Tag: cancel culture

Is it possible to separate the art from the artist? Is it possible to enjoy a TV show, or a movie or even a comic strip if you know the creators held or hold opinions and values that you despise.

I have observed that, although we are trying to be the champions of equality, diversity and justice, we are doing the opposite. We think we are getting justice, but we are also increasing conflicts and hatred more than ever before. So we start another cycle of inequality and injustice. We must all work together towards justice and not let our emotions, our personal choices and our political agendas come between us but, instead, we must follow social ethics and respect human dignity. 

This essay will begin with a sad story — about a family in turmoil. Their story mirrors what is happening in the larger society — the struggle over politics, culture and how to engage each other on those topics. I tell this story with the permission of the person involved. It is not pretty.

In our uncivil age, a whole lot of folks seem to have forgotten that lesson, or maybe never learned it in the first place. They confuse hurtful, unfeeling behavior with some form of self-expression or personal freedom.

Now, I’m all for refusing to waste my time arguing against someone’s egregious conduct, especially if that person has no intention of taking a look at it or listening to reason. But the problems with advocating such a full-fledged “cancellation” of another human being are ultimately more serious than those which arise from that person’s unacceptable behavior in the first place.