You may have already noticed this effect in your life – people who no longer talk to you or who have blocked your social media page. It isn’t because you had a falling out; it’s simply that your opinions became intolerable and you were quietly but ruthlessly canceled. You may not even know why. Every other quality such as intellectual curiosity, kindness, generosity, sense of humor, or anything that makes personal relationships so meaningful is disregarded. This is what’s so dangerous about cancel culture – it ignores our common humanity.
The urge to impetuously cancel someone — write them off, ignore them, unfriend them – falls apart when we take a moment to consider that this person we were going to throw away so easily is a human being. A flawed human being, just like us, but also a unique individual who can surprise and challenge us
Here are 4 ways to avoid being swept up in cancel culture.
1. DON'T BUY INTO LABELS.
The reason people are labeled and subsequently mocked is because it’s easier to take away their personhood if we limit them to a label. It’s a form of emotional violence. We still do it, though, because it makes us feel better about the way we treat each other.
2. DON'T CHASE THE CHEAP SATISFACTION OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.
If we see the world as a set of black-and-white rules that must be followed with no question, it becomes easy to interpret everything through that rigidly held viewpoint. There’s a cheap thrill in removing a transgressor, but doing so denies them all chance to explain themselves, to ask forgiveness, to learn something, and maybe even to show the validity of their own beliefs.
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3. FIND COMMON GROUND.
We shouldn’t be afraid to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.
4. DON'T DEMAND PURITY BEFORE GIVING LOVE.
It’s easy to love someone who thinks just like us, but where does love really grow? Where does it take root and blossom? It takes place when we are patient and kind with those who are different than us. If we cancel each other, how can we possibly know what love is? If we cancel each other, we all lose. Making the decision to resist cancel culture is a huge wake-up call to focus on what really matters.
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