cancel culture
Cancel Culture isn’t anything new it’s been around forever. We just now have a catchy phrase for it. It’s because of cancel culture that Gandhi said to “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Notice he didn’t say “only hang out with those that look and think exactly like you and avoid and hate all those who don’t.”
Cancel Culture is you not liking something or someone; you don’t like something they did, said, wore, represented, liked, etc., and you cancel them out. It can be an individual or a company. You “forget” about them on purpose. You disregard them. You hate them. You tell others all about it and make sure that they don’t like them either. You stop purchasing, you stop showing up.
We are such an offended society these days.
Christians and the religious realm have been very good at this since the beginning of time. I can remember my Grandma telling me that I shouldn’t shop at a big department store because they sold such and such a book there. Last year an entire, rather large, group of men stopped buying a certain kind of beer because they were outraged by the advertising for the beer.
People get misrepresented, misheard, mis-quoted. Things get taken out of context in the media and then we are supposed to hate them, shut them down, stop buying their product or supporting them in any way.
The Olympics have been a perfect example of this. So many have been offended by what was supposedly a representation of the Last Supper by a group of artists in Paris at the opening ceremonies, when in fact it was a representation of Jan van Bijlert’s The Feast of the Gods. These offended Christians came out of the woodwork, stating how terrible it was to mock Jesus and the Last Supper.
For those that wanted to stand up for God and Jesus and be offended in His honor and boycott the Olympics, what does that accomplish exactly? NBC, the network broadcasting the Olympics is not affected in the least, they didn’t do the performance at the opening ceremony, so you’re not proving anything to them. What about the athletes that deserve respect and support and awe at their accomplishments? It is so much fun to watch them and to support your country, what does it prove to them if you’re boycotting the Olympics because you were offended in Jesus’ name?
If you choose to boycott something that supports someone’s livelihood, like say that beer producer, you are putting people out of work, who had nothing to do with the decisions you are mad about.
Righteous indignation is a real thing; and, yes, even Jesus turned over tables in the temple but I am so sick and tired of people being so offended by this and that and every little thing and then the hate that they spew as they misguidedly cancel out people and businesses.
This happens on both sides, Republican, Democrat, religious, conservative, liberal; everyone is doing it. There are whole news shows based on opinion and falsehoods. Even if apologies or retractions are made (sometimes after purposefully lying and making up stories with the intent to later retract) the damage is already done.
Whatever happened to grace and giving a pause, instead of being on the attack immediately. There are now people who troll for situations to pounce on and then and only then do they post, write, boycott, yell, and point and wag a finger. Yet, they are silent when there is no stirred up controversy.
I’m not suggesting looking the other way when sinned against. I’m saying acknowledge the human being, that is a lot more like you than different.
Do you think you draw anyone close to you or change or affect anything for good by pushing away, hating, spewing the ugly, vomiting all over with your holier than though? I’m not saying to accept everything. That’s certainly not the way to go through life either, but just by not hating something, not trying to cause harm by pushing your opinion down someone else’s throat, does not mean you are accepting something. It just means you are loving the person that’s doing whatever you don’t like.
What is the opposite of cancel culture? I’m not sure, but it is what we need in the world. What we need is common decency. We should be able to have discussions, disagree, and still remain civil, friendly even. Too many times people are drawing their sword just for show and they end up drawing blood. Put away the sword, the video, the camera. Have an opinion, stand up for your beliefs, but don’t beat anyone over the head with them. You can’t be heard when you are shouting, and eventually, you are shouting into a void, where even your echo is lonely.
Be the change. Then see the change.
The only thing to cancel is cancel culture.