What ‘Cancel Culture’ Ignores About Free Speech

Is ‘cancel culture’ real? Are we losing grip on the fundamental right to free speech? Are we entering a new phase of cultural authoritarianism that targets anyone who goes against the grain? Or ... are those hysterics pointed in the wrong direction? In the second episode of “Backspace,” a new media critique series from AJ+, Sana Saeed explores how we've re-imagined an old conversation on speech and accountability and how free speech is, in fact, under threat - just not in the way we're made to think it is.
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[@ajplus]

Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out other episodes from Backspace kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZDHfKquZZ5sgLM

[@saviorsoul9714]

Hello CCP channel

[@evonerfin3]

"If liberty means anything at all,it means right to tell others what they don't want to hear" George Orwell

[@rcmrcm3370]

But not ad infinitum. Then that's no longer a freedom, that's torture. Naturally George is a product of his time so he didn't understand that the real important freedom is the freedom to hear. Google soft censorship is the epitome of restricting your freedom to hear by preventing you from finding things even when you've done a very well and carefully structured search. Blah blah blah goes on all day you're also taking away my freedom to hear other voices. That's why CNN is so busy taking up all the space in every airport lounge.

[@madsgrams2069]

Ok...so if a musician wants to tell Joe Rogan what a ponce he is for spreading vaccine misinformation, is that not also "free speech"? How is one guy taking his music off of Spotify in protest of Spotify supporting Joe's BS "silencing him"? He (Joe Rogan) can still say whatever false BS he wants, how is he being "SILENCED"?? Freedom of speech is NOT freedom from consequences, consequences like being called a what you are when you say things that people (MANY people) find objectionable.

[@fisheyelens876]

@@madsgrams2069 quit sucking around the edges of symantics and just swallow the whole thing, you don't like anyone who does not agree with you.

[@JanLCn]

@@rcmrcm3370 many the Western world don't appreciate how precious free speech is. Throughout most of history, people don't get to voice honest opinions. People were executed for heresy or treason, for stupid stuff like challenging lies made by people in power... because those were legit historical crimes. It had to take until the last 200 years that society realize truth is something worth defending. Only when all ideas are open to intelligible challenge can truth be built upon to understand what makes stuff work and how then to devise serious way to improve upon our lives. Such a rare and precious time in history that we live in, yet so many rather champion silence and ignorance.

[@justanothernick3984]

@@JanLCn This isn't going to change. Morals that ground values and what leads to honesty is subjective and will lead to some dissonance. Snowden is an extreme case but let's make it more casual. Say you see something your workplace does "wrong" according to you and you can support it by making better sales numbers but you aren't the one making decisions, are you free to speak your opinion? This might lead to the manager and/or colleagues fighting you even if it was for the best of the company. You might be ostracized and forced out of a job, made to quit, cancelled. So I don't see this changing because of moral subjectivity and the hits the ego will take for having made "worse" choices. Free speech is a myth. You should want to adapt to people around you and know how they work in order to get you opinion heard and your will through.

[@pussy_master6927]

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. - Noam Chomsky

[@Rickertsred]

My father used to say “This is America, and everyone has the right to voice their beliefs and opinions, no matter how stupid they sound.”.

[@louispouliot4102]

True as long as you endorse the price of the stupidity and the consequence of your free speech, your totally right.

[@quik100]

I was just told that the word stupid is not allowed.

[@joedarrow5422]

​@@FirstnameLastnames yeah! he's the comedian making fun of Hank for something, it's been awhile... my all time FAVORITE show on earth, great reference, Firstname! And great message, much needed in our modern day

[@jacksnyder5526]

And he was correct, take for example what the cultural reporter's opinion of what the real problem is when she said, "when you think about the American story it does come back to American Individualism and American entitlement to land, property and personhood, that's how we get here where there is this reflexive denial of what any sense of accountability of what Cancel Culture should or is or what this contemporary definition of what it should be and that's where you have this through line from the legacy of America's arrival to these shores and these lands to what you have now" Her first problem is not understanding how America came to be. If she fails to understand that American didn't "come" to these shores and take this land but was actually born here and original to North America then how could she possible be able have any understanding of the rest of it? However; she still has the right to voice her belief, as ignorant and misguided as it is. Obviously she feels strongly that the rights of an individual should be subordinate to the rights and the greater good of the collective majority, including the right to your own personhood or private property ownership of that which was derived by your own labor and effort. Very much like the ideals of Germany's National Socialist Party, aka Nazi Party. Fortunately for her she lives in America where she is free to express her ignorant, immoral and historically genocidal ideology without fear of persecution, violence or even being held to some form of accountability arbitarily determined by someone else as they seem to be endorsing for others they deem fit for such punishment. Ironically, the goverment power ruling the country where this Al Jazeera program is based out of doesn't recognize the right to free speech as America does and would hold them accountable for punishment. The Right to Free Speech is founded on the notion that upright and morally correct ideals will always be favored by the majority of society when placed next to those that lack correctness or are fundamentally immoral. More importantly, some may seem to be just and correct in the vacuum of censorship preventing an opposing ideal that is more sound of higher moral principle.

[@mamalives6938]

Stupidity is blinding. As man makes self ma believers shout the father creates. They are ridding Mama's and the life we give because of stupid people having the right to LIE

[@kristian3466]

One thing I think the video should have brought up is how the incentive structures of social media contributes greatly to the dynamics of harassment, dogpiling, and abuse so many associate with cancel culture. Social media sites want to maximize engagement, and they've figured out long ago that fear and anger are the best emotions to tap into to do that. And so "Person X said/did something horrible!" can spiral out of control, leading in the most extreme cases to the person being cancelled dying by suicide.

[@hueypautonoman]

And that's a huge part of it. People conflate legitimate protest with bullying and toxic behavior. There's definitely a Twitter culture and a Reddit culture, and both wings of the political spectrum engage in that behavior. That's very different from people freely criticizing a public figure who says something racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.

