Prickly City by Scott Stantis for July 23, 2020

Oh, I thought she was reading a document from the trump “Just Us Department”.

If you’ve ever wondered what you’d have done in 1930s Germany, you’re doing it now.

One of the odder ideas to snowball its way into the zeitgeist during the decade’s turbulent second half is the idea that a person can be “canceled” — in other words, culturally blocked from having a prominent public platform or career.

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But actually ending someone’s career through the power of public backlash is easier said than done.

Few entertainers have truly been canceled — that is, they haven’t had their careers totally shut down by negative criticism on the internet.

For example, in 2019, Hart withdrew himself from hosting the Oscars, but his movies and stand-up specials were still successful after the backlash against him died down.

Gillis was swiftly dropped from the cast of Saturday Night Live over his offensive humor, but he’s since been greeted warmly by crowds at comedy shows, defended by fellow comedians like Ricky Gervais and David Spade, and invited for a heart to heart with Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang — turning his use of racial slurs into a teachable moment.

And though many of the most prominent examples of cancellation have arrived in the Me Too era, most of the men who have faced accusations have also dodged long-term consequences.

After multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him in 2017, Louis C.K.’s career hiatus lasted only around 10 months before he returned to stand-up comedy and performed dozens of sold-out, controversial shows.

After high-profile documentaries exploring allegations of decades of sexual assault against each of them were released earlier this year, both R. Kelly and the late Michael Jackson saw increases in streams of their music, rather than decreases.

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Given how frequently it’s been used to repudiate sexism and misogyny, it’s ironic that the concept of “canceling” shares its DNA with a misogynistic joke. (✄ for space…)

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https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate

By Sarah Hagi

The idea is that if you do something that others deem problematic, you automatically lose all your currency. Your voice is silenced. You’re done. Those who condemn cancel culture usually imply that it’s unfair and indiscriminate.

The problem with this perspective is cancel culture isn’t real, at least not in the way people believe it is.

Instead, it’s turned into a catch-all for when people in power face consequences for their actions or receive any type of criticism, something that they’re not used to.

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That means racist, sexist, and bigoted behavior or remarks don’t fly like they used to.

This applies to not only wealthy people or industry leaders but anyone whose privilege has historically shielded them from public scrutiny.

Because they can’t handle this cultural shift, they rely on phrases like “cancel culture” to delegitimize the criticism.

Since the #MeToo hashtag went viral in 2017, more women have spoken out about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault.

While many people have applauded this movement, some men now say they fear even casual interactions with women will get them canceled.

Only that’s not what’s happening. While some powerful men may not have the status they once did, they have hardly been canceled.

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Rather than panicking that someone might be asked to take a seat, we would all do well to consider the people who are actually sidelined: those who lose professional opportunities because of toxic workplaces, who spend years dealing with trauma caused by others’ actions, who are made to feel unsafe.

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When they throw around terms like “cancel culture” to silence me instead of reckoning with the reasons I might find certain actions or jokes dehumanizing, I’m led to one conclusion:

…they’d prefer I was powerless against my own oppression.

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https://time.com/5735403/cancel-culture-is-not-real/

What is even more problematic is that the so-called ‘Cancel Culture’ is often in response to actual misogynistic or other behavior that would not be tolerated in any workplace…

So naturally, Stantis has Carmen shown as the one being ‘canceled….’

“Polls sponsored by media organizations are generally not considered partisan, … But we make an exception if they cherry-pick …, as OANN has been doing.” https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1286116141044244482

“When enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies.”

@Some Anon is a Russian asset (troll) based in Poland…Best not to feed the Bear.

“So in fact, censorship is okay when it’s done by liberals?”

No. Censorship is never okay. Neither is incompetence, lying, or amorality. Unless, according to some, it’s Donald Trump.

At least she got louder at the end.

We have met ISSUS and they are we.

Meh.

“Now with a republican there is just something about his makeup, that the richer the man, the less he should be watched, the bigger the industry the wider open it should run. Its just against their principles to stop a guy from making a big killing, even if he is robbing a bank”-Will Rogers, July 30, 1933

Carmen: >REDACTED<

This is as funny as Carmen’s been in a while.

Sad but true

No one is canceling your culture. We do not wish to worship and adore racists and traitors. Time to correct some really bad choices and make an effort to change.

Interesting. My personal world excludes almost all social media. By choice. So I had to look up “cancel culture”. As a result, I have renewed my determination to stick to only professional sites. (I am an engineer.)