We live in a system of shaming and ridiculing that discourages honest, uncomfortable conversations on how to move forward.

By Candice Frederick | Published Nov. 10, 2023

This story is a part of our weeklong series on cancel culture.
Read the other stories here .

The question that keeps coming to mind is: Where is this all going?

In the early days of accountability discussions, a grim joke circulated that if we rid Hollywood of all the bad apples, there will be no one left. Years later, some of those bad apples remain here and thriving, and weve come dangerously close to the unspoken conclusion that all apples are inherently bad and need to go.

It would be one thing if we had a solid plan for how we should move forward, so that we dont become so intolerant of inherently human flaws that we cant even live with our own. Or assume such moral superiority that we refuse to see our own shortcomings.

Maybe were there already, actually. Theres an overwhelming ickiness in the air whenever a celeb or anyone, really is relentlessly dragged for a minor offense, too often on the basis of just not agreeing with them. Even something as inconsequential as an unpopular movie opinion is understood as a potential offense.

These kinds of minor transgressions, or even simply outdated philosophies, could sometimes be amended by thoughtfully engaging with the person about why something they said or did was harmful.

But were not living at a time when healthy debate and historical context, or even uncomfortable conversations about complex topics, is encouraged and examined. Too many of us enjoy and even participate in the spectacle of relentlessly dragging and even doxxing someone online. But what has that gained us, besides a culture of cruelty and fear?

In a 2020 New York Times article that grapples with the conditions of todays cancel culture, a college student shared how she actually refused to buy a T-shirt with a band she liked on it because she wasnt sure if they had been canceled or if liking them would get her canceled.

I was, like, but what if theyve done something terrible? she recalled asking herself at the time. And I just dont know about it yet? Should I not buy this? And so I panicked and I was, like, No, its fine. I dont need it anyway.

Having even potentially problematic faves is, apparently, also considered problematic (and often discussed in an oversimplified way). Cancel culture has gone beyond its vital purpose of dismantling detrimental establishments and behavior to become recognized as a system of shaming and ridiculing proposed offenders without offering any tools for them to change.