As social media has become more and more popular in recent years, cancel culture has emerged as a new societal trend. Like it or not, the things that may have been said in the past can now be used to affect your future.
Cancelling is basically a “cultural boycott,” said Lisa Nakamura, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies the intersection of digital media and race, gender and sexuality, “It’s an agreement not to amplify or give money to”.
What this is basically saying, is that if you’ve said something bad, it will come out, it’s just a matter of where people find it and when they release it. Some believe that it is good to call someone out on the mistakes they’ve made if they were wrong, but others think that it is unfair to use someone’s past words against them years later, because people grow and change
In his newest Netflix special “Sticks and Stones”, famous comedian Dave Chappelle uses a segment of his act to address cancel culture, and the lengths people go to be a part of it.
**WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE**
“That’s why I don’t be coming out doing comedy all the time because y’all n****s is the worst motherf*ckers I’ve ever tried to entertain in my f*cking life. Goddamn sick of it. This is the worst time ever to be a celebrity. You’re going to be finished, everybody’s doomed!” Chappelle goes on to say.
Chappelle has been known for his controversial acts, but going against a societal trend that was supposedly created “for good” may not have sat well with all viewers. At the end of the day, he was just saying what other comedians have been thinking.
Another celebrity comedian to face the wrath of canceling was Kevin Hart in late 2018. Homophobic and insensitive tweets from Hart’s account in 2011 were leaked to the public right when it was announced that he was to host the Oscars.
“I wouldn’t tell that joke today, because when I said it, the times weren’t as sensitive as they are now. I think we love to make big deals out of things that aren’t necessarily big deals, because we can,” he said in an interview with Rolling Stone “These things become public spectacles. So why set yourself up for failure?”
Hart then took to his Instagram to issue another statement on the situation, where he refused to apologize, but rather explain that he has learned, grown and that people need to “stop searching for reasons to be angry,” .
Other comedians have been called out the same way as Hart, one being the famous female comedian Sarah Silverman. When she was casted for a part in a movie, a picture of her in blackface from an old act resurfaced, and the role was taken back. Although the sketch was originally supposed to be a part of a routine on racism, an edgy and shocking sketch at that. The article talks about Silverman taking a stand on the subject of cancel culture, saying:
“Silverman, admittedly, has a fair point - cancel culture comes across as disproportionately harsh, the “cancellers” often ignoring context for the sake of action, but critique of cancel culture tends to caricature the phenomenon; Silverman seems to be greatly overstating the danger of the situation, perhaps feeling defensive after losing an opportunity," (Di Placido, 1).
The society we live in, as Kevin Hart stated as well as Silverman and Chappelle, is much more politically correct than it has been in the past. The comedy sketches shown then and now alone are prime examples of this. Even Jerry Seinfeld, one of the most well-known comedians out there, believes that the political correctness of today is intervening with the field.
In 2015, Colin Cowherd with ESPN Radio had an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, where Seinfeld stated he would not perform on college campuses due to the backlash he may receive on his “lack of” PC (political correctness). Cowherd explains that he had interviewed other comedians like Chris Rock, who had said the same thing about not wanting to perform at colleges in an interview with New York. He said,
“I stopped playing colleges, and the reason is because they’re way too conservative,” Rock said in the interview. “Not in their political views — not like they’re voting Republican — but in their social views and their willingness not to offend anybody.”
So what do you think, did Chappelle hit the nail on the head with his impression of today’s audience and the concept of cancel culture? Going against a large group of media users in a special released on one of the top streaming platforms in the country was a bold choice, but for a comedian as fearless and controversial as Chappelle, it was just another day at the office.
Calling Out Call-Out Culture 