Cancel Culture: Is It Ok To Sit On The Fence?

TW: This article briefly discusses racism and homophobia and transphobia.

There are so many big things going on in the world right now, from the #BlackLivesMatter movement, to the US presidential election, twitter wars and continuing debates on COVID-19 restrictions. For every new event or controversy, there seems to be an expectation that we must pick a side. Either you agree or disagree or, worse still, you are unmoved by the matter.

Enter the new era of cancel culture, where matters are exacerbated tenfold. One strike and you’re out. Whilst I firmly believe there are some matters in which there is only one answer – systematic racism exists and is wrong; you don’t have to have a period to be a woman – these topics bring about discussions on smaller sub-topics, and cancel culture is cutting off important conversations. We stop talking out of fear of being labelled wrong, racist, homophobic or a bigot. I think there is a time and place for cancel culture, but society needs to realise the weight and impact of cancelling someone.

I think about all the uncomfortable conversations I’ve had with friends and family over the past few months. I think of occasions when I haven’t got it right first time, when my thinking has been naïve or uninformed. I think of times when I’ve heard friends state opinions that to me, are problematic or hyperbolic. If I and everyone else around me were to cancel those people whose views didn’t align with our own, I think we would be living in a very unhealthy, and lonely, society. So why is it ok for this to happen on a mass scale?

“It feels as though people are clinging to polarising opinions in order to avoid this middle ground”

Recently, I had a discussion with a friend as to whether or not it is wrong to continue to buy from Boohoo. My initial response was to say ‘yes of course it is, Boohoo is awful’ given the news on the horrendous working conditions of their staff in Leicester. With big buyers like ASOS pulling them from their sites, we are encouraged to believe that we shouldn’t be buying from them at all. If ASOS cancelled them, then so should I. Right? But then I think about all those people who are still employed by Boohoo; if we all stop buying from the retailer all together, are the staff going to get paid at all? If Boohoo go bust, thousands will be out of a job. What’s the better solution?

At the moment it feels as though people are clinging to polarising opinions in order to avoid this middle ground. The conversations bridging the gap between either side don’t happen because some are reluctant to renege on or change their thinking, out of fear of being called out as contradictory. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who will argue the hind legs off something just to remain consistent, even if they are clutching at subjective opinions or rumours?

Perhaps studying philosophy for three years has affected my perspective, but in my opinion matters that are somewhat ‘grey’ and complex need unpacking, which can only be done through discussion. We need to go back and forth, to question the ideas of the person you’re conversing with and in turn question your own. Often we hold on to beliefs based on something persuasive that we’ve read, or merely because it’s held by the majority. But if someone says something else to discredit that opinion or challenge it from a different perspective, that is OK.

We aren’t going to know the right answer all of the time, and on some matters the right answer will differ depending upon the person. But we shouldn’t let the fear of cancel culture stop us from exploring our opinions, developing our thought processes or educating ourselves on different perspectives. Sitting on the fence is not the same as not having an opinion. It’s taking the time to form our own beliefs, backed up by facts, educated opinions and well-formed arguments.

“Cancel people who continually drain your energy; cancel those who will never take the time to understand you; cancel those who only take from you and never give.”

I think it’s also ok to opt out of these conversations with those who have repeatedly proved to you that they will not consider or even acknowledge this grey area (on matters that have a grey area, of course). Having conversations with people that refuse to question their perspectives, even if we prove them to be flawed in some way, is a waste of time. Those who unfairly perpetuate and misuse cancel culture are not worth your mental energy, as they will never help you grow your understanding of the world. Therefore, take permission to cancel those conversations with them instead.

I do believe that there is some merit to cancel culture. There are many behaviours that have been happening for far too long and the courage of those who have spoken out about wrong-doing said or done to them deserve our support in uniting against injustice. Likewise in our own lives, sometimes we need to adopt cancel culture to protect ourselves. Cancel people who continually drain your energy; cancel those who will never take the time to understand you; cancel those who only take from you and never give.

But when faced with heavy topics, questions and opinions, I think we all need to realise that it’s ok to be unsure. As long as we are talking and learning, we are in turn changing what really matters.

 

Beth O’Neill

Featured image courtesy of Markus Winkler on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here. 

This article was originally published on Beth’s blog, https://bethoneillblogs.com/.