ENG - Cancel Culture Essay

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Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 Is Cancel Culture Effective? Have you ever said something at the wrong time, or to the wrong person, at the wrong place, and then had that define your entire career? It’s common knowledge that people make mistakes. However, the rising phenomenon of cancel culture suggests that no mistake shall go unpunished. “Cancel culture is a movement to remove celebrity status or esteem from a person, place, or thing based on offensive behavior or transgression” (Vogels et al.). It is analogous to a boycott or strike, where consumers or workers withdraw or withhold their support as a response to powerful people or organizations’ abusing their power or engaging in morally questionable behaviour. It comes from a place that allows historically marginalized people to call-out injustices in society. However, the message and perspective has been skewed over time and delegitimized to its original purpose. The key to absolving this issue is analysing the context of the situation that is being cancelled and the intention behind it, to hold people accountable. To establish what ‘cancel culture’ is at its core, the systemic power imbalance between the marginalized, queer and people of colour versus the elites, must be acknowledged. Cancel culture originated as a tool to disenfranchise white supremacist and patriarchal values that are aimed at minority groups (Clark). However, there is a lack of discursive accountability where the concept of ‘call-out’ arguments have been de- contextualised and reduced to negative labels (Clark). The colloquial terms of reading, dragging, and calling out were both historically and currently ingrained in black culture as a way of holding members of the black community and others accountable for unjust behaviour (Brock). “Originally a practice of Black women ‘signifying,’ [the callout] has occasionally been mistaken for Twitter’s ‘mob mentality,’ but it is qualitatively different: it is often a

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 critique of systemic inequality rather than an attack against specific, individualistic transgressions.” (Brock). Essentially, cancel culture began as a useful tool in empowering minority groups through a socio-political lens, but its definition has evolved in the public domain into a different narrative. Cancel culture began as a colloquial term for ‘calling out’ offensive ideologies or behaviours that contribute to or limit the social power of marginalized groups. An example of cancel culture being used effectively can be seen in the case of Kevin Spacey. In October 2017, a Broadway performer and actor named Anthony Rapp discussed sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey in a Buzzfeed article titled “Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made A Sexual Advance Toward Me When I Was 14” (Vary). This article was quickly spread through several news outlets and social media due to the detailed explanation of the assault corroborating many Hollywood rumours about Spacey’s behaviour. This catalysed a cancellation against Spacey originating on the social media platform ‘Twitter’ with the article linked as credible evidence. Through this, many users were exposed to Spacey’s actions and believed his cancellation was justifiable. Rapp filed a sexual lawsuit against Spacey in 2020 but was unsuccessful (Murphy). This was not the first claim that had been made against Spacey over incidents of similar nature. One of many consequences of this cancellation was the ending of the show House of Cards , of which Spacey was the main character. Some Twitter users attempted to de-legitimize the situation by using ambiguous language that avoided clarifying why the cancelation occurred. Twitter user @Davidstillnotsuspended tweeted “ Duuude House of Cards was canceled because of the whole Kevin Spacey thing.” (Haskell). This tweet negates the severity of the situation and does not provide context. To an outside observer the reason for the cancellation, this ‘Kevin Spacey thing’, is not

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 clarified. This represents a perspective that believes cancel culture to be a nuisance, rather than an attempt to hold damaging behaviour accountable. Ultimately, cancel culture was used effectively. Due to the social pressure that occurred from this cancellation, Spacey was held accountable for his actions. Despite examples of effective instrumentation of cancel-culture, its popularization has evolved into a socially mediated phenomena that, to some people, would classify as a form of social pressure conducive to censorship. This is due to incidents where the context of a situation is not clear, and cancel culture is used for character assassination rather than holding people accountable for their actions. In August of 2020, Phoebe Gloeckner, a cartoonist and comic introductory course teacher at the University of Michigan, was the victim of a character assassination in the form of cancel culture by her students (Gloeckner). Gloeckner presented provocative comic images from historically influential arts to her students as part of the coursework (Gloeckner). The nature of the comic images was to be provocative, as this medium delves into very convoluted critiques and perspectives of a range of social issues (Gloeckner). However, before Gloeckner could give context to the images, she was bombarded with a mirage of complaints from students believing they were offensive. This began a series of investigations into Gloeckner’s teachings and role as an educator; socially labelled as a bigot. Gloeckner herself stated “I attempted an apology...in context it might not seem offensive” (Gloeckner). Identifying that her cancellation began out of context demonstrates how cancel culture can veer from its intended purpose. Her cancellation was not based on evidence of negative behaviour but a misunderstanding that she was not allowed to clarify. Similarly, it seems that her students had attempted previously to target other members of faculty using cancel culture but were unsuccessful. She observed a group chat made by

