7/8/22

People who oppose cancel culture are capable of doing the exact same things they are critical of.

Group dynamics, loyalty tests, purity tests, posturing, in-group out-group dynamics, unhealthy approaches to conflict and disagreement, icing out or “soft cancelling”-

The thing about the cancel culture

conversation is that it isn’t just about toxic social justice culture, it isn’t about any group at all- it’s about fundamental human traits that have served evolutionary purposes.

So unlearning “cancel culture” isn’t just about leaving toxic social justice spaces.

It’s about honest self-assessment and alignment with your values.

And if you were an active participant in cancel culture it’s about examining why and what got you there.

Because such tactics have served an evolutionary purpose to maintain social cohesion, it’s something that takes honest examination and ethical probing to determine if the behavior you’re engaging in is truly in alignment with your integrity.

Does the decision hold up after honest examination of your motives and the verifiable facts of the situation?

Fine. You’re good!

Did you engage in the behavior because someone with more power or social capital influenced you to do so?

Were you swayed by strong words and emotions that upon examination don’t actually line up factually or with your personal code of ethics?

Then that warrants your attention for a course correction.

No one is immune. And unfortunately these are behaviors that none of us can simply wipe our hands of and say we’ve changed forever-especially not because we’ve suddenly shifted our political analysis or social circles. It doesn’t work that way as nice as that would be.

If the reactive,exclusionary dogmatism and normalized cruelty of cancel culture are things that made you turn away from it, alignment with the person you want to be and the world you wish to cultivate will take your honest effort and commitment to your integrity.