[@alessandromorosin5498]

I do agree. Social media has had a negative effect on radical movements for social change. Now it;s all about proving who is the most woke, while basically banishing people who have done "problematic" things that are often minor. I think the Woke left of today is impotent and divisive. We need a very different left and a whole different method of treating different levels of contradiction. I would recommend this episode and love to know what you think, if you could leave a comment on their page: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4CXdXR_jc1nftk

[@sandrallewellyn2632]

Very true. I think another more positive way we can look at this is that we are being confronted with the reality of how Destructive operating from fear and outrage really is. I honestly don't think the majority of people realize how much power and choice we actually have in disrupting these collective patterns, BUT the opportunity is still present for us to let go of these things because it is now undeniably in our face.

[@infamousspade3845]

This happened to me. If you look up Junto Podcast, I detail just how they did it. They ultimately hurt my relationship, financial and mental health. I grew up in a cult, it has almost nothing to do with "accountability", but a political weapon to silence dissent.

[@madsgrams2069]

There's no such thing as "cancel culture". Want to stop the "dog-piling" on you? Get off Twitter. So simple...

[@oanaalexia]

You can get offended by everything if you're emotionally dysregulated and carry a lot of traumas. I also suspect that this cancel culture is a place where trolls feel at home and maybe, some feel a degree of pleasure in slandering someone and eventually cancelling them.

[@madsgrams2069]

There is NO SUCH thing as "cancelling". Critcizing people for the s*it they say is also A FORM OF FREE-SPEECH. The only problem is when it gets too far (death-threats, constant harassment, etc.). And even then you can easily just log off the toxic cesspool social media platforms (like Twitter) and be done with it. And things like these happen much more rarely than the people who whine about "cancel culture" will ever care to admit.

[@manicpepsicola3431]

If you notice people don't care when their favorite does something racist homophobic etc they only care when they don't like the person or don't care enough to follow the crowd

[@MrMarinus18]

I think it's also the realization that the internet has social pressures to and that saying whatever you want is not without consequence.

[@laughingvampire7555]

well then you don’t understand what trolling is about. Trolling isn’t about canceling anything is about making fun of things that don’t matter. In other words trolling is essentially anti-cancel culture. cancel culture is carried by people who care too much about things that don’t matter like symbols, symbols of different kinds including words. we should care about material attack on human rights not about symbolic nonsense. cancel culture is a material attack on human rights because someone challenged your symbolic sensitivity or primitive morality. the whole point of freedom of speech is to protect people who speak against the morality of their culture. Because all morality should be challenged or else we get trapped in witchhunts and Inquisitions. and today cancel culture is about canceling anyone that violated the morality of society.

[@oanaalexia]

@@laughingvampire7555 I'll come back with a nice reply after I get some rest. Sorry, I assumed your comment was something addressed to another comment I had on this video. I was sure it was the other comment that kinda got argued over. I apologize. Have a great New Year!

[@cipaisone]

I believe that what is missing (what was perhaps never there) is a “forgiveness culture. The fact that for any controversial statement, a person is marked for life has two devastating effect: either a person must retire from public life, get cancelled, or the person will make the very fact that was criticised, a reason to fight against cancel culture, thus gaining even more popularity (especially’, many times, among frustrated people, looking for a leader). Imagine the public would forgive a statement instead. I am not saying that a person making a false statement should not be accused and eventually even pay, for claims such as inciting violence, racism, etc…simply, a single statement should not be a reason to eliminate a public person, a chance to redeem itself should be given. People should forgive… and it is ironic that forgiveness should be a pillar of Christianity (though never was in practice), and my thoughts are those of a non Christian

[@alessandromorosin5498]

This recalls the work of Loretta Ross on the difference between a call-out and a call-in. Also, here is the revcoms' latest episode, all about the B.S. of cancel culture kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4CXdXR_jc1nftk

[@madsgrams2069]

Riiight.... Except some people have actually apologized for what they did or said and were just fine afterwards. So what you're saying is BS. There's IS NO SUCH THING as "cancel culture", so there is no need for "forgiveness culture". You can choose to forgive a public person or not, even if they didn't apologize (although why you would do that is beyond me). No one should feel obliged to do anything (apologize or forgive). Sooo...buzz off with your BS!

[@Alexis-lg3dq]

@@madsgrams2069 oh brother

[@madsgrams2069]

@@Alexis-lg3dq Uuumm...are you actually going to say something of substance?

[@Alexis-lg3dq]

@@madsgrams2069 im not arguing with anyone over youtube comment section LOL

[@debojitchatterjee5657]

I hate cancel culture and the mob mentality but the fact this has been happening on the left is hilarious. I live in a country where two years ago a death of a famous bollywood superstar was used by a right wing party for political gains. I tried to protest on Facebook and a group of people pounced upon me like a prey in the comment section and literally cyber lynched me. The same happened with reporters questioning the govt actions on pulwama, activist protesting CAA, NRC, farmers protest arrested. Anyone speaking out against toxic cultures is boycotted as anti india. Right wingers have been carrying out cancel culture since years while martryrising themselves, self victimising against people who are trying to hold them accountable.

[@alessandromorosin5498]

Exactly! But on the Left, 'cancelling ' (along with the whole Woke mentality) is a performative divisive, and counter-productive strategy that leaves the real imperialists and real oppressors off the hook. Check this out kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4CXdXR_jc1nftk

[@uzzibarefoot7743]

Man stfu about Bollywood trash!! You just have to make it abt urself ! Indian has more fake news factory

[@seahog1911]

Funny how comments on this channel disappear

[@nikosfilipino]

I love that term martyrizing because this is the new tactic of American liberals and conservatives. Both love to victimize themselves to the point of commuting actual crimes. You see this on the liberal side with riots in the streets destroying businesses and you see it on the conservative side with things like the capitol riots

[@bhatkrishnakishor]

Epstein didn't kill himself

[@werone696]

I have mixed feelings about "Cancel Culture" because while I don't want to open a can of worms of censorship I feel that there's a time and place for everything.

