By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Cancel culture has crept its way into our modern psyche as a fairly recent phenomenon. Some attribute the beginnings of cancel culture to the United States, where social media “unfollowing” became obvious for globally high-profile personalities – from Hollywood sex offenders Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby to polarizing US president Donald Trump.
The Cambridge Dictionary refers to cancel culture as “a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you.”
Here in the Philippines, as in anywhere else in the world where conflict and polarizing figures, politics, and issues persist, cancel culture persists. It pervades, more so now, after fiercely divisive elections.
We Filipinos are no strangers to the cancel culture, although this millennial term has made us more aware of it as citizens and netizens. I’m no historian or sociologist, but I’m guessing the Cry of Pugad Lawin, when the first Katipuneros tore their cedulas into pieces to reject Spanish colonialism, counted for that. And so was the opposition’s boycott of the 1981 elections, knowing all too well that Ferdinand E. Marcos was using it to perpetuate his dictatorship.
So, given these perspectives, is cancel culture good or bad? On the one hand, it appears anti-social and, to a certain degree, anarchist that Trump – a populist and disturbing presence in the White House during his time – once said, “it is the very definition of totalitarianism.” To that, even his critics and I agree.
I submit that there are those driven by a fount of idealism who view this wave of behavior as a precursor for positive change. It can be seen as a unifier of good intention and turning it into non-violent activism via social media or through purchasing habits.
However, there’s no denying that cancel culture involves moral shaming, prejudice, and even mob rule that, for all the good intent it may bear, I fear we lose a sense of faith, hope, and love. This line reminds me not to be preachy, but the truth is, cancel culture saddens and weakens my spirit. It is an easy way out of intelligent discussion and dialogue and gives no chance for understanding.
Look at us, for example – each one of us agreeing that we need to do our part to get out of the rut this COVID-19 pandemic has shoved us into. We all dream of better days and while we were in the worst of it in 2020-2021, we rose above our personal hardships and lent a helping hand to our neighbors and strangers who couldn’t afford food on their tables.
We pinned great hopes on this May 2022 election. And, like many of you, I was disappointed. But I don’t know if we as a people should adopt the cancel culture at this low point of our economy… of our nation; and boycott restaurants, commercial establishments, people in the entertainment industry, teachers that we once respected and learned from, friends – real friends, family members.
Is this really a time for cancel culture to prevail? I’d like to believe we’re just heartbroken over our loss or too proud and drunk over our victory. It’s too painful to see us going at each other.
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