Shaming and “Cancel Culture” Will Not Get You What You Want

We’re all standing on the shoulders of imperfect humans, and we’re just as imperfect.

We’re angry and bitter. We’re anxious and scared. We’re frustrated and impatient.

Things are not how we want them to be.

Yet, if our ancestors could see us now they would marvel at our situation. We have medicine that can save us from countless diseases. We have devices that can access the knowledge of humanity. We have vehicles that can take us halfway around the world in hours. We have systems of government and protection that allow us to live in relative stability. And we are becoming less and less blind to the biases that have caused us to inflict enormous pain and suffering onto others.

So, why do we feel like there is more injustice in the world than ever?

And why do we think that shaming people is the “right” thing to do or that it will fix anything?

The world today seems filled with gut reactions and self-righteous judgment. Fingers are being pointed and people are being labeled on a whim. We throw around words like “racist”, “Nazi”, or “anti-trans” like hot potatoes. And we immediately assume that if that label has been applied to someone, whatever follows is deserved.