[@joshuataylor3550]

We should still call people out but it should be coupled with an allowance for room to grow for those sincere and ernest enough to seek that. People can be forgiven.

[@mr.mrs.d.7015]

You might like this judging by your comment. I found it very helpful in my thoughts on this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZDHfKquZZ5sgLM

[@blt4life112]

I wish people would stop calling it "canceled" and go back to calling it "fired".

[@Zeke-id2bo]

Censorship doesn't work like that. Trying to eliminate different views is the very definition of discrimination and censorship. Many people state views I disagree with, but to try to fire everyone until there is no other views will create so much hate. Joe Rogan is an excellent interviewer and no matter how hard people try will not be silenced.

[@mr.mrs.d.7015]

@@Zeke-id2bo no one was censored. They said what they wanted to say and in some cases repeated their statements and they are free to repeat them tomorrow but its not censorship to have to also listen to the response of others reacting to whatever was said and its not censorship for a company to fire someone if they said something that the company felt would damage their reputation having an affiliate who makes such statements. Facing the repercussions of the use of ones free speech is not censorship.

[@johnsailorsgoat]

"I may not agree with what you have to say but I will die for your right to say it." -Voltaire

[@JanLCn]

Free speech means defending the right of others to say what you personally disagree with. If speech is silenced, bad ideas don't die out, they just go unchallenged.

[@wrayth3951]

At first I thought this was going to be a neutral stance depicting what cancel culture is and how it can actually hurt people, but this seems really pro cancel culture.

[@zeej80]

This video absolutely is pro-cancel culture!

[@tablab165]

Like Stephen Fry Points out, we need to be strategic in our application of political activism. Double-down culture and being right culture has us forgetting that with the wrong message, or message delivered ineffectively, members of our audience are bound to run screaming into the arms of tyrants and vote against their interests and the common good.

[@josepjoconnor1095]

I'm not a political activist any longer, I had my fill of it, but I can tell you, it's way overdue. An Activist from the 1970's.

[@lukasmiller486]

Freedom of Speech does come with consequences and responsibility but if you see something hateful or bigoted online, you can always roll your eyes, click x and ignore it. If you are so angry you want to crucify that person’s livelihood you’re the one with the problem for seeking validation from him in the first place. When I was younger I was guilty of occasionally saying hateful, bigoted and careless things online and then deleted them after giving it some thought after receiving strong and well-deserved feedback. It didn’t mean I was a psychopath; it just means I needed to grow up.

[@sapphireluna4818]

great comment 👍 the beauty of free speech is you don’t have to like what someone says. You can dislike, you can reply, or you can make your own comment or other content (like a youtube video) for your own argument. The best arguments will ‘win’ if they are well-constructed and reach a large audience. It’s much like how capitalism works :)

[@RockyVegaTV]

Underrated comment.

[@justseifert]

It sounds like you really benefited from critical analysis of your actions. If those people who saw your action had just rolled there eyes and done nothing who knows what would have become of you

[@donjindra]

We can also have a civil discussion with the offending party. Angry attacks make the attacked person more strident. They cause the opposite of their intended effect.

[@blacklyfe5543]

Freedom of speech has no consequences or responsibility that's why it's called "free speech" menaing your free to say anything without persecution or consequences. If you don't have freedom of speech than you have to deal with the consequences or the responsibility of your choice of words

[@bokasseloreos3169]

Thank you for the bit about Palestinians and others getting cancelled for their pro-Palestinian views. This is absent from most discussions on cancel culture. Fact is, zionists started cancel culture...back in the 80s when the ADL was chasing down professors in universities with views "sympathetic" to Arabs.

[@rcmrcm3370]

David Frum is one of them and he got caught out doing something bad and started to cry like a snowflake because he was being canceled and lost jobs.

[@rakata1987]

More al jazeera propaganda. if you all care about Arabs why do Muslims find it very hard to criticize Saudi Arabia whose starving 17million Yemenis? All for political clout in the region vs Israel defending themselves from a terror state.

[@84latinray]

They canceled speedy Gonzalez I'm mexican American and that was my favorite character

[@holyfordus]

*”I’m being CANCELLED!”* they loudly proclaim on literally every social media platform available.

[@donaldtramp7469]

literally

[@KevinChavis]

For some people it might be an odd badge of honor, but those who are canceled without due process should be able to mention this publicly to warn others. Local DSA chapter removed me without due process or a reason, likely personality? No idea because I was informed by email months after they voted. They tried and failed to remove me from the organization entirely yet had no legitimate reason to. I'm still a dues-paying DSA member, I just cannot attend local meetings in the Twin Cities until their leadership decides to be more democratic than authoritarian. Until then, I'm focusing on building worker power in my union and the local labor movement.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

that's quite the generalization. The people who loudly proclaim are the lucky ones. Of course, the ones who are canceled and can speak are the ones you cite, because you can't find the ones who are not platformed

[@CASULL455]

Not if you're deplatformed like many right wing persons have been

[@honeyalmontereynoso7609]

😂😂😂😂

[@bobcondoulis4171]

Imagine if those being canceled by cancel culture asked "why is being canceled ok when criticizing Israel"

[@rakata1987]

Seems like everyone has such a strong opinion on Israel when Israel isnt nearly as bad as other middle eastern nations in terms of human rights abuses.

[@mochithepooh5368]

Honestly "cancel culture" is just 'due to technology, now complain of normal average people can be heard'. Like previously if you want to complain or criticize about bad articles in newspaper or people, you got to go through a lot of steps. But now you can just open your phone and tweet about it.

[@donaldtramp7469]

@@SignalsOfVirtue it was by definition an insurrection. you right wing nuts say facts over feelings but that doesn't apply to you does it?

[@hansolowe19]

Idiots spew their verbal diarrhoea online and feel they're not alone when they meet other idiots?

[@chitroskarma7832]

Just because you thinck is bad it's not necesseraly bad, is bad for you not for others.

