have done wrong only after being “cancelled”. Do you believe that these public statements are genuine or are they just a way to clear their name from the current scandal that they’re involved in?
3. Have you ever been a fan of someone or something that was “cancelled”? Did this cause you to have different views about the person or brand or did your opinions remain the same?