Cornejo, Faith Meriniel B.

11- Zirconium

The Obstruction of Cancel Culture

The concept of canceling someone and the emergence of the "cancel culture" have
expanded widely. These days, people are quick to judge others negatively based on their past
or present behavior. It appears to be advantageous since it allows the public the ability to hold
public personalities accountable for unethical behavior or other issues over which law
enforcement has no control. However, it has repeatedly shown that it can be disruptive and
harmful to society.

One most common effect of cancel culture is its disruptiveness that often turns into
bullying. Cancel culture is formed to call out peers for offensive words or actions, however It has
developed to be a harsh punishment and a form of public shaming. It is especially damaging
because of the current generation that is sensitive to the opinions of their peers. Many
therapists report treating teen clients who suffered from depression and suicidality for months
after being canceled by peers. Teens who experience this may struggle for years to build trust,
and to feel a sense of belonging in a peer group, that is why it turns into a sense of bullying.

Other than its disruptiveness as an effect of cancel culture, it also becomes a harmful
phenomenon to society. The power of “canceling” somebody is often misdirected or abused,
easily overstepping the boundaries of common decency. For instance, people are getting
de-platformed for controversial opinions, such as people in creative fields have the need to
censor their work to avoid being ‘canceled’. The retaliation encouraged by the cancel culture is
ultimately too severe and extreme for the majority of circumstances.

To summarize, it is shown that cancel culture contributes to many issues to the

well-being of the society. It promotes disruptiveness and results in harmfulness overruling
people with contrary opinions. The original idea that truly awful people should be taken off the
internet may have had good intentions, it has evolved into a completely new concept that
frequently focuses more on spreading hate than it does on holding people accountable. To put it
simply, cancel culture adds more negativity to the world than it does to take it away.