Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jul 8 2020 12:28am)

Cancel culture is toxic, a cancer that's metastasizing through our society and must be stopped, or it will consume everything. Therefore, I fully agree with the letter and appreciate that its signatories are finally addressing it.

I also don't think it's hypocritical that these elites are the ones speaking out - their position of power and privilege is the exact reason why these people can afford to speak out against toxic cancel culture without having to fear career-ending retribution. They are, in a sense, throwing their weight in the line of fire because they can take it, and are thus shielding all the other, lower-status persons who feel the same but lack the power to stand against cancel culture on their own.

Now, it is of course hypocritical that these leftist elites are speaking out now that cancel culture is increasingly stiffling debate within their own circles while they remained silent or were even supportive when conservatives were targetted. And yes, in earlier decades, authoritarian consevatives were pushing their own version of cancel culture, so they definitely aren't free of guilt. The bottom line imho is that cancel culture is indeed toxic and must indeed be stopped. The focus should not be on past transgressions and past guilty behavior, which we can really find in every corner of the political and ideological spectrum - no, the focus should instead be on looking forward and finding a way to have open, honest and productive debates from here on out, in spite of an increasingly polarized landscape.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jul 7 2020 10:28pm)

Cancel culture is toxic, a cancer that's metastasizing through our society and must be stopped, or it will consume everything. Therefore, I fully agree with the letter and appreciate that its signatories are finally addressing it.

I also don't think it's hypocritical that these elites are the ones speaking out - their position of power and privilege is the exact reason why these people can afford to speak out against toxic cancel culture without having to fear career-ending retribution. They are, in a sense, throwing their weight in the line of fire because they can take it, and are thus shielding all the other, lower-status persons who feel the same but lack the power to stand against cancel culture on their own.




Now, it is of course hypocritical that these leftist elites are speaking out now that cancel culture is increasingly stiffling debate within their own circles while they remained silent or were even supportive when conservatives were targetted. And yes, in earlier decades, authoritarian consevatives were pushing their own version of cancel culture, so they definitely aren't free of guilt. The bottom line imho is that cancel culture is indeed toxic and must indeed be stopped. The focus should not be on past transgressions and past guilty behavior, which we can really find in every corner of the political and ideological spectrum - no, the focus should instead be on looking forward and finding a way to have open, honest and productive debates from here on out, in spite of an increasingly polarized landscape.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jul 7 2020 10:28pm)

Cancel culture is toxic, a cancer that's metastasizing through our society and must be stopped, or it will consume everything. Therefore, I fully agree with the letter and appreciate that its signatories are finally addressing it.

I also don't think it's hypocritical that these elites are the ones speaking out - their position of power and privilege is the exact reason why these people can afford to speak out against toxic cancel culture without having to fear career-ending retribution. They are, in a sense, throwing their weight in the line of fire because they can take it, and are thus shielding all the other, lower-status persons who feel the same but lack the power to stand against cancel culture on their own.



Now, it is of course hypocritical that these leftist elites are speaking out now that cancel culture is increasingly stiffling debate within their own circles while they remained silent or were even supportive when conservatives were targetted. And yes, in earlier decades, authoritarian consevatives were pushing their own version of cancel culture, so they definitely aren't free of guilt. The bottom line imho is that cancel culture is indeed toxic and must indeed be stopped. The focus should not be on past transgressions and past guilty behavior, which we can really find in every corner of the political and ideological spectrum - no, the focus should instead be on looking forward and finding a way to have open, honest and productive debates from here on out, in spite of an increasingly polarized landscape.

Quote (Handcuffs @ 8 Jul 2020 01:07)

But has this actually happened in meaningful ways?

Quote (Thor123422 @ 8 Jul 2020 01:21)

There's only been one person that I felt sorry for. He was involved with hate groups as a teenager then got out, went to college, and was a CEO or something. He got fired because what he did at 17 came out.

Other than that, literally nobody I've felt sorry for after looking into it. It doesn't help the right's "cancel culture is bad" cause when the champions of their movement are Alex Jones and similar people who constantly break the TOS of every platform they are on. They could be an effective countering force if they only focused on rational cases.

Quote (Thor123422 @ 8 Jul 2020 07:30)

Cancel culture has literally always existed. It's just that before it was from the right, sacking people for being gay, etc.

You guys are getting your panties in a wad over something that's always existed as though it's something new and dangerous.

Quote (excellence @ Jul 7 2020 10:38pm)

define meaningful. id say someone hunting down what kids ignorantly posted on twitter when they were underage is over-the-top but it’s all too common.

i call that voyeurism or even some sort of misconduct when privileged lefties are watching what underaged teenagers were doing in order to score “woke points”

guess its a generational thing. “Glad my youthful mistakes weren’t on full display”

Quote (inkanddagger @ 8 Jul 2020 07:38)

Quote (Handcuffs @ 8 Jul 2020 07:38)

What gets chalked up to as a "debate" is increasingly questionable. The vast majority of people, myself included, are entrenched in their beliefs and are largely unshakable. Most people when wanting to "debate" really just want to show the other person how wrong they believe them to be. And, we often, or at least historically, have "debated" things that have no objective truth to them. In essence, we then end up "debating" things that speak to the legitimacy and existence of different types of people.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jul 7 2020 10:52pm)

On an abstract level, this is the same debate as the one about "should society tolerate or ostracize intolerance?"
I think we all know where your political camp stands on that one...





But exactly because people are increasingly entrenched in their beliefs is it more important than ever to keep debating, to keep talking to one another. Sure, there's far too much bad-faith discussions in which both sides aren't willing to be persuaded and only care about "winning" the debate. But imho, this is the exact reason why we need a new debate culture in which openness of mind and an appreciation of differing opinions (as long as they satisfy basic consistency requirements) is fostered. A society which is splintering into hostile camps that don't talk to each other anymore will eventually break apart. Some days ago, I was talking about this state of "Cold Civil War" the United States has been in for many years, if not decades. If openness for differing opinion vanishes completely, it would, in my opinion, be inevitable that this Cold Civil War eventually turns 'hot'. We cannot allow that to happen.

Quote (Ghot @ Jul 7 2020 08:46pm)

Aunt Jemima?

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Jul 8 2020 12:39am)

It might not be new, but it definitely is dangerous and unproductive. Is "punishing conservatives for the sins of their past" really of higher priority to you than the ability to have open and productive debates in the present and the future?