[@Stoney-Jacksman]

Way too simplistic statement or conclusion. The digital technology is the means on which this dynamic is happening. Doesn't mean it's the source reason behind (ab)using that means. Fallacy. The digital technology does make it easier to do so. But so would be the opposite movement. So...it doesn't really say anything about the source of this dynamic.

[@TheJayman213]

There definitely is something to cancel culture. What sucks about it is the moralism, the drive to identify guilty parties and a negligence of systemic analysis of the dynamics that might give rise to said guilty parties. The cases where systems are A-OK and it's truly just individual bad apples that need to be cancelled are few and far between (or non-existent). Whether you're identifying guilty individuals (cancel culture) or guilty (identity) groups (antisemitism / generational hate), you're not solving the problem and possibly creating new ones by ignoring systems.

[@dave_riots]

Freedom of Speech doesn't come without responsibility!

[@degamispoudegamis]

yessir

[@JanLCn]

The responsibility of free speech is to defend the right of others to say what you personally disagree with.

[@CJ-fs1zr]

@@JanLCn It’s a free speech battleground if someone wants too cancel you that’s their freedom of speech grow a thicker skin and stop crying that you got cancelled lol you’re no better then sensitive people who wanna cancel everything

[@dcissignedon]

It's not complicated, suppress someone's ability to speak, and you take away his ability to change things by PERSUASION, leaving him no alternative but violence. The surest way to create a violent society is to suppress a persons ability to say what he believes - whatever he believes. And that's true whether what he believes is true or false, kind or hateful.

[@feonjun]

•Freedom of speech is protected by law, but it doesn't mean you can be reckless. The law also protects people from speeches that causes tangible harm. You can't go into a crowded room, scream fire and use free-speech as a defense if someone died from the stampede. •It is most likely that the very same people who blame *Cancel Culture* are also proponents of libertarian idea of free market. Social media companies are private companies that could care-less for free-speech other than their bottom-line. No one is going to stop Joe Rogan from standing on the street corner and spew his opinion. •Anti *WOKE* is essentially anti African Americans because every other rights movement steams from what African Americans have accomplished in the U.S. Another way of looking at is that the movement for a fairer society is about African American rights, but other groups are riding the coattail of African American's fight for equality.

[@toma4794]

I disagree, I wouldn't say anti-work is anti-African-American, it's more saying that the solution being called for by people who are 'woke' aren't the right one and there are better solutions. I think it's okay to have that disagreement without being anti-African-American. For me it seems like the term term woke Is too broad and all-encompassing to have any real value as a descriptive term now anyway.

[@feonjun]

@@toma4794 You're not wrong if you look at it at face value. I'm coming from the stand point that the term "WOKE" has been hijacked from BLM, and everything else has been riding on their tailcoat, which muddied BLM legitimacy. Rather accidental or by design, BLM has been lumped into the culture war, which it shouldn't have been in the first place.

[@lostvarius]

Love that you put in that bo burnham interview -one of the few comedians that have refused to get caught up in this "blaming people for getting offended at my jokes"

[@brazaniankamrazian104]

Just finished!! Great job as usual. Listening to the “discourse” on rogan and another bout of cancel culture is exhausting. More videos like this aj ! ✊🏾✊🏾 also what’s in the eggs 😂

[@vilester]

F Rogan. Let’s cancel him.

[@BinaryMekhanika]

@@vilester tough crowd for you johnny. You have been canceled.

[@kimberleychitando6641]

This is such a good series!👏🏾

[@joshuataylor3550]

The irony that no one shuts up about no one shutting up about cancelling.

[@markgalura2891]

Plot twist. People are now not shutting up about shutting up about shutting up about cancelling.

[@aaronshaw5897]

i am cancelling cancel culture, because you cannot have a real discussion with people nowadays without causing offence.

[@cityhawk]

I think all of this boils down to, Americans are having an identity crisis, and they don’t know what they want. Americans want to feel persecuted about something, Americans want to be angry about something, but they don’t know what to be persecuted or angry about. Create a straw man to give their issues and grievances “legitimacy”. So we create these trivial cultural issues to place blame on whatever is missing in their lives. Instead of working on more important issues such as infrastructure, rising medical and housing costs, or lack of access to proper food and nutrition we focus on nonsensical issues such as “cancel culture” because it doesn’t require any work. The real issues do require work, and many Americans are just too lazy to do anything about them. Americans love to perpetually complain without coming up with any tangible solutions. This is something that puzzles me.

[@lagringa7518]

As an old lady I remember having social studies, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights..... where did those go? If the cops don't know because they weren't taught what a citizens rights are (or were) how do you suppose that the average high school graduate would know? Cancel culture wouldn't/couldn't exist if everyone knew what our LEGAL Rights actually are. All this comes from the dumbing down of the American people for the benefit of those who want to control them... and they are. No one knows up from down, true from false, left from right or even fair from corrupt. Cancel culture is simply the result of enforced ignorance by your own government and the billionaires who control the media and your government. This is an agenda that forces people not to think, discuss or debate which have always been the hallmarks of FREE PEOPLES which is what the powers that be are fighting tooth and nail to destroy .

[@pvlapa]

Cancel culture has been around for ages. It's just whoever controls the narrative and how they wield it. Whereas used to be they can get stoned to death, now they just lose a few sponsorships. But it is becoming harder to cancel anyone these days. Because if you get big enough people sitting on your side of the fence will continue to do so anyway. It just depends, you have your Gina Caranos, but then you got your Joe Rogans.

[@alpacaofthemountain8760]

Isn't the point of free speech that you can say anything, but dont be surprised when people disagree with you?

[@darinsingleton3553]

Discerning & navigating the spectrum of critique, also underscores the importance of defining just who, exactly, gets to decide what those specific gradations are; and, also how consistently they are employed. As with many important & relevant ideas, which have been selectively exploited & weaponized by corporate-interests to protect corporate-interests; this issue has largely been warped into a regular bad faith tactic, which, ultimately, fails to add clarity or intellectual integrity to many vital discussions.

