I know this post isn't about defining Cancel Culture, which is actually pretty hard. But I think your conception of it as 'punishing those who dissent' is way too narrow. In some ways, the central feature is that the victims of cancellations often AREN'T actually interested in going against the party line; they have instead accidentally done something that is being interpreted that way. Sometimes the misinterpretation is so obviously willful that it's obvious the cancellation is just an excuse for people to feel powerful and righteous while insulting someone popular.
That aside, I think the clarification you propose is a very worthy one. I myself often agree with a lot of progressive ideas (eg I like gender neutral pronouns and think eroding the gender binary is way overdue) while feeling horrified at the online culture and discourse around them.
I like this a lot, I agree with your definitions, diagnosis, and recommendations, and enjoy your clear writing style. The one place I disagree is that I think soften swing voters are often as opposed to progressive policy as much as they are opposed to cancel culture, though it depends on the issue. Some of this can be hard to disentangle because positions on the issue can be a reflexive response to wokism as you note.
Some polling of 2024 swing voters indicate that those who broke for Trump considered inflation, immigration, and trans issues especially important in their decision. I think inflation is irrelevant to cancel culture, but the other two present a contrast. On immigration, I don't think cancel culture played a role at all, people just hate feeling that immigration is out of control. On trans issues, I think that cancel culture actually is having a big effect independent of policy. Americans have become less favorable towards rights I feel are particularly basic, like the right to use the bathroom appropriate for your gender, and I think that resistance to woke is a large contributor. https://www.prri.org/spotlight/states-have-become-more-polarized-on-transgender-civil-rights/
I think that even there, progressive policy is part of what turns people off. Sports is not nearly as obvious to me as the clear cases of protection from discrimination and bathroom access, and I think that focus on that issue as well as left-wing information on it has lost us support with people who might otherwise be more sympathetic. So in addition to backing off on cancel culture, I think it's important to focus on the more popular parts of the progressive agenda. I look forward to reading more of your posts!
I know this post isn't about defining Cancel Culture, which is actually pretty hard. But I think your conception of it as 'punishing those who dissent' is way too narrow. In some ways, the central feature is that the victims of cancellations often AREN'T actually interested in going against the party line; they have instead accidentally done something that is being interpreted that way. Sometimes the misinterpretation is so obviously willful that it's obvious the cancellation is just an excuse for people to feel powerful and righteous while insulting someone popular.
That aside, I think the clarification you propose is a very worthy one. I myself often agree with a lot of progressive ideas (eg I like gender neutral pronouns and think eroding the gender binary is way overdue) while feeling horrified at the online culture and discourse around them.
I like this a lot, I agree with your definitions, diagnosis, and recommendations, and enjoy your clear writing style. The one place I disagree is that I think soften swing voters are often as opposed to progressive policy as much as they are opposed to cancel culture, though it depends on the issue. Some of this can be hard to disentangle because positions on the issue can be a reflexive response to wokism as you note.
Some polling of 2024 swing voters indicate that those who broke for Trump considered inflation, immigration, and trans issues especially important in their decision. I think inflation is irrelevant to cancel culture, but the other two present a contrast. On immigration, I don't think cancel culture played a role at all, people just hate feeling that immigration is out of control. On trans issues, I think that cancel culture actually is having a big effect independent of policy. Americans have become less favorable towards rights I feel are particularly basