Conservatives tend to think that anything that limits THEIR ability to express their ideas, no matter how repugnant, then that is "cancel culture". They have NO problem whatsoever, limiting the speech and views of anyone else who does not comport to their specific views. Case in point, they literally cancelled the appearance of Young Pharoh at CPAC once his anti-Semitic views surfaced. I am not saying I don't agree with their decision not to have him appear, just saying that it is ironic that at a conference titled America Uncancelled, they literally cancelled a speaker for their views. Had NO problem going to the process of booking him, just when his full views were known CANCELLED.
Canceling is a thing that happens, typically online through social media. While canceling can be a complex phenomenon basically the proper usage of the term involves when a person is called out for some perceived offense based on statements, tweets, a video capturing some behavior, that someone finds offensive. Usually it involves elements of "piling on", searching through historical actions and bringing those actions into the current discussion, and essentializing (which is making the action, however minor, part of the target's essential character).
Let's say Tom Hanks (a person that can be argued, is universally thought of as a good person, and is respected). Let's say a video surfaces where Hanks is seen berating some one on the street. Hanks is seen telling someone, "Stop being such a fucking jerk, you asshole!" So, that is posted, then people start chiming in that Hanks is kind of a jerk. Then someone say's "you know, I ran into Hanks once and he treated me like shit too", then others start piling on. They talk about how they heard that co-stars on his last movie set said he would show up late. He is disrespectful. And how about when he dressed up mocking women with Peter Scalari putting on "big boobs" and acting all sexist. Suddenly Tom Hanks is an evil asshole. What is not covered in cancelling is that the guy Hanks was berating was a Paparazzi who had been following Hanks all day, and almost caused an car accident potentially injuring Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson. Hanks had a strong, however, likely appropriate response to some guy putting his and his wife's life in danger, and now people are asking for a boycott of all thinks Tom Hanks, and he is scum on the level of Sean Penn via 1990.
That is an example of cancelling.
What was done to Harvey Weinstein was calling out a serial perpetrator and ensuring that justice was done to a powerful man. What was done to Rush Limbaugh after his comments about Sanda Fluke was the same thing.
No one is trying to cancel Josh Hawley, people are just saying, "You probably don't want to pour money into a book that will likely be rejected because the author is not well liked or respected. He isn't being boycotted because he is Black or Gay, or a Woman, or some other essential part of his being. He is being boycotted because he has a pattern of acting like a jerk and of promoting abhorrent ideas.
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