[@MrMarinus18]

I also think we should have a healthy amount of backlash to stuff. People shouldn't be allowed to say whatever they want on any topic they feel like. If they want to say something about a sensitive topic they should be willing to face the backlash. If not then they shouldn't engage with it.

[@indefatigable8193]

Call me crazy but if someone uses the N word I have the right as a consumer or contributor to say “I’m not a fan of this, I’m out”. What is the alternative to that? Forcing someone to consume the product, forcing someone to keep contributing, telling someone what they think is wrong? I approach this from a libertarian perspective of freedom of association and well- freedom. I have some advice though. If you don’t like cancel culture why don’t you start with things like Yelp and Angie’s list or make returning meals or products illegal. Start there, tell me how that works, and then let’s dive in.

[@hydrolito]

I bought a product from store that didn't work and returned it for refund. Store should sell products that actually work. I don't know how Yelp of Angies list work as never bought from them.

[@jnsa9454]

Like this series intent...looking forward to analysis beyond headlines

[@thecircledk8597]

Oddly enough... "cancelling " ie criticizing to the point the person shuts up and pisses off IS free speech in action... most if not all of those "cancelled" never defend their words they attempt some half assed non-apology... speech comes with consequence... speech is there to be heard and thought about and replied to not shouted into a vacuum... and those replies...are free speech as well.

[@hamperhamp895]

You're literally defending hate mobs as a form of free speech. You might have to watch this video again because that's not what anyone is saying.

[@thecircledk8597]

@@hamperhamp895 I never claimed it was what they where saying... because I wrote it was what I was saying...keep up. As for "hate mob" hahaha just wow ! A hate mob to a white person is losing money or a platform to speak ? To all other races hate mobs normally end in death or injury. Talk about white fragility. (ps I am white BUT not a conservative or American so not as fragile as a snowflake) Social media is NOT "the town square" it is more akin to a pub/bar... you offend or abuse the other customers you're out on your ear. People need to wake up to that fact.

[@rainkidwell2467]

@@hamperhamp895 you're literally suggesting that those people don't have the right to free speech, because criticism IS FREE SPEECH

[@thecircledk8597]

@Veronica Rainone HAHA But cancelling scores of books and teachings in schools is not cancelling right ? THAT is being done by far right Christian billionaires and politicians...a level of money and influence well beyond a Twitter mob ! Or banning movies etc that the right have done loads and loads times.

[@thecircledk8597]

@Shimmy Shai Well... take it out of the confines of social media or streaming platforms...how does one do it in RL ? You take the responsibility and then you accept the consequences... sometimes you have to make new friends and find a new place to hang out... right ? If you spout racist shit in your favorite pub or club and get kicked out and 86'd/barred for it then you go to a different pub that may not be as good but you accept that as the consequence. People REALLY need to stop claiming social media as some new "town square" because it ain't ! These are business's and business requires more business(users) and its fine if you're in a booth spouting racist shit with you're friends who all agree with you BUT once you find yourself standing front and center in the bar spouting it loudly then that business has to make a decision...is your business worth more than the business they will lose being known as ignoring(by proxy supporting) racist clientele ? Do they want to be know as "that racist bar" ?

[@henrycabotlodge1259]

The essence of opposing cancel culture is not, from the liberals’ perspective, about the rejection of modern liberal ideas such as pronouns and CRT, and from the conservatives’ perspective, about the rejection of modern conservative ideas such as the preservation of traditions. But it is rather about the preservation of the liberty of expressing one’s own opinions, and especially the speeches that are marginalized and are critical of the established beliefs. I welcome discourse of any sort, but the doctrine of depriving the right of the people who oppose my own will and judgement to express their disapprobation, and which is, in my humble judgement, both the liberals and the conservatives are guilty of today. In full honesty, the most repulsive element of modern political discourses, or political discourses of any ages in history, from the age of Cromwell and English Civil War, to the contemporary division, is the unrelenting hypocrisy of both sides, of both the royalists and the republicans in seventeenth century England and both the left and the right, both the liberals and the conservatives of the 2020s. If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. The words of J. S. Mill echo throughout ages, but my only regret is so few of the people have such conception in mind, as can be told from this comment section.

[@henrycabotlodge1259]

@Shimmy Shai Criticism is certainly not cancellation. To me “cancellation” is more of an action manifested by the mentality that believes those who hold different opinions should be shut down and outcasted. And moreover, it is more of an action of the public rather than of the government. So in a legal sense, “cancel culture” is not a violation of free speech, since the masses are in no measure associated with the government. In fact the personalities who are “cancelled” or being “cancelled” can without hindrance proceed expressing their politically incorrect views and yield nothing to the pressure. However we must not delude ourselves that the general public isn’t capable of menacing the existence of free speech in a society. In my opinion there are three kinds of tyranny, the tyranny of the government, the tyranny of businesses and the tyranny of the majority. “Cancel culture” is the manifestation of the tyranny of the majority, a belief that those who hold unpopular opinions should be silenced and bullied out of the platform. This mentality, maybe not as fearsome as the government’s violation of free speech, should still be conceived of grave concern to the concept of free speech. And I believe it is the duty of everyone to be against such a mentality. I am also aware of the hypocrisy of the people who criticize cancel culture, but nevertheless, this should not be a justification of “cancellation”. Freedom of speech can die of a tyrannical government, a tyrannical corporation. It can also die of a tyrannical population. Thus it is our obligation to protect it from all sorts of menaces.

[@jordanrobinson9064]

It sounds silly when you hear somebody’s being canceled, you would think it’s a superpower!

[@KevinChavis]

Cancelation appears to be an authoritarian method. The right-wing decry it because they want to do the canceling, just as those on the authoritarian-left (like fake socialists) want to feel a sense of power as well. In a democracy, people should be allowed to have multiple opinions, the right to associate with who they want, and not be removed from spaces without due process. There's a reason workers want to unionize because workplaces are authoritarian and they want to have a say in their working conditions. Here's hoping more people realize that cancelation alone is not a useful way to see humanity improve itself.

[@rasheedlowery]

"Authoritarian-left" sounds like an ideological oxymoron.

