The horrors of right-wing cancel-culture collectivism
TLDR: Cancel culture isn't unique to any political side but reflects human tendencies toward punishing outgroups. Historically, both the Left and Right have engaged in cancel culture. Defenders of free speech like Frederick Douglass and Salman Rushdie remind us that freedom of expression must be upheld even when it challenges our views.
Cancel culture is often portrayed as a phenomenon that originated with the Left, but this is a flawed and overly simplistic view. Canceling—punishing individuals for their views or social media posts—has existed across the political spectrum throughout history.
Recently, right-wing voices on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have justified canceling individuals for tasteless comments about Donald Trump by claiming that "the Left started it." This eye-for-an-eye logic, however, overlooks that cancel culture is not exclusive to one ideology.
According to Jacob Mchangama, historically, conservatives and right-wing groups have also engaged in canceling. Examples include the blocklisting of suspected communists during the Red Scare, the firing of professors with anti-war views during World War I, and efforts by the Evangelical Right in the 1980s to censor media they found morally offensive. This reflects a broader human tendency toward tribalism, where groups punish outsiders or those who violate societal norms.
Free speech advocates like Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, and Salman Rushdie offer a different approach. They championed free expression even in the face of censorship or violence. Douglass, in particular, emphasized that free speech is not just about the speaker's rights but also about the listener's ability to hear diverse views.
Their example reminds us that defending free speech requires resisting cancel culture, no matter which side "started it." A commitment to free expression and open dialogue is essential for maintaining a pluralistic society.
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