This period of time has been beyond crazy; it has been difficult seeing “Cancel Culture” in full bloom and the damage it has caused so many over the past year(s)…
While we can’t do a whole lot on the national stages where a lot of this cancel culture persists, it is the on the ground, normal people, you and me interactions where this same cancel culture has shown up.
Forward Friday speaks to the importance that if something doesn’t change, fractures, fissures, cracks, ruptures could make some connections hard to come back from the damage and hurts.
Let's Get Into This!
I believe that the Social Media platforms have done communication a disservice. It’s far easier to Text message our anger, Facebook message our opposition, Cancel on Twitter, Dismiss on Instagram. We have seemingly lost the art of respectful dissent and discourse.
A while back, an acquaintance wrote on Twitter how his friend went to the doctor’s office and in the waiting room, a cable news network was playing. Incensed, he decided that day that even though his doctor was one of the top doctor’s in his district, he couldn’t allow himself to be treated there because that station was playing.
And we all know how hard finding a good doctor is.
The next day, it just so happened that I was at the garage in the waiting room and another cable news network is playing. Now, while I do not watch that network for a myriad of reasons, I thought to myself how foolish it would be to say, “This mechanic’s shop, I will never grace the doorway again because he had that show on!”
It would and does sound petty and emotional but yet, this is happening among friends, family, co-workers etc. It is scary that if we don’t put the brakes on this “Cancel Culture” thinking, we will continue to tear away at our society fabric all while holding to our “Views”.
While we all have opinions about issues, there must be better ways to counter not only this movement but agree to disagree with class.
Is Cancel Culture/dismissiveness simply justice being done through consequences being enforced?
Is Cancel Culture/Dismissiveness malice?
Can we do better when we disagree?
Here are some thoughts on ways to respond to this cultural reality.
1. Be Artful/Prudent/Sensible With Our Words.
I’ve had many a conversation recently with friends who have been dismissed/canceled by friends they’ve been connected with for years and the reason why?
They didn’t agree with their thoughts on whatever the “issue/subject” was and because they didn’t agree, they blew them off, called them names, unfriended them, verbally belittled etc.
The hurt feelings that words have generated, the attitudes and actions behind those words have created pain, confusion and it seems as though people have lost their minds when someone disagrees with their point of view.
Interesting: If we allow emotions to control our thoughts, actions and words, the desired effect rarely comes about.
Why is it that we feel that we can shout down, yell, become malicious or worse, shut down those we disagree with, with silence, the proverbial shut out.
I’ve had a few friends who have threatened to cancel me because my views were different….. or better yet…. To publicly shame an idea that is not liked.
At first, I didn't even think it was happening until the cheap, dog whistling comments were thrown into the conversation. I might add over a very harmless quote.
It is a scary phenomenon that it is friends who are doing these things to other friends let alone mere acquaintances or strangers.
There has been a new thing where someone will list a number of things/people/issues that they take issue with and then say if one disagrees with any one of the list and aren’t on their side of the issue etc., please unfriend them. Weird..
I do believe these things: that we are set free to love others (even the ones we may not agree with) when we live in the reality of God’s love for us
I do believe that Jesus said that “everyone will have to give an account one day for every empty word they have spoken” is the real deal.
Words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).
We are wise when we take great care with what we say.
Is it not possible that we can start to show compassion when we use words and to be wise with those words? Maybe it might be better to say nothing if we have nothing good to say.
2. Beware of Malice/Meanness/Callousness.
Malice is this attitude that we become unkind and literally without even realizing it, we become cold and it could come to the point of being Heart-Less.
This is different than holding someone accountable for their actions. It is one thing for the mistreated or those who speak up for the mistreated so that the perpetrator can no longer get away with what they’ve done.
It is another thing to tear someone down, not because they are a danger, but because they simply don’t agree with our views.
I think we all must pause, search our hearts and beware of malice. None of us is above celebrating the cancelling or the dismissing of someone we don’t agree with. Malice/Spite is a temptation for every person.
Can we not take a look inside and if we have/are displaying this type of attitude to admit it, confess it, change directions, and fight against it.
It is hard to be malicious to someone if you are praying for God to bless them… even when we don’t agree.
3. Look In The Mirror.
I am realizing that I have certain biases in many areas and if I am not careful, while I may not be in the Cancel Culture phase of thinking, but maybe I become the dismissive one; blowing off someone because we view things differently.
Who am I to think that I’ve got every answer and dare anyone disagree, woe to them! It doesn’t make sense but in this emotionally charged, seemingly irrational moment in history, many have taken leave of their senses…. But you and I can be different.
I strongly believe that we are not here by accident so that living in this time and era, we have the responsibility to wisely navigate the culture in which I have full confidence in that God has put us in the here and now.
One way that we can be counter-cultural is to take great care with what we say, to check our hearts and rid them of malice if need be, and to see others through the eyes of care.
Thank God that he didn’t view us all as lost causes and because of that, a natural outgrowth would be to express that same love and compassion toward others.
So a few thoughts on the way out today.
This present ‘cancel culture’ represents an extreme form of righteousness that has this seemingly pseudo moral power without redeeming qualities.
And morality without forgiveness or restoration values is a frightening, intimidating deterioration business.
The consequences of Cancel Culture are devastating and toxic. There seems to be this manic, moral high horse thinking that encourages condemnation and shame.
Cancel culture creates the conditions where people want to hide for fear of being shamed/called out/cancelled. We can’t say what we think because….
And yet, It turns us all into liars because, the truth is, when we cancel, shame, dismiss others who we don’t agree with, the more it speaks to the inner issues we have regarding what we think and how we think those thoughts.
The knee-jerk reactions to publicly shame and silence those who don’t share the same convictions we do. “Cancel culture,” is a dangerous hill to travel down because it doesn’t accomplish what “canceling” is supposed to accomplish.
I do think our time would be better spent engaging and conversing with one another to hear and see our views and vice versa.
Driving a wedge between those we believe are in error makes it hard to see anything but the shiny steel of our arguments. It doesn’t make for healthy connections.
So, the next time we feel the urge to Cancel, Dismiss, Freeze Out, Shame, Humiliate someone because they don’t agree with us, remember that it shows that;
Something is missing in the heart and soul of us to think that way.
We forget that we are finite, capable of mistakes and we have made many and will make more.....
We could be next……
I’m trying to be more considerate; how about you? The unraveling in our corners can stop with us and constructive, real and normal connections can begin or resume with us!
What will we do? I want to be better.....
Walking The Road to not being afraid any longer...
Dave
#ForwardFriday #CancelCulture #NoMoreShaming #Artful #Prudent #SensibleWithOurWords #Beware #Malice #Meanness #Callousness #Blog #Speaker #LookInTheMirror #StopTheToxicBehavior
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