Paul Kengor: Truly a cancel culture

“My favorite radio station recently picked up some right-wing drivel weekly radio show which I listen to in order to punish myself. Anyhoo, I listened to your whiny crying … I wish cancel culture was a real thing which actually existed so I could cancel you for all time.”

So says Andrew (last name withheld) in a piece of fan mail to your faithful Trib columnist. I won’t quote his full email. Well, maybe the close: “Have a good day producing nothing and adding nothing to this world.”

Gee, thanks, Andrew. I was sure to share his sentiments with two of my kids.

I quote Andrew not merely for his good judgment about your humble columnist but because of his remark about cancel culture. In a sense, he’s right: no one really gets “canceled.” You can be banned from Twitter, attacked, petitioned, but it’s hard to be completely banished from public life.

There is, however, an exception: speakers. You can cancel speakers. That’s a very real manifestation of cancel culture. I’m seeing it constantly. I’ve experienced it as a speaker and with scheduling speakers.

Since the late ’80s, I’ve been involved in bringing in speakers. In the old days, a sudden news controversy involving an incoming speaker added to the excitement and the compelling nature of the program. It helped promotion. Now, every news item adds to organizers’ anxiety because of renewed pushes and letter campaigns by cancellers. It becomes a tremendous problem for event organizers. And many of those demanding the cancellations don’t seem to realize they’re engaging in the very behavior they’d otherwise condemn. It has been said to me (and about me), “Now, I don’t support cancel culture, but … .”

It’s disheartening. I’m an old free speech guy. Let the person speak.

I regret to report that it’s happening among conservatives as well as liberals. No doubt, it was liberals who very illiberally started it. Conservatives in turn gave liberals a dose of their own medicine. Sometimes the only way to awaken people to their bad behavior is to give them a taste of it. Conservatives have been effective in enlightening liberals to their hypocrisy in touting “diversity” and “tolerance” as they refuse dissenting voices.

But now conservatives are doing it, and not only to liberals. It’s especially strong among Never Trumpers against pro-Trumpers, though I’m also seeing the reverse.

Trump aside, I see it among conservatives holding speakers to standards of personal political perfection. They might agree with a speaker on nine of 10 issues, but there will be one thing the speaker said on TV or Twitter that provides the cudgel to cancel. I usually don’t know of the offending statement until it’s pointed out to me. And indeed, some of the statements are outrageous, but what can you do? Every human being is flawed.

Alas, what’s the real culprit behind this cancel compulsion? For cancellers, disapproval of a speaker becomes grounds for punishment. The punishment is meted out via cancellation. And yet, the great flaw is that you can’t really silence a cancelled voice because it usually represents other voices at large. I suggest you respond by taking on the voice and trying to defeat it intellectually. That’s how to counter it.

Unfortunately, that’s not where we are in this truly cancel culture.