Cancel culture isn’t helping anyone

‘OK’ or ‘Cancel’, which will you press for a software update that popped up on your computer for the gazillionth time? My cursor is moving towards ‘Cancel’ as we speak. No thank you, I need to binge-watch Modern Family. On our devices, cancelling is technical. It is easy. It is simple. But in reality, cancelling would be a much more complex process.

Being a prevalent phenomenon on Twitter, cancel culture basically boycotts whoever with their wrongdoing exposed. And, it is not helping anyone.

The Infamous Andy-Jacqueline-Incident

In 2019, we all saw the viral video of celebrities Andy Hui and Jacqueline Wong making out in a taxi. It was a shock because Andy had been married to canto-pop sensation, Sammi Cheng, for 6 years.

Despite the scandal involving both Jacqueline and Andy, people mostly blamed Jacqueline for ‘luring a married man’. She was reprimanded by the whole city and was eventually cancelled.

Cancel culture propels sexism

Sadly, it may not come as a surprise that only Jacqueline was cancelled. Approaching the three-year mark of the incident, Jacqueline is still out of the picture. On the other hand, Andy continued his career as a singer just a few months after.

Women tend to be punished harder for the mistakes they committed. When a woman makes a mistake, society would slap a label on it and amplify the problem: Jacqueline was labelled as a slut while Andy walked away freely. Although Hong Kong is a civilised society, people are still oblivious to gender inequality.

Is Cancel culture efficient?

Cancel culture is problematic: it is inconsistent and unmonitored. The ostracism is entirely subjective and there is no system behind it. Social expectations are embedded in the execution of this chaotic system.With the help of mass media’s supersonic speed of spreading unsubstantiated information, people can cancel whoever they dislike. Social media only shows the tip of an iceberg, so it is pivotal for social media users to remember that we might not have enough information to judge others.

Bereft of this concept, some social media users hold the power to arbitrarily cancel a defamed person. Public figures are under the spotlight 24/7, their actions are scrutinised by everyone. My thought is: if someone made a mistake, they should be given a chance to grow.

Robert Downey Jr. was on drug related charges multiple times during his early career. If social media had been as pervasive back then, he would have been cancelled. Fortunately, that was not the case. Robert got clean, worked hard and became the world-renowned Tony Stark.

This man was given a chance and he took it.

Let’s not put ourselves on a pedestal, no one is perfect. We are bound to make mistakes. Imagine having the whole world putting your every single move under a microscope…

Why don’t we give a chance to others who made a mistake in their lives too?

Sometimes, one chance is all it takes to turn one’s life around.