If yewwwwwww orchestrate or weaponize a cancel campaign then yewwwwww just might be a Commie Dictator.
A young woman on social media asked the question: So, now that Conservatives are canceling, can we just stop with condemning the Left for doing it?
To help answer her question, I supplied her with some facts. I believe that after she reads them, she will see why it is appropriate to question all canceling to determine if it is a method being used illegally or if it is a personal encouragement to others. Of course, she may be so embedded in her beliefs it will make no difference. Then again, maybe it will help and she will begin to question the dark side.
Fact #1:
Canceling what one uses, sees, reads, or believes as a personal choice, that’s one type and is called freedom and is guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Talking about and encouraging it is perfectly fine.
But what type of canceling should be condemned? Here are more facts.
Fact #2:
The second type of canceling takes many forms and is anathema to freedom and the ability to practice inalienable rights. Those who usually do the following, no matter what political party or religion they align with, can rightly be called dictators. As all who know about them can tell you, dictators are not nice, they don’t want you to have choice, they will take your stuff and your money and make you thank them for the pleasure of being robbed, tortured, jailed, and otherwise censured.
Fact #3:
Silently shutting down others’ opinions or actual facts by shadow-banning on social media.
Fact #4:
Stopping a business’ ability to advertise unless they agree with your political or social narrative.
Fact #5:
Institutional and political control of news outlets to only push one narrative and ignore all other facts.
Fact #6:
Punishing individuals who disagree with politicians and/or political ideologies by weaponizing the IRS, FBI, DOJ, states attorney general, local district attorneys, police, local councils, school boards, and school staff in order to interfere with their business, ability to hold a job, practicing of religion, belief in God, child rearing, and moral choices.
Therefore, we must ask the question:
Which cancel culture supports evil ways, methods, and things that destroy intact families, high morals, worship of God and His Truth, communities, states, and nations, and which does the opposite, that is, makes the foundations of society stronger and safer?
Cancel Culture: Knee-Jerk Habit or Useful tool?
The other day on Twitter Laurence Fox, the well-known actor and founder of the Reclaim Party in the United Kingdom, made a negative comment to a comedian after he had a very short part of his show making a call-to-action for men to step up to other men and say, “Mate?” for the purpose of getting men to be Men by questioning behaviours that were not positive and advantageous to their families and communities.
There were a lot of comments back at Laurence Fox to the effect that there was nothing wrong with what that comedian said. Fox needs to remember when to entertain and when to educate. Also, that this wasn’t the first comedian who put aside grins and giggles for a serious moment, such type of which we in the United States calls Come To Jesus.
I mention this here because, to my mind at least, Laurence Fox’ response shows just how much knee-jerk responses have become habit in the media — including newspapers, magazines, television, and conservative radio — in order to keep up “engagement” — another way of saying eyeballs and/or ears on — so that advertising rates and other income streams can grow.
Well, I don’t want to engage in that sort of knee-jerk behavior. It’s a waste of time and, frankly, it doesn’t look good on anyone.
Canceling should only be done as a useful tool and done willingly, not because one is shamed into it. For instance, the cancelling of Budweiser’s use of Dylan Mulvaney as a spokesperson was definitely not knee-jerk and was 100% willing by the buying public. You see, that was a totally grassroots battle that showed Budweiser’s management and advertising agency that they did not like using a tranny to market to them. No matter how the media spins it, parent company AB InBev was hurt financially and is still being hurt.
Look, if AB InBev wants to market to trannies or grannies or 100% US Grade A men or whatever and whomever makes no never mind to me. But I also don’t have to buy their products for whatever reason I so choose. It’s called a free marketplace. If the product’s taste or performance sucks or their marketing turns off too many people, then that company has failed to listen to the marketplace and is destroying their own business.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I can say the above paragraph because, frankly, I’ve never liked Bud Light or much of any other beer so there’s no hardship on me to find another to take its place. But the concept, y’all, the concept of freedom of choice to cancel or not to cancel belongs to each individual. To parody Jeff Foxworthy: If yewwwwwww orchestrate or weaponize a cancel campaign then yewwwwww just might be a Commie Dictator.
I worry when anyone tries to start a cancel campaign because they want to destroy a company that doesn’t believe like them. Case in point: The recent (2023) campaign against Chick-fil-A (CfA), a proudly Christian company and Atlanta, Georgia-based and homegrown master of the chicken sandwich/waffle fries/lemonade meal, I mean, my gosh what a great meal.
Somebody tried very hard to put out a social media campaign that showed they were caving to pressure to become Woke because they just hired a Director of Diversity. Well, I know CfA. I’ve had lunch with Truett Cathy, yes, the founder of CfA and have his autobiography signed by him right there at CfA HQ. I have friends who worked for CfA. Heck, my son’s first paying job was cutting tenders in a Stockbridge, Georgia, CfA location.
So, when somebody said the company was caving to Wokeness, I knew better. And sure enough, on their website was a whole page about their Director of Diversity and what his mandate was toward company culture, and it did not include any Woke nonsense, but rather helping all who wanted to work for the company to feel welcomed and fit in no matter where in the world they were from.
I can tell you here around the Metro Atlanta area we have many CfAs with employees so diverse you wouldn’t believe it but who, by the way, all understand great Customer Service makes Loyal Customers which in turn makes profits and brings about job security.
Holy cow! You mean diversity, inclusion, and equity themselves are not bad things? No, they are not.
You see, the cancel campaign thinker-upper forgot to do his research on that. He thought Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity meant catering to the likes of him and his Woke Nutty Buddies and if they won’t, well, hell, they aren’t above weaponizing lies and forcing laws to make those recalcitrant, no-good, creepy citizens cater and bow and kiss their rings.
* * * * * * * *
Thank you for participating in spreading thoughtful, insightful, and common-sense information and sometimes just plain entertaining columns by sharing this with your friends and social network!
The author apologizes that she’s been off this site for so long, but she has had four deaths in the family since January 2023 and other issues that have taken much of her attention and time and it just couldn’t be helped.
Born and raised in Georgia, Angela K. Durden is an author, publisher, editor, songwriter, performer, and more, living in Metro Atlanta, Georgia. She appreciates your support of her Citizen Journalism by purchasing her books. Visit her Consolidated Author Page and buy a book or three. See more about Angela here. Want to watch a fun video? Click here.
