What is Cancel Culture? In their excellent new book, The Canceling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott offer many examples of cancel culture along with this definition (p. 9):
Cancel Culture is just one symptom of a much larger problem: the use of cheap rhetorical tactics to “win” arguments without actually winning arguments. After all, why bother meaningfully refuting one’s opponents when canceling them is an easier option? Just take away their platform or career. Nobody else will dare to tread the same ground once you make an example of them.
There is good news here, however. Once you understand Cancel Culture as one part of an unhealthy societal conversation, the solution becomes quite clear: We don’t have to argue like this.
What’s the opposite of cancel culture? Free speech. Lukianoff and Schlott explain:
In the meantime, you should know that Free Speech Culture is a set of cultural norms rooted in older democratic values. Embracing Free Speech Culture means turning back to once popular sayings like “everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” “to each their own,” «it’s a free country,” and even “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Who is my favorite person who exemplifies the opposite of cancel culture? Daryl Davis. Here’s one of his recent Tweets:
Daryl’s story is incredible. I’ve described it in prior posts (and see here and here), but here is a recent succinct description of Daryl’s wisdom and heroism by Joe Rogan:
