On Freedom of Expression and Cancel Culture

I had a very enlightening conversation with my husband today on this. Mainly with how often we hear people argue about their freedom of expression while the other end canceling someone for their misdeed.


I, however, seem to fall somewhere in the middle. And, as much as I try to grapple with the two schools of thought, I come back to ask, but is it doing any good in society at large? Are we trying to teach, reform, and ultimately find common ground?


Let's start with the "freedom of expression/speech argument." We often see people who either support a notorious idea or actually make such a remark use this as a shield. It's a blanket cloak that is supposed to let you off the hook whenever you say or do something you shouldn't have done or said to begin with. We live in a society, and social cohesion is fundamental. And, to keep it intact and maintain peace and mutual respect, everyone needs to understand that their right ends where someone else's nose begins. For instance, your freedom to express something amounts to a direct attack on someone else's identity-say, race, sexuality; then, do you still believe it is a right that should be protected? The idea of freedom of expression is to let one express freely and/or talk on a particular concept and contribute to a meaningful discussion or debate, ultimately making society better and bringing about progress. But, in attacking someone's identity, rarely does one use their freedom to express themselves. Instead, all it becomes is an act undertaken to belittle someone for their identity, race, gender, or religion. It doesn't start a discourse nor make society better. All the more, by hiding behind these defenses, all one does is refuse to take accountability, unlearn their prejudices, and perpetuate the cycle of attacking someone based on the othering factors- the differences. It is far from a learning experience even though it could have been a teachable moment had the person accepted their mistakes and shown a willingness to learn instead of hiding behind the freedom of expression defense.


This is where it makes sense to talk about the "cancel culture." Unfortunately, this culture has its own toxicity. Mainly because it ostracizes someone for a mistake or mistakes without giving them a chance to redeem themselves. There is this idea that a person is their mistake(s) and that they no longer deserve to be a part of the "group" or, worse, still be heard. This doesn't let a person learn from their mistakes, constricts dialogue, and the opportunity to learn from others-which again does not contribute to societal growth and progress. And, in some situations hurts the person on the receiving end and their family on several levels where they are more likely to undergo severe mental anguish and backlash that tears their lives apart. 


There is a pressing need to make accountability the new normal and at the same time give people chances to learn from their mistakes, especially where they show remorse. After all, what is life if not a learning process, and as long as a person is willing to learn from their mistakes, there is always hope. And, no one should have the right to take that hope away from humanity.

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