[@johnsailorsgoat]

@@rasheedlowery Tell that to Stalin.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@rasheedlowery So do you just ignore the average communist dictatorship

[@someguy0204]

@@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster I mean to be fair those dictatorships are/were pretty socially conservative and even reactionary in many regards.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@someguy0204 Listen dude repression does not mean it's reactionary or conservative. Communists by their very existence are not conservative in anyway. Only someone extremely far left would say that

[@glennsriyousefbaun-cueto9287]

We're in the day and age when people think with their emotions and not their brains. People don't think rationally anymore

[@jazzypoo7960]

Humans are not rational.

[@madsgrams2069]

Riiiight...people call out Joe Rogan's misinformation about vaccines because they "think with their emotions" and "not their brains" Go taff yourself with your BS!

[@JanLCn]

@@jazzypoo7960 that's why we go to school. If you still choose to remain irrational, that's years of wasted education.

[@jazzypoo7960]

@@JanLCn It's evolution's fault we are irrational.

[@Devin7Eleven]

@@jazzypoo7960 Typical. Blame it on something else instead of take responsibility.

[@logiclust]

Consequences isn’t “cancel culture”

[@johncraft6603]

Very well done. I always found it ironic that people get on national platforms and complain they are being “canceled”. Me: if you were silenced why am I hearing you? Also very glad you brought up the Palestines.

[@YukonBloamie]

Ok, I never thought of it this way until I read this but... "cancel culture" is a dog whistle. It's an absurdity to me, but it actually is a dog whistle for some people who disingenuously push Libertarian ideology.

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@YukonBloamie that's quite the generalization. The people who loudly proclaim are the lucky ones. Of course, the ones who are canceled and can speak are the ones you cite, because you can't find the ones who are not platformed

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@YukonBloamie "a dog whistle for some people who disingenuously push Libertarian ideology." Half of left-wing policies were stolen from libertarians

[@outdoorminer5533]

Maybe because those that got fired from their jobs or humiliated on social media and are not millionaires are quickly forgotten?

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

@@outdoorminer5533 exactly

[@TKO_CEY]

I know someone who had a disciplinary hearing at their university bc they publicly called out a professors racism but celebrities getting criticized is the real cancel culture amirite, Anyway great video.

[@deonambrose]

It’s honestly sad that there are some people on the internet that will go the extra mile to diss/ruin someone’s life just because that person has said something that you’ve taken to heart.

[@iankinnell5643]

Why i hate cancel culture from a free speech perspective if you cancel someone simply because you dont like their opinion your saying you have the right to an opinion & the other person doesnt. I also believe its a fundamental tenent in all westernized countries

[@MrATPCO]

Can't wait for this unbridled madness to end, once and for all.

[@temmy9]

Some day, your opponents will gain real power and redefine the terms. And with those terms, use the tools you have created against you.

[@AussieGriffin]

If you just modify cancellation to adhere to two things you can get this to a reasonable place: 1) Hate speech isn't free speech, 2) Cancel platforming, not people. A.G.

[@mouwersor]

Oh I get it, this is not a 'journalism' in the classical sense. This is an attempt at framing 'cancel culture' as benign by the media itself. It's like colouring your nuke pink and calling it an easter egg.

[@iankinnell5643]

It's now interesting with the George Floyd situation that Fentanyl has also been confirmed as helping contribute to his death I wander if anyone worldwide who suggested this will receive an apology or whether it's any punishment you got you deserved

[@samielkhayri9272]

A very interesting and thought-provoking take on the recent phenomenon of cancel culture. Also, I love the patterns on your shirt. Beyond elegant as always.

[@Rhythmicons]

Recent? Religious nutjobs have been trying to cancel and censor everything for ages.

[@RobertHubbard1966]

Anyone that can applaud cancel culture should read the poem “First They Came…”

[@jaskarvinmakal9174]

Here's where it goes those who criticize the right or adhere to what ever is liberally acceptable orthodoxly don't get fired, harassed, and black listed by major corporations to anything close to a comparable rate of the inverse. Not to mention that there are a lot of influencers and organizations that use this to silence their critics and act in the benefit of someone who's already rich and powerful.

[@jamesz80]

Cancel culture is a product of the internet, we just haven’t quite found a way to cancel “Cancel culture” in a balanced way.

[@ollaallo1570]

So beside the argument that was presented in the video that I find my self surprisingly immensely highly agree upon, what is in the egg . Seriously this need to be answered

[@SohanDsouza]

However, campus speech protesters were, in many cases, not merely protesting, but using physical violence, obstruction, and sabotage to stop speakers from speaking and/or from being heard by those who had come to listen. You conveniently leave those instances out. As for right-wing colleges, those are all private. Go start a private left-wing college if you want, and no one will bother you about suppressing right-wing speech there either. But public colleges that permit on-campus facility use for speech cannot legally obstruct (or withhold equal protection for) expression of any ideology -- yes, not even Nazism.

[@samsen3965]

I'm wondering who is the sicker, our culture or our health system?!

[@james0805]

“Cancelling” is just a call for boycott. Boycotts are free speech too

[@AvangionQ]

7:27 Examples of "cancel culture" coming from the far-right: nonviolent Boycott-Divestment Sanctions movement and Palestinian rights; or Critical Race Theory and discussing American History, rather than American mythology ... 9:06 `Cancel culture only seems to exist when people from certain demographics or people associated with one particular end of the political spectrum express outrage and go after those with institutional and social power.`

[@rakata1987]

Supporting israel isn't far right..its common sense and the right thing to do considering history.

[@AvangionQ]

@@rakata1987 Sure, we can talk history. According to Israel-Palestine Timeline: "At least 2,365 Palestinian children and 137 Israeli children have been killed by someone from the other side since 2000." Those who ignore this information tend to be far-right.

[@LanceJohn]

I'm digging this series

[@kenishahammond3935]

We have a mouth for a reason and it's used to talk. They will never be able to censor us unless we allow it! We hold all the power anyhow. Use your mind wisely because it does affect everything and everyone.

