Overheard a coworker say cancel culture is just 'consequences for actions' and it got me thinking

I was at the station last Thursday listening to two guys argue about some influencer who got dropped by a big brand for old tweets. The older guy was ranting about how cancel culture is ruining people's lives. Then the younger guy said something that really hit me. He said it's not cancel culture, it's just finally having consequences for actions that always existed. I thought about how in my job, if I mess up bad, I face real consequences too. But at the same time, some of these callouts feel way over the top, like a single joke from ten years ago. Has anyone else heard this take and felt totally torn on where you stand?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.sam1mo ago

My buddy Dave got called out at our local bar for a joke he told at karaoke night. Guy running the mic said it was offensive and told him to leave. Dave was just trying to be funny, not mean. But the bar owner stood by the decision and said they had a zero tolerance policy. It made me realize there's a big gap between actual harm and just being stupid once. Hard to tell where the line really is.

rodriguez.diana1mo ago

Dave wasn't being stupid once. He chose to say that joke.