The Mental Health Effects Of Cancel Culture
We see cancel culture constantly in our country. It seems to get worse every day.
Someone says the wrong thing, or says the right thing the wrong way, or says the right thing for the wrong reasons — and the woke mob descends upon our new social pariah, the one guilty of wrong-think.
His or her name is plastered all over the media, whose elites make a resounding display of just how offended, how outraged, but most importantly, how virtuous they are in condemning such “hateful” comments.
To cancel someone means to stop giving support to that person. The all-pervasive presence of PC culture and hyper-sensitive liberalism has resulted in many media personalities — actors, comedians, talk show hosts — getting canceled from shows and platforms due to perceived “racist”, “sexist” or in some way morally reprehensible comments.
While cancel culture is rooted in mass media, it has become a meme that’s worked its way into the professional, social and cultural landscape of life in America.
Not surprisingly, this is taking a toll on people’s mental health.
Let’s start by taking a look at the stated reasons as to why people are getting canceled vs. the reality of the situation.
Why Is Everyone Getting Canceled? Stated Reasons Vs. The Reality
- To serve as a teaching moment. Translation: To make an example out of someone who said something controversial.
- To make someone consider the consequences of their statements. Translation: To show people that they will be punished for saying the “wrong thing”.
- To make people think before they speak. Translation: To culturally enforce censorship through social paranoia.
- To hold people accountable for their statements. Translation: To punish certain people for speaking their minds.
Mental Health Effects Of Cancel Culture
First, to the people who are canceled, it is not hyperbolic to say these people are victims of public humiliation, harassment, and bullying. The experience can be seriously damaging to someone’s mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation and worthlessness.
That’s the point. Cancelation is punishment. It is designed to inflict pain on someone in order to dissuade them and others from engaging in similar behavior.
Second, for those who witness cancel culture, it can be just as harmful. People who see others being socially ostracized start to self-censor out of fear of experiencing the same thing — and that’s also the point. Cancel culture creates an environment of fear, where people are afraid to speak their minds or even like something for fear of social repercussions.
Cancel culture can have a ripple effect on entire communities. When people are afraid to speak their minds, it can create an echo chamber where only one point of view is heard. This can lead to people feeling isolated and alone like their views don’t matter or are morally reprehensible.
How Cancel Culture Affects Our Ability To Communicate
Cancel culture also makes it difficult to have open and honest dialogue. When people are afraid of disproportionate social backlash over minor (or even unforeseen) offenses, they’re far less likely to speak up or share their opinions.
Due to the all-or-nothing nature of cancelation, cancel culture creates an environment where people mercilessly attack one another rather than trying to understand each other’s perspectives or communicate in good faith.
Cancel Culture And Its Effects On Young Men
Men are at great risk of social and political-based shaming tactics due to the cultural Marxist nature of cancel culture, which places all demographics within a hierarchy of oppressor vs. oppressed. Men are of course placed strictly in the category of “oppressor”.
As such, young men take on great social risk for… just being themselves — for making mistakes, or for simply expressing an opinion that doesn’t align with the popular progressive narrative.
More and more, we are seeing young men retreating from social interaction altogether and finding solace in digital spaces where they can remain anonymous. Video game addiction rates are soaring, and social media platforms like 4chan have become safe havens for young men to anonymously speak their minds.
These are the safe spaces where those who find themselves unsafe in the left’s “safe spaces” end up. But these spaces, which lack the interpersonal dynamics of real-world social interaction, often create a “terminally online” mindset that stunts social and emotional development, and when combined with the pressures of traditional masculinity, can be incredibly detrimental to both mental and behavioral health.
What Can We Do To Combat This?
Cancel culture is a dangerous phenomenon, and it’s one that we need to start fighting back against. Otherwise, we’ll only continue to see more and more people get caught up in its web.
There’s no one simple answer as to how we can stop this trend of media mob justice, but one thing we can’t deny is that fighting this takes courage — the courage of your convictions, the courage of your character, and most importantly, the courage to stand up for what you believe.
Conservative Americans need to stop being afraid of the woke mob.
We need to stop conceding the moral high ground to people who hate us and want us silenced.
We need to start speaking up and pushing back against this dangerous trend because if we don’t, cancel culture will only continue to erode our society’s basic commitment to free speech and open debate.