Essay Sample about Cancel Culture

Modern society has developed new words and changed the definition of others. Among these changes is the word “canceled,” which is now used when people stop supporting someone for something they did. “Cancel culture” is a modern phrase that also refers to disliking someone for their actions. Celebrities are the focal points of “cancel culture”  primarily due to social media posts that have received backlash, but everyday people are also being “canceled.” Someone being “canceled” has severe effects on them, and they are often unable to apologize because people have already made their minds up. The word “canceled” reveals that our society has increased its standards by not allowing people to make small mistakes.

When we see the word “canceled,” we now think of the bad things someone has done. This was not always the case. For example, a football game or a concert may have gotten “canceled.” Modern words such as “canceled” have created a negative connotation, which has become harmful to the targeted people. These dangerous effects include anxiety, depression, and a sense of loneliness. In general, when someone is “canceled,” there is no point of return for them, and most people have altered their thoughts about you without a second thought. Sometimes, people may misunderstand what you were trying to say, but it has become too late for you to do anything about it.

Being “canceled” can ruin a career in the blink of an eye. For example, Hartley Sawyer, actor in The Flash, was fired due to problematic tweets that resurfaced from 2012. Despite issuing an apology, Sawyer was damaged by “cancel culture” and was unable to regain his job. Our current society makes it incredibly challenging for someone to get back their status after being “canceled.” Another example of a celebrity being “canceled” is when Ellen Degeneres was accused of creating a “toxic work culture.” People went after Degeneres, and this resulted in the announcement of the end of the Ellen Show in 2022. When “cancel culture” decides to criticize you, there is little chance of regaining the reputation that you once had. “Cancelling” does not only have an effect on the person that the criticism is aimed at, but it also impacts someone who was inspired by or looked up to the person being “canceled.” Mental health is constantly at stake when someone is being “canceled.” You may have looked up to a celebrity, only for others to start ruining their reputation.

Despite addressing several significant issues with today’s society, “cancel culture” creates more problems and promotes harmful behavior on the internet. People today have become more judgemental than ever before. Former President Barack Obama addressed “cancel culture” by saying, “That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change”. Obama identifies that there is no benefit in criticizing everything that someone says. Our society focuses on the mistakes made by others rather than seeing the good things that they do. We would much rather condemn others than appreciate the great things that they have accomplished. We frequently focus on the negative areas of someone’s character and choose to criticize them for these faults. People today are always waiting for someone to slip up so they can take advantage and get them “canceled” by many other people.

When thinking about language today, words such as “canceled” display the goals of our society. We want to bring people down in order to get ourselves credit. Anything can harm you in our world today. A small thing that is controversial may make you a victim of “cancel culture,” and you will struggle to regain your dignity. There is little room for mistakes in the current day, and we see an increasing amount of people have their reputations tarnished due to actions from the past. There is no unity in our society; everyone is thinking for themselves, and people are repeatedly being exposed in order for them to be “canceled.” This has caused people to become more cautious and less expressive of their thoughts and feelings. The fear of being “canceled” has resulted in a focus on having acceptable opinions instead of articulating what you believe. This limit on language reveals that our society is losing its ability to be creative.