Argumentative Essay - Simple Outline

Name: Ngo Thu Giang (Hazel)

Essay Topic: “Cancel culture should not be a legitimate form of social justice. 

Part I. Introduction

Thesis statement While cancel culture is widely recognized as a form of social justice by many these days, it should not be a legitimate form of social
(your position in a justice. In reality, the majority might not always be right, coupled with the fact that cancel culture might limit people’s freedom of speech
full sentence) and is only an online movement with no concrete actions taken afterwards.

Part Il. Body

Opposition Argument #1: Cancel culture would bring people
social justice because it tends to reflect the majority’s
opinion, which in many cases is truer compared to the
judgement of a few individuals in the legislative system.
Support
 “When we are unable to rely on a justice system to punish
those who have committed a crime, or expressed racial or
sexist behaviors, we the people turn to cancel culture for
retribution. Take Harvey Weinstein, the once mega
producer who was able to dodge lawsuits and sexual
abuse accusations for over 25 years. It wasn’t until public
outcry and pressure through social media, as a result of the
#MeToo movement, that the police finally got involved. In
2018, Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape and several
other counts of sexual abuse. In this case, cancel culture
impacted justice culture.” (D’Amour, 2020)
Rebuttal #1: Cancel culture might not be a legitimate form of social justice
because the judgement is totally based on the public, whose opinion might
change quickly and not credible.
Support
 Many people would simply jump on the bandwagon to cancel someone instead of
forming their own judgements.
 “[Cancel culture] preys on people's tendency to jump on the bandwagon and join
in an activity because others are doing it, not because of evidence. Participation
is motivated as much by fear-of-missing-out or fear of being targeted for not
supporting the cause as by higher values.” (Rutledge, 2021)

Opposition Argument #2: Cancel culture can give
marginalized groups of people more social power to voice out
the injustice they face.
Support
 “By being able to express moral outrage, cancel culture has
allowed for power dynamics to start to change. The people
in power are still mostly white, male, and rich — but people
of color, women, and other marginalized folks are finally
able to take a seat at the table — taking hold of their power
Rebuttal #2: Cancel culture might limit freedom of speech because it creates a
toxic culture of heavily criticizing individuals whose opinions differ from the
majority.
Support
 Instead of compromisation of different viewpoints and education discussion it’s
more of a power fight. The stronger side get to discredit and silent the weaker
side.
 “Cancel culture is based on the assumption that power—not truth—is the only
way to drive cultural change…The group-power mentality reduces people to
 with every tweet.” (D’Amour, 2020) mere mouthpieces of the larger group.” (Noyes, 2022) => people are
 A platform for less powerful and marginalized people to discouraged from saying their opinion that defers from the larger group they
voice out their opinion. belong to

Opposition Argument #3: Cancel culture can be a critical tool
in the civil rights movements and might push for major social
changes.
Support
 ”Cancel culture has been incredibly effective at combating
sexism, racism, or any other type of abuse or harmful
wrongdoing to others.” (D’Amour, 2020)
 The new method of fighting for justice in the 21st century.
Rebuttal #3: Cancel culture might not bring about social change because it mostly
happens on the internet and no significant real actions are being taken.
Support
 “While some powerful men may not have the status they once did, they have
hardly been canceled.” (Hagi, 2019)
 “Actually, ending someone’s career through the power of public backlash is
difficult. Few entertainers or other public figures have truly been canceled — that
is, while they may have faced considerable negative criticism and calls to be held
accountable for their statements and actions, very few of them have truly
experienced career-ending repercussions.” (Romano, 2020)

Part IlI. Reference list

D’Amour, A. (2020, April 3). Cancel Culture: The Good, The Bad, & Its Impact on Social Change. Retrieved from https://onourmoon.com/cancel-culture-the-good-

the-bad-its-impact-on-social-change/

Hagi, S. (2019, November 21). Cancel Culture Is Not Real—At Least Not in the Way People Think. Retrieved from https://time.com/5735403/cancel-culture-is-

not-real/

Noyes, J. (2022, November 1). The False Philosophy of Cancel Culture. Retrieved from https://www.str.org/w/the-false-philosophy-of-cancel-culture

Romano, A. (2020, August 25). What is cancel culture? Why we keep fighting about canceling people. Retrieved from

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate

Rutledge, P. (2021, March 3). Cancel Culture: Accountability or Bullying? | Psychology Today. Www.psychologytoday.com.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/positively-media/202103/cancel-culture-accountability-or-bullying#:~:text=Cancel%20culture%20is

%20pervasive.