

Discover more from Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone
Happy Thanksgiving!
When history tells the story of “Cancel Culture” in America and abroad they will divide people into three groups: those who drove it, those who stood up against it and those who were silent.
“Cancel Culture” can be best described as public shaming, call out culture and puritanical persecution. Those who support it call it “holding people accountable.” It translates to thought policing that ultimately leads to silence or self-censorship for protection.
At its best, call out culture, or cancel culture gives power to the powerless to have some sort of voice to make change. At its worst, it is a pointless ritual on Twitter hunting for a daily sacrifice.
The option, once called out, is to crumple in shame and apologize (even if there was no actual wrong doing), ignore it or fight it. My advice: ignore it. It will be overtaken by a new scandal in a day.
“Cancel Culture” is something that should be relegated to a Jimmy Kimmel late night bit. But it is Jimmy Kimmel who has been brought to his knees at the hands of it. It should be just some bizarre Lord of the Flies twitter ritual that swarms a daily sacrifice before moving onto the next. Unfortunately for all of us, it turned into a tool of misdirected power that too many administrators, bosses and executives could not and did not confront. That power is out now and there appears to be no end in sight.
This puts it squarely in your hands, my friends. The citizenry. You have to speak up and speak out. You have to do what the cowardly deciders can’t.
I recorded a podcast about it if you want to listen. That is here.
Hope you have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Let’s all remember we’re only human.