Free Cancel Culture Essay Sample

John Podesta, the former White House Chief of Staff, once mentioned, “Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change.” Podesta brought to light the fact that revolutionary action must be taken in order for people to advance forward together. Cancel culture can not invigorate social change in a society. On the contrary, cancel culture can only reflect on underdeveloped and critical communities. Some people may believe that cancel culture is beneficial to society; however, it is detrimental to society because it encourages judgmental practices and distorts the meaning of social change.

Cancel culture is deleterious because it encourages a judgmental society. According to the article, “Obama on Call-Out Culture:‘That’s not Activism’,” by Emily Rueb and Derrick Taylor, it mentions, “The world is messy and there are ambiguities,” he continued. “People who do really good have flaws. People who you are fighting may love their kids, and share certain things with you.” This illustrates that humans are not perfect and mistakes are inevitable. People in society have to understand that harshly criticizing others for mistakes creates citizens who lack the motivation to be willing to take positive steps forward. The article, “Obama on Call-Out Culture: ‘That’s not Activism’,” by Emily Rueb and Derrick Taylor, mentions, “In a nutshell, Obama is saying we all need a little more of the aloha spirit,” she tweeted. “Being respectful and caring for one another. Not being so quick to judge. Not seeing everything black/white. I hope you’ll join me in bringing the spirit of the aloha to the White House.” If people continue down this path of judging people without seeing their perspective, then it dilutes progress as a society to understand each other’s views. Sometimes there is more to a story than portrayed to people. A society without empathy is a civilization with damaged relationships, conflicts, and no respect for human dignity. In essence, cancel culture stimulates judgmental practices that create an isolated and apathetic community.

Although some people may believe cancel culture can create checks and balances to socially unacceptable behaviors, cancel culture is ineffective in changing the behavior of the most corrupt in society. The article, “Everyone is Canceled,” by Jonah Bromwich, it mentions, “Canceling is not enough of a disruptive practice to get a politician out of office.” What this illustrates is that the most fundamental and founding parts of society can not be checked under cancel culture. If the basis of government that dictates society can not be changed, then cancel culture is futile in helping society progress.

Cancel culture is injurious to society because it misinforms people about how to create social change. According to the article, “Obama on Call-Out Culture: ‘That’s not Activism’,” by Emily Rueb and Derrick Taylor, it mentions, “Basically, declaring that someone is canceling people doesn’t necessitate a change in behavior. Ms. Rimi put it in this way: “Are we actually canceling people, or just saying we’re canceling them and still going to support them?” What this means is, people still support celebrities even if cancel culture is applied. This shows that canceling people is ineffective because many supporters are still loyal to the person. Thus, people are still aiding and encouraging the views of the celebrities. Additionally, “Obama on Call-Out Culture: ‘That’s not Activism’,” by Emily Rueb and Derrick Taylor, mentions, “That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change,” he said. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not getting that far.” What this shows that by canceling people, society is given the falsehood that canceling someone can transform behaviors and attitudes. This is harmful because if people believe tweeting a message can end stigmas and cultural problems, then people will be less inclined to take powerful action to create social change. In finality, people who are misguided that cancel culture can create social change do not take compelling action in their societies. 

In the final analysis, cancel culture amplifies judgment in societies and misrepresents social change. It can not fix corruption in the people that first instigate it. Therefore, it can not change behaviors and attitudes of people in communities. Instead, cancel culture inspires looking at one-sided stories and criticizes natural mistakes of humans. For all these reasons, cancel culture is pernicious to a society.