In wake of country superstar Morgan Wallen recent use of a racial slur and the removal of former President Trump and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell being removed from Twitter and many in the media using the term #CancelCulture it seemed like a good time to examine things a bit.
According to Dictionary.com the term "Cancel Culture" refers to popular practice of withdrawing support for cancelling public figures and companies after they have done and/or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Recently a few major events have happened where this may apply.
The 1st Amendment of the Constitution give us the right to free speech. We are allowed to say what we want, in theory. Many will not always like what some have to say, but we have the right to say them. But there may be consequences. Case in point:
You cannot yell fire in a theater if there isn't a fire. You cannot say things that cause your followers to storm the Capital of the United States. If you wish to use a racial slur, there may be backlash, no matter what the context was. And you need to be prepared for the consequences of your actions.
Twitter is a publicly traded company, and privately owned. They have rules that they expect users to follow. They have the absolute right to remove someone if these rules are not followed. The former President continued to spread lies to his followers. Mike Lindell continued to spread lies and conspiracy theories. A few GOP members supported this. They claimed they are being silenced...while going on shows sometimes 3 times a week, to say they are being silenced. Yes, you should see the irony. The consequences...they no longer are allowed to use that platform (Twitter) to spread their lies. They can still believe it, and say it on national TV, but there are consequences. Their product may be pulled by companies who do not want to be associated with them in the case of My Pillow. Mike can say what he wants and believes, but you do not have to believe him or support him, or do business with him. Free country.
Morgan Wallen is one of the hottest country stars right now. Hit songs, unique hair style, and he is connecting with listeners. He claims to be a bit of a rebel. He is free to make his own choices. He chose to go out and go to a crowded bar before his scheduled performance on Saturday Night Live. Didn't follow protocols, didn't wear a mask, kiss many women. He is free to do that. Consequences...his performance was cancelled. It was rescheduled, but he didn't get the exposure for the right reason. Luckily for him, he was brought back, made fun of himself in a sketch and saw the error of his ways. Perhaps.
He has now been seen on social media using a racial slur, that for many, is a sign of pure racism and hate about people of color. He may not think that way, but it is totally inappropriate for him to use it. Consequences...many radio stations are pulling his music from their airways. Like the Chicks (formally the Dixie Chicks) many years ago, they had the right to voice their opinion about a former President, and many agreed with their words. Consequences...same thing. Radio stations pulled their music for a time. They came back stronger, winning multiple Grammy awards, and seemed to have survived just fine. I suspect Morgan will come out of this fine, but this will follow him for a while. Hope this time he learns a lesson.
We have free speech in this country, but again it doesn't mean free of consequences. You have the right to say what you want, but that doesn't mean others have to agree, listen, or do business with you. That is also OUR right. No one is cancelling you from saying what you want, but we also have the right to not allow you to say it on certain platforms. Rules and laws are in place for a reason. If you choose not to follow them, be prepared for the repercussions.
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