[@Bghehllo]

They say cancel culture is a good thing but people can’t have fun or enjoy their life and tell jokes all because of cancel culture

[@MrMarinus18]

Such a thing is called social pressure. Every society has norms and values on what is and isn't acceptable and you risk ostrication if you don't comply. That's not tyranny, that's a society. Sometimes the needs of the individual will have to bend to the rules of the many. If you have something controversial to say then you should be ready to deal with backlash. If saying controversial things was devoid of consequence it would lose all meaning. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences of your speech. It means you can put anything out there that you want and consequences will come after that. You won't be stopped from initially putting it out there, that's censorring. And with the amount of rotten behavior and craziness there is on the internet I don't think social pressure is a bad thing. You can still do whatever you want, just be prepared to handle the consequences of society. The fear of "cancel culture" really is a very entitled attitude if you think about it. It's that 'I want to do anything I want but nobody is allowed to complain about it at all and I will be too sad to continue if they do'.

[@MrMarinus18]

Freedom to do something is not the same as having the right to do something. If you have a right you should not face negative consequences from acting on that right. If you have a freedom you are not stopped from doing it but you are also not protected against the potential consequences.

[@Bghehllo]

@@MrMarinus18 I see you but damm! This was 4 months ago!

[@theconjugate5204]

This is excellent. It’s difficult to un-muddy waters, and it’s clear by your efforts that you understand that. Hope this video undergoes the same Streisand Effect that so many “canceled” pearl-clutchers have enjoyed lately; may you be canceled, and consequently go viral.

[@PsalmoftheStars]

Freedom of speech is not inhibited by accountability. You can say whatever you want but there will be consequences.

[@lacrartezorok4975]

There have always been people who want to silence those who say things they don't agree with. It's just that now telling someone to shut up isn't an exclusive capacity of those in power. While free speech need limits like not allowing hate speech of malicious misinformation, if you say that someone's opinion doesn't have to be shared, you're giving the other side the power to do the same. Another part of this discussion is that when someone is accused of misconduct, be it a criminal activity or not being nice, instead of going deeper into the question looking for the facts, a lot of people declare the person guilty immediately.

[@tedchyn]

Cancel culture goes both ways from the left to the right depending on who has the power to shut up the other side. This irrational cancel culture explains the polarized politics in the US where nothing gets done and everything is in a state of stagnation.

[@MrMarinus18]

Though I also think we need to look at what we now like to call "cancel culture" and wonder how different it really is from other times of social friction and difficult times.

[@iankinnell5643]

The problems with the death of george floyd & metoo was if you mentioned tony timpa or deared to mention an innocent guys story or defended him you were canceled plus many people globally who offered opinions on these issues could lose their job etc.

[@susim4503]

Another excellent video. Thanks.

[@chuchoelroto2229]

For people who don't like Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson or Dave Chappelle just don't watch them or listen them. As simple as that.

[@bensanderson7144]

Interesting. So if someone has been removed from say, twitter, for their speech … then .. they should be grateful they are being held accountable. Interesting 🤔

[@hydrolito]

That's your opinion as maybe they just removed them because did not want to read other points of views even when they are wrong.

[@Wehdeo]

10:54 This is really interesting. In my country, people in general have an aversion to criticism. Criticism is then very easily ignored and branded as whining from people who always complain. It feels very similar to how Americans are reacting to cancel culture nowadays.

[@riderouter]

I think it is hilarious that the term "woke" has become a negative term. Like, "I don't want to be woke, I don't want to be awake, I want to be asleep, unaware, uninformed, and stupid, dag nabbit!" I get there are people of all political/philosophical beliefs who don't handle disagreements well, but there's a big difference between calling for civility and being willfully ignorant.

[@bibibigbombom822]

The term is ironic.

[@SonofJesus14]

When the ones who are asleep and brainwashed proclaim they are awake, woke, or anything along those lines then the words become less impactful because of the falsities of the proclamation. Its like calling a cat a dog. The willfully ignorant can't be awake or woke. Lol

[@ponypower8]

Being candid, outspoken and opinionated is okay as long as you don't use offensive or demeaning words. You can't, shouldn't be cancelled for being honest, even if your view isn't the same as most people's. That's being overly sensitive. The world needs candor. Whatever happened to "The truth shall set you free"?

[@icerres1067]

The whole purpose of free speech is to be able to disagree with an idea, person, or political position and be protected by your right to say that. So to say that free speech protects only the empowered or privileged, and take it away from them because of you disagreed, or if offended you is wrong. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, and it something someone else says offends you, they are still allowed to say it, and continue to say it regardless of your feelings on the matter. By extension, if someone disagrees with you, or is offended by you, that is also, their problem, not yours. Basically, it is not your place to stop someone from saying anything.

[@sokkaoaf2699]

The only news channel that is news.

[@pbreedu]

We often tend to oversimplify matters for political impact. For instance, the slogan 'Just stop oil' aims to halt all new oil production in the UK. However, this oversimplifies the complexity of the carbon challenge we are confronted with. A more realistic approach would involve striving to replace fossil fuels with renewable and nuclear energy sources, thereby reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

[@alanhehe4508]

I think this was a very nuanced discussion of this topic, and I appreciate your perspective. I'm a Leftist, but I'm far more concerned with economic inequality than cultural issues. I think racial and gender equality, while FAR from ideal, have been improving, whereas the economic inequality has been increasing almost exponentially since the 70s. I'm not against "wokeness " by it's TRUE meaning, but I'm very against weaponized identity politics. I think it's a huge, divisive distraction from the economic warfare being waged against us all regardless of gender or race or sexual orientation. It seems that nuance is lacking on all sides. I think, just as ignoring racial issues can be termed "class reductionism," statements in books like ",White Fragility," stating that "all white men are racist and entitled " is a form of racial reductionism, and it pushes white men to the Right. It's all meant to keep we the people divided so that we don't unite to fight the real power structures, like the corporate duopoly that is Congress (they don't serve us, they serve the owner class) or the corporations and billionaires that own our members of Congress. It's a very sad state of affairs. I think it's very important to always look at all sides of any issue before forming any opinion. I also think people have become far, far too attached to their beliefs and opinions. When someone disagrees with another's opinion, instead of seeing that as a challenge to an idea, most people see it as some kind of personal attack. Imo, beliefs and opinions should be held lightly, ready to be discarded or reevaluated when new data calls for it. I think your point about people being legally stripped of their right to free speech when it comes to criticism of Zionism and the apartheid State of Israel, was particularly relevant. Unfortunately, our education system doesn't teach students HOW to think, but WHAT to think, believe, and memorize. And thus, most Americans have little to no immunity to propaganda or ability to think critically and independently. It's very sad. ✌❤🔥

