Dismantling of America’s democracy; Canceling “cancel culture”

    In today’s society the line that divides people between their opinions is more defined than ever. There is a large part of society that takes it personally when someone does not have the same opinion as they do.

     A movement that has developed from the popular notion that everyone must be on the same side of an issue is, “cancel culture.” When people in society say something others do not like or is deemed unacceptable, a common response is ostracizing them from everyone else.

     It can be easy for people to get worked up about a topic when they do not see eye to eye with others. But there is a difference between having a healthy debate and having a heated argument. People need to be aware of the fact that the person they may be disagreeing with, is still an individual with thoughts and feelings.

     People are a lot braver behind a virtual screen, where they can attack someone for what they believe because they’re just talking to a screen. Having respect for others is something that many people have been lacking in recent years. It is no longer an option to “agree to disagree”. The reality is, not everyone is going to agree with each other.

     The need for some people to shut others down for their opinions or actions can also come from a deeper motivation. When people don’t have a reason to stand out, they validate themselves by attacking others for their beliefs.

     Some people feel in order to be important in society they need to draw attention to other people’s problems.

     There is a very real danger behind the movement of “cancel culture.” When silencing someone if their opinions are unpopular is normalized, it leads to a toxic cycle.

     This cycle includes no one ever feeling safe to express their thoughts, while other people feel empowered to inflict consequences on someone who says something they do not like.      

      People are losing their job because they expressed their opinion and someone did not like it. They are losing their livelihood because of “cancel culture.”

     The motivation behind this movement is to control the opinions of certain groups in society and to radicalize America.

     Another large part of this movement is erasing the history of America. Many protests recently have led to the tearing down and vandalizing of statues of significant historical figures. Members of society have decided that if someone was not a perfect person throughout their life that they should no longer be honored for their contributions to this country.

      Andrew Jackson was a war hero who represented the fact that anyone could become president. Orphaned as a teenager and coming from no money, he worked his way up to a position of influence in America.

     But because he was not a perfect person and made some wrong choices in his life, Jackson’s contributions to American history no longer matter as critics want to remove him from the twenty-dollar bill.

     Andrew Jackson’s relocation of the Native Americans in the Trail of Tears was a painful part of our history, but there is no president who never made poor decisions. That does not mean they were bad presidents.

     There is not a single person Andrew Jackson can be replaced with on the bill that will have a flawless life.

     This is the United States of America. Citizens have the freedom granted by the constitution to say what they want. But “cancel culture” is an oppressive movement that restricts people’s abilities to have their own thoughts.

    It is an attack on democracy. If society continues to let people think they can enforce consequences on others for having a different opinion, whether it is wrong or right, America will likely see the dismantling of its democracy.

     Scaring people out of expressing their opinions are the characteristics of a dictatorship where there is little tolerance for different points of view. If “cancel culture” continues, Americans can expect to see this form of government in the future.