cancel culture vs calling it in

Cancel culture is a term that has gained its popularity on twitter for a few years now. Cancel culture is big because it gives twitter users a lot of control over who or what isn't important. To precisely define this term the article discussing cancel culture by Garnett Achieng’ says "This phenomenon involves the public denouncement of those perceived as racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or perpetuating any other forms of bigotry". When people are spewing bigotry, getting angry is easy and understandably so. It is easy to immediately call out the person and decide they will never change and there is no room for growth. However, cancel culture is toxic for this. The idea that humans are not capable of growth and change is pretty depressing. And so cancel culture not only applies to celebrities but it applies to each individual's life as well. You might completely go off on a friend who has said something harmful. Again, anger is understandable and the easy choice, however choosing to be the bigger person and to have a calm conversation about why there words were harmful is a much better approach to the change you may want to see in the world. I would refer to this action as calling it in. Calling it in instead of out brings a lot more hope to society. Estelle Tang, writer "Calling in is about recognizing and respecting our common dignity and humanity. I feel that people are treated so disposably in call-out culture". This quote is saying how cancel culture treats people terribly and it is not helping anyone. To call it in is to not do any name calling and to not just rant on and on. To call it in is to value the other person and be able to take the time to explain your thoughts and beliefs. Of course this cannot work every time. Sometimes it is necessary to completely end the conversation and if your safety is compromised.

Twitter can sometimes be too much and there is a lot of negativity on the internet but I believe it is possible to change the negativity to a positive one. Calling in your friends is a necessity but trolls on twitter are a different story. Their negativity is constant and they are only there for the clout and not a real engagement. For these users it is necessary to block them. By not giving them a platform, you are lowering the volume of their voice.

Remember that if someone is trying to call you in, listen to what they have to say. 9 times out of 10, you will become closer to that person. Remember also, that your feelings are valid and that if someone is saying mean/harmful things to you, your feelings are valid and it is 100% up to you how you access and approach the situation. Stay safe and thank you for reading!

Graphic by @Spooky_Soda