Yeah, I have similar feelings about "The Great Cancel Debate". On the one hand it smacks of bullying - which I remember seeing on fan boards back in the early 00s, and people including myself trying not to give into. There was an individual who kept getting kicked off fan boards, until she landed on the one I was perched on. And she went after me - like you would not believe. She was homophobic, racist, and loved to play the victim. Married to a guy in the Army, and lived on an army base. Pro-military and very conservative. And on chat - she played the "victim" and made friends. (I met her in person and her husband - not by choice - I got ambushed at a meetup.) And they couldn't kick her off, and if we fought back - we were considered bullies. The whole experience was highly educational in internet interactions. What I learned from it? Don't engage. I should have just ignored her.
On the other hand...we have "celebrity" writers whose egos have been bolstered by the internet. And they've acquired "groupies". People who are "fans" of the writer. I was never really a fan of JK Rowling. And I honestly think she's the least interesting writer on that list - if the most well-known. (I'm thinking they may regret bringing her on board at the moment.) I don't feel sorry for Rowlings. I don't care about Rowlings. If it weren't for folks on DW and FB, I'd be oblivious to Rowlings views.
Courtney Milan is beginning to piss me off too along with Stephen King. Joss Whedon finally shut up and retreated (wise move). The Celebrity Writer Tweeters are kind of annoying. It's why I jumped off twitter. Ugh.
And before social media, plenty of cancellations happened. Terrible ones, like the McCarthy hearings, our own government driving out people like Eartha Kitt for having the audacity of a vocalized opinion... churches cancelled people for millennia...
None of this is new. It's just a lot more openly debated.
The people I worry about the most are those who truly got caught up in things they don't understand. Like the utility crew worker who was recorded flashing an okay sign when provoked to do so, not knowing that it is now an alt-right sign.
This is what is concerning me. I'm worried about the slippery slope. There's such a fine line. And I don't think the righteous see it.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2020-07-11 03:43 pm (UTC)On the other hand...we have "celebrity" writers whose egos have been bolstered by the internet. And they've acquired "groupies". People who are "fans" of the writer. I was never really a fan of JK Rowling. And I honestly think she's the least interesting writer on that list - if the most well-known. (I'm thinking they may regret bringing her on board at the moment.) I don't feel sorry for Rowlings. I don't care about Rowlings. If it weren't for folks on DW and FB, I'd be oblivious to Rowlings views.
Courtney Milan is beginning to piss me off too along with Stephen King. Joss Whedon finally shut up and retreated (wise move). The Celebrity Writer Tweeters are kind of annoying. It's why I jumped off twitter. Ugh.
And before social media, plenty of cancellations happened. Terrible ones, like the McCarthy hearings, our own government driving out people like Eartha Kitt for having the audacity of a vocalized opinion... churches cancelled people for millennia...
None of this is new. It's just a lot more openly debated.
The people I worry about the most are those who truly got caught up in things they don't understand. Like the utility crew worker who was recorded flashing an okay sign when provoked to do so, not knowing that it is now an alt-right sign.
This is what is concerning me. I'm worried about the slippery slope. There's such a fine line. And I don't think the righteous see it.