Cancel Culture: The Illusion of Justice
10th April 2023
For years now, ‘cancel culture’ has been counted among the most potent weapons of the online battles between the Left and the Right. It was and remained the real power behind the social justice mob, the ace played when movements had to be supported and revolts explained. Fleeting and capricious, it planted the seeds of fear, creating the illusion of widespread discontent in the minds of politicians, top managers, and regular social media users.
Leftists generally claim that if there even is such a thing as cancel culture, it is a matter of accountability rather than a tool of oppression. Their position is usually as follows: people may have the right to speak, but they are not entitled to an audience, and others are well within their right to exercise their own free speech in order to de-platform the opinions they disagree with. They are not, after all, banning their opponents—they have no power to do so—but only suggesting that their ‘offensive and harmful’ ideas should not be condoned. Public speakers, in particular, are completely fine to target since they are responsible for spreading incorrect messages. “How can such-and-such be considered silenced?” leftists further ask. “We have only blocked his events, but he still has a published book and a YouTube channel.” Moreover, they are giving a voice to the marginalised communities (a terrible cliché phrase beloved by progressives), thus making another step towards the much-desired equality.