A week ago, I sat in a theater watching a documentary that was uplifting, hopeful and just joyous. Yet, there were a bunch of people belonging to the same fandom as I do, who were hell bent on 'canceling' the creators and in the process invalidating the voices in the film and laying to naught years of effort. All in the name of supporting their cause. That same week, I saw a politician I have grown to admire, Pete Buttigieg draw the ire of the trans community. A decade before that I saw the creator of a world I cherished (Harry Potter) being canceled for her transphobic views.
In each of these situations, I have my own polarized views. I condemn the genocide in Palestine (as I do the ones in Sudan, Myanmar, China, Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Ukraine…). I am yet to dig into the Pete Buttigieg controversy. If there was ever a case of canceling the artist but embracing the art, I probably would go to bat for the Potterverse. My views are just that, mine to act upon. Over the years, I have reflected often, and in deep measures if it even is possible to separate a person from their actions, if a person's actions do not align with mine in one sphere, does it invalidate everything else they do? I don't have a definitive answer.
I see in hindsight, I play it by the ear. In politics, I believe perfect is the enemy of good. I will align myself with people and organizations that will advance my cause. When it comes to artists, I reluctantly topple idols from their pedestals and refrain from participating in anything that will benefit them. I do not give away my books or music though. I might even indulge myself and relive the experience of enjoying the said art with my child when she discovers the world of Harry Potter for the first time. I do know that I have my moral compass. There are things that are a hard line for me and when people cross that line in personal or public spaces, I opt out. I refuse to cede my mental, financial or emotional ground to them.
In the area of world affairs, I am loathe to jump to conclusions for if there is one thing I have understood, it is that history is scripted by the victors, with the people at the table. What we see is often not what is on ground. Even what is on ground differs from the perspective of the person telling the story. So, I do not jump on bandwagons, I take my time to come to my understanding and do not tell people around me what they should or should not be doing.
All this to say, I am reminded of the book Yellowface I inhaled over one flight leg. A book that echoes and mirrors what it means to either tap into the mob or be the mob. It deftly turns the mirror back to the reader leaving us to draw our own conclusions. Is there a villain in the story? Are purity tests worth our time and energy?
What are your thoughts on cancel culture? Do they have a place in this extremely online world we live in, where it is increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, actual footage from AI generated deepfakes? Would we step up and speak up if not for the anonymity of our keyboards and egg profile pictures?