[@reidjames2938]

The lines between facts and feelings has become increasingly blurred

[@xiaoranmo7308]

cancel culture remind me so much about politician career, everything you said been magnified.

[@yourfavoriteperson3653]

there is a difference between freedom to choose what you hear and censorship. You have the right to choose what you hear but you don’t have the right to choose what others can hear. That is what big government do.

[@jazzypoo7960]

When I signed up for KZbin, I agreed would not post advertisements. If I posted ads, they could *cancel* me without notice. The reason I'm still here is because I can follow rules on someone else's megaphone.

[@Rhythmicons]

There is a difference between infringing upon one's freedom of speech and society deciding that it isn't going to tolerate bigotry and racism. If people can't see that the difference is the CONSEQUENCES of free speech then that's their problem.

[@alfonstabz9741]

you are confusing the infringing and consequences of freedom of speech. when you say something and you get the rebuttal of what you said that is called consequences. but when you are being harass and silence by people who disagree with you that is infringement. for example a teacher we're cancelled and re indoctrinated when they said something against woke ideologies that john money preaches. the last time i heard indoctrination camps held by chinese communist and nazis did not went well.

[@rcmrcm3370]

Great work. Fyi. Greyzone on July 14th 2020 KZbin post also had similar take on Cancel Culture, but where they more explicitly called out right wing hypocrisy. For example David Frum getting several left wing scholars fired, but then turns snowflake when he's caught out.

[@eamonnmcgarry1153]

@16.54 the gentleman asserts that students can discern between a 'nazi' and someone with a different view on tax policy. I would disagree with that observation. Subjective reasoning (which dominates modern post-modernism education) regularly lends itself to forms of polarised intolerance, whereby unless one wholeheartedly conforms to the prevailing dogma of the day, one is smeared as the malevolent adversary of 'justice'. It is interesting to see the advocate of the progressive Left use the very same arguments that are often held against 'cancel-culture' against it's most vocal critics - reminds me where SJW's would pre -empt any criticism from any on the so-called Right by calling them 'snowflakes' before they were slurred with the same insult. Personally, I do believe that all this shrill, divisive social- discourse and polarisation has served our corporate masters well. Instead of holding wealth and power to account by the citizenry, instead we shred and condemn each other over issues of sexuality, race and gender. Notice that none of these issues effect one bit the dominance of corporate interests over our democracy? We've all been deceived into attacking each other.

[@jonathannetter8636]

Hey people, just chill and let people work things out. We focus on this too much.

[@faffolite]

We need to stop seeing words through a cultural lenses and see their original meaning

[@alaalfa8839]

Some popular singer said that in old Hollywood it was obvious that if some singer would sing even better than Sinatra, the management would come to him, as soon as possible make a contract, and pay big money, before someone else would make a contract with him to make him famous. and tell to him to never perform so people will never hear the guy because the king can be only one. Or if there were 50 singers who are like Elvis and one of them was better than Elvis singing better dancing better. The management would buy him, so he will never be heard by any audience because it's a shallow way to convince the public that King is only one, and its an interesting tricky way of business itself to gain millions. Because they invest so much money in Elvis that they can not afford to have some other singer, who is better. So maybe at that time cancel culture did exist globally but it existed only behind people´s backs, made by some individuals, who had money. He is probably right. It's like Nike is just the best merchandise. Nobody is better than them except Adidas. But nobody else is supposed to be as corporate as them. I was always wondering why we never hear the singers of the American Idol. Why they didn't become famous if they are so good, or just few of them were a little bit famous and made a CD recording. So maybe the public is tired of manipulation so they made a cancel culture because they changed their opinion about famous people. People started to realize that television is as fake as it gets, just to buy their products, without conscious thinking. They convince you that its not on you to choose what product you want but they choose it for you. Then they blame people if they stop caring about culture. But people should have their own values.

[@daleschofield9178]

No need to cancel you. This is a healthy presentation.

[@deanjackson2102]

the people talking about it are the ones shutting it down

[@eckdavid2472]

Interesting and informative. I learned something! Keep up the good work.

[@dannysullivan3951]

The 1st has limitations.

[@angusyates828]

Move on? We don't move on. The individual who was cancelled remains so for life.

[@MrMarinus18]

3:05 What he says is correct. That's why being a public speaker and saying controversial things is not for the faint of heart.

[@brogro6081]

AJ+ "Don't ‘Cancel Culture’ my Free Speech, but don't you dare criticize my channel"

[@mikevarga6742]

Pretty much why USA is looking to lose long term college students focused on social issues rather than tech. Doesn’t anyone else find it absurd that America has to look overseas for technology engineers etc? Lol.

[@kelvinnyaga-online9055]

I agree with Joe Rogan on vaccines. But as a black person I can't ignore his history of antiblackness. Antiblackness is not free speech the same way antisemitism and homophobia would never be considered free speech.

[@MPR2]

"Canceling" someone you don't like for whatever reason is NOT canceling that person's right to free speech, stop conflating the two. If you're going to speak in public accept the fact that you'll be"Cancelled" by some at some point! Suck it up and move on!

[@slartibartfast2977]

Great job. Reminds me very much of Chomsky's take.

[@GuliversTravelocity]

This is excellent

[@haewooroy9950]

This is the public version of US sanction culture.