J.K. Rowling, B.Weiss & N. Chomsky Among Dozens Sign Open Letter Calling for End to Cancel Culture

[musicblind]

120. Cancel culture isn't about change or social justice.

Cancel culture is about the fleeting thrill of cathartic rage. You know what's more cathartic and thrilling than canceling someone? Changing someone because that's how you change the world.

Cancel culture makes cosmetic changes, but it does nothing to treat the underlying rot. It's like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Sure, it covers the wound, but the problem goes much deeper.

If you intimidate someone into seeing things your way, they will explode the moment you turn your back. If you convince someone to see things your way, they will work for your ideals long after you're gone.

People should research the psychology behind cancel culture:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/202006/the-psychology-cancel-culture

People should also research how you change minds and influence people.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/201811/proven-ways-change-someone-s-mind

The core idea behind cancel culture and online shaming is at direct odds with proven strategies to change someone's mind.

If you want real change, you have to change people's minds. It may not be as immediately gratifying as canceling some famous person on social media, but it will reap far greater rewards.

I'll end this post by quoting President Obama:

This idea of purity and you’re never compromised and you’re always politically ‘woke’ and all that stuff. You should get over that quickly. The world is messy; there are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws. People who you are fighting may love their kids, and share certain things with you.

I do get a sense sometimes now among certain young people, and this is accelerated by social media, there is this sense sometimes of: The way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible about other people, and that’s enough.

Like, if I tweet or hashtag about how you didn’t do something right or used the wrong verb, then I can sit back and feel pretty good about myself, cause, ‘Man, you see how woke I was, I called you out.’

That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far.

-- Barack Obama [The greatest President of my lifetime.]

I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate for writing this, but to quote another great man: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.