Sry not to climb up entirely my own arse here but the fact is cancel culture is a fundamental re-democratisation of public discourse; the nascent redistribution of power & influence away from a social hegemony. /1

The advent of social media has given (and not a moment too soon) the public a voice in discourses where, until now, we have had no option but to accept that we exist as an ‘underclass’ beneath celebrity demagogues and the cult of fame. /2

To those “decrying” cancel culture: cancel culture is your public being finally able to decry your historic and previously unchallengeable right to say whatever the fuck you want whilst existing free of the consequences & ignorant of the harm you cause. /3

The fact that ‘normal people’ are for the first time able to say, with volume and impact, things like “Hey, look at me”, “You are wrong and here are the facts of why”, and “I will no longer use my money to buy this person’s books/my time to engage with and support the further /4

growth of their platform” is POWER. It is the ability to directly reply to and engage with influential figures who previously spoke only from the high-gloss pedestals of magazine covers and Saturday night chat shows. /5

It is the ability to contribute to educating the wider public by challenging these people’s points when they are wrong and damaging; and in so doing, to hopefully contribute to societal changes that begin to benefit, nourish and protect EVERYONE. /6

It’s powerful; I can understand why celebs and public figures are so afraid of it. But it’s not going to go away, because it’s not a “moment” - with any luck, it’s the beginnings of a social reset. /7

But I DO think it’s crucial to differentiate these sorts of interactions from trolling- and we on the left have to be frank in confronting that there are just as many trolls over here as on the right. /8

I don’t condone the bullies who flood people like J* R*wling’s mentions with death threats and misogynistic slurs; that is intimidation and violence, both in the use of language and in the very real threats that lie behind those words. I’m able to see and condemn /9

that behaviour, whilst still believing in the immense positive power cancel culture and de-platforming have the potential to wield; to go Full Internet, I cOnTaIN mULtITudEs... So I’m also able to see the thinly-veiled calculations of people like J* when they /10

cram this terrible bullying together with meaningful pushback and engagement under the umbrella of Cancel Culture. If you position EVERYONE who disagrees with you as an aggressor, then you can paint yourself as a total victim and absolve yourself of the responsibility to /11

engage with people trying to discuss with you why you are wrong. Huh. Almost like she doesn’t really want to learn about this thing she supposedly really cares about? Because that’s the thing: /12

If you are being cancelled or no-platformed and you don’t want to be, there’s a very easy way out of it: do better. /13

Read up, enter discussions with an open mind and the possibility that your mind might actually be changed, engage with the actual people you are talking about. Apologise. It’s called Growth. For the first time, you are being held accountable. /14

So rise to it, instead of rampantly digging your heels into your bigotry like an entitled fucking toddler. /15

Phew that was a lot of screaming into the void for 10am on my day off so I’m going to go and have a cup of coffee followed by a spot of the Jane Fonda (Anti-Fascist) Workout and then maybe even a pastry, bye x