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Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 students from her class that she paraphrased “Let’s get this one right. We failed with the other professor — let’s do this one by the book” (Gloeckner). The students were enacting a character assassination of Gloeckner under the guise of a cancellation. As stated by Meredith Clark, an associate professor of journalism and communications at North-eastern University on cancel culture, “Only a perspective that prioritizes the communication histories and practices of disempowered people can adequately decipher the phrase’s use [as] a tool to delegitimize the dissension that echoes from societies margins.” What Clark is suggesting is that only disempowered people who can truly decipher harmful systemic or oppressive values within society are adept at using cancel culture for its intended purpose. Modern interpretations of cancel culture are often used in a similar format to Gloeckner’s experience. Its intended use has been skewed and can be used to vilify those that express views that may challenge social norms. I conducted a survey of 14 people from Australia and the United States with a range of identities, ethnicities and ages who use social media asking, ‘ What are your thoughts on cancel culture ?’. Four of the arguments were pro- cancel culture, two were neutral and eight were against. The arguments that were against held very similar messages. One response was “It goes too far,” while another claimed, “Say what ya want, not everyone has to agree.” The arguments that were pro- cancel-culture often acknowledged that cancel culture can be taken too far, while arguing that people who do the wrong thing need to be held accountable. One response claimed “Cancel culture is necessary, we’re living in an age where every thought is placed on the internet, there needs to be an internal faux par. It depends on the severity of the action but there’s a fine line of ignorance versus intentional bigotry. If you put every thought on the internet, you’re opening yourself up to criticism. Sometimes cancellation does nothing.” Although these arguments differ in their approach, they all agree that cancel-culture

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 in its extreme form can go too far. The pro argument also highlights that free speech is a natural occurrence, but this does not make you free of consequence. In continuation, the Pew Research Centre conducted multiple surveys in September 2020 about their views on cancel culture. In one survey, 58% of “Americans said they believed calling out others on social media is more likely to hold people accountable than punish people who don’t deserve it,” (Schaeffer) while 55% of “Americans said many people take offensive content they see online too seriously” (Schaeffer). The arguments against, corroborates those found in the survey I conducted, which argues that people who disagree with content should not take it too seriously. The belief that people are entitled to free speech and free liberties is so strong that when people are offended the consequences are often belittled and overlooked. The arguments for pro-cancel culture also have many similarities. There is an acknowledgement that cancel culture can be extreme, but it is a necessary evil in the fight against offensive ideologies. Both arguments have validity but there are advantages and disadvantages to either. I believe that context is incredibly important, and people have a right to freedom of expression. As the arguments against indicate, when someone expresses an ideology, that person should not be persecuted just because people disagree. However, if the belief that is expressed is intentionally malicious or oppressive, in a public medium, that person should be held accountable for their actions. When there is no evidential and established basis as to why a person should be cancelled or their intentions, cancel-culture has no place. Cancel culture, at its core, is not anti-freedom of speech, it is pro-consequence. However, modern interpretations of cancel culture have redefined it as a social pressure that censors people who have opposing beliefs. Cancel culture is a guise for a human issue that

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 has been present in the political realm for years. People have differing beliefs and due to this, there will always be disagreements. We must explore options as a collective that prioritises both holding people accountable for their actions, but also contextualising the intentions behind those actions. If someone engages in behaviour that is offensive and damaging, they should be held accountable. But they should also be granted the opportunity to explain their perspective and intentions before they are punished.

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Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 References: D. Clark, Meredith. “Drag Them: A Brief Etymology of so-Called ‘Cancel Culture.’” Communication and the Public , vol. 5, no. 3-4, 2020, pp. 88–92., https://doi.org/10.1177/2057047320961562 . Gloeckner, Phoebe. “My Cartoonish Cancellation.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1 Dec. 2022, https://www.chronicle.com/article/my- cartoonish-cancellation?cid=gen_sign_in . Haskell, Samantha. Cancel Culture: A Qualitative Analysis of The Social Media Practice of Canceling. 2021. Boise State University, Master Thesis. Scholarworks, https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2984&context=td Schaeffer, Katherine. “How Americans Feel about 'Cancel Culture' and Offensive Speech in 6 Charts.” Pew Research Center , Pew Research Center, 17 Aug. 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/17/how-americans-feel-about-cancel-culture- and-offensive-speech-in-6-charts/ . Vary, Adam B. “Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made a Sexual Advance toward Me When I Was 14.” BuzzFeed News , BuzzFeed News, 30 Oct. 2017, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adambvary/anthony-rapp-kevin-spacey-made-sexual- advance-when-i-was-14 .

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 Reflection: 1) Have you written a researched argument paper before? (Briefly describe the argument.) I have written a researched argumentative essay before on the high levels of mental health issues that student athletes face. I argued that the pressures and responsibilities placed on their shoulders, made them more at risk for anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. 2) Looking at the Rubric (either one) in the Essay 3 assignment, which elements of your essay do you think are strongest and weakest? I believe the most difficult aspect of this essay, or most challenging area was using MLA format referencing. I have only ever used APA (prior to this course) and so it is very new to me. I believe the strongest aspect of my argument is my hook and choice of topic. Cancel culture is a very complex and relevant issue and thus was a very interesting choice to argue. 3) What would you do differently next time you have to write a Research and/ or Argument paper? I would read through sources thoroughly before choosing a stance and a thesis. This would prevent confirmation bias and prevent a weak argument. 4) What 2-3 aspects of this paper do you most want feedback on? I would like the most feedback on my use of citations and critiques of that as well as what areas I did not effectively elaborate on. Similarly, I would like to know if I could have used my sources better to justify my point, or if I used them effectively. 5) Please read over the comments on your Essay 2: did you apply any suggestions from there to this essay? The most important critique I received from Essay 2 was that I introduced too many terms of analysis without fully elaborating on them. In this essay I limited my points to a few key areas so that I could explain them more in depth. This allowed me to clearly link my sources to my thesis.

Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 Annotated Works Cited D. Clark, Meredith. “Drag Them: A Brief Etymology of so-Called ‘Cancel Culture.’” Communication and the Public , vol. 5, no. 3-4, 2020, pp. 88–92., https://doi.org/10.1177/2057047320961562 . This article is an etymological analysis of cancel culture, analysing its cultural significance, origins, and transformation in the public sphere. It uses multiple relevant sources to establish claims and many sociological perspectives. It has in-depth analysis of the impact of cancel culture on black culture and offers an important perspective from minoritized people. Gloeckner, Phoebe. “My Cartoonish Cancellation.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1 Dec. 2022, https://www.chronicle.com/article/my- cartoonish-cancellation?cid=gen_sign_in . This article has a very negative approach to cancel culture as the author is speaking from personal experience. It offers an insightful primary reference and critique on the complications of cancel culture, and how damaging it can be. It discusses situations where the context has been removed and the author has been ostracized. It touches on how cancel culture can be an adversary to art, and censorship of artistic expression. Haskell, Samantha. Cancel Culture: A Qualitative Analysis of The Social Media Practice of Canceling. 2021. Boise State University, Master Thesis. Scholarworks, https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2984&context=td This thesis is a qualitative analysis of cancel culture, its structures and nuances. It offers in- depth explanations and review of cancel culture literature and different methods of analysis. It discusses modern and relevant examples of cancellations and the consequences. It offers explanations as to how cancel culture can be effective with specific focus on the discourse surrounding controversy. It also evaluates the victim and perpetrator relationship in cancel culture. Schaeffer, Katherine. “How Americans Feel about 'Cancel Culture' and Offensive Speech in 6 Charts.” Pew Research Center , Pew Research Center, 17 Aug. 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/17/how-americans-feel-about-cancel- culture-and-offensive-speech-in-6-charts/ . This source offers quantitative analysis of statistics that represent how Americans view cancel culture. It offers statistics that support both arguments for and against cancel culture. It explains how the general public, particularly the younger generation, are familiar with cancel culture, while also acknowledging there is a divide in perspectives. Vary, Adam B. “Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made a Sexual Advance toward Me When I Was 14.” BuzzFeed News , BuzzFeed News, 30 Oct. 2017, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adambvary/anthony-rapp-kevin-spacey-made- sexual-advance-when-i-was-14 .

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Imogen Noon ENG-120 12/14/2022 This article discusses sexual assault allegations that actor Anthony Rapp made against Kevin Spacey in 2017. Rapp was interviewed by a Buzzfeed News journalist, and explained in detail the allegations and experience he had working with Spacey. It also covers how there was not a very reliable legal case that Rapp was able to pursue and the consequences of this. The source provides context into Spacey’s cancellation.

ENG - Cancel Culture Essay

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