Page 23 - issue 29 En

ELITE ISSUE 29, MARCH 2021

If you dislike the CEO of a company for a political Not to mention that sometimes you’re primed to react
position of theirs despite you liking the quality of or behave in a certain way otherwise you will be
product that the company produces. Does a boycott looked at as a weirdo. Think about it, when was the
really hit the CEO’s pocket as much as it hits the pocket last time you reacted to a Facebook post and then saw
of employees who are living paycheck to paycheck the list of reactions from others? Most of the time you
below them? More so, does it improve the product? prime to react in a certain way. Your mind’s made up
Who is the practical target of your outrage? But is that on your behalf before you even think about it.
really the case? Forgetting celebrities and big Oftentimes our outrage is directed not necessarily to
corporations, a much larger victim of this online what happened in a situation but rather to someone
shamming, it’s the average person. The reason is the else’s outrage. It’s a domino effect and the cycle
average people have neither social credit nor the continues.
financial capital to come back from a cancellation. People on the other side of the debate about cancel
These people find it extremely difficult to revive their culture say that it either doesn’t exist or that if it does,
careers because no employer wants to take on a liability the consequences of being cancelled are simply not as
of a canceled person and face the music of the mob. harsh as we say they are. Just look at J.K Rowling who

happened to be cancelled relatively recently and who
Social media certainly worsens the problem. The so- also sells a book after another. The concept of cancel
called interactions we have online are devoid of any real culture is considered to be childish and lacks
human qualities; no eye contacts, human tones, and no reasoning. Some of those who have been cancelled are
empathy, which gives the chance for misunderstandings still able to interact because people don’t care or have
and get everyone to be prepared for attacking others. In forgotten the situation already.
South Korea for example, if an idol made a mistake with Maybe it’s you and me who are not cancelled yet but
no intention for it, like not greeting back another idol we are still from those people who refrain from
unintentionally, the social sites roar for cancelling this sharing what they truly think about: a policy, a
idol, which most of the times succeeds until this idol politician, a video game, a burger, or restrain
apologizes in a very humiliating way by showing his themselves from engaging in a debate about something
guilt for this ‘unintentional mistake’. It’s stupid isn’t it? that truly matters to them in fear of being cancelled for
Like who doesn’t even make some mistakes here and it. The unshared idea is the true victim of cancel
there? culture. Even if that idea was eating carrots instead of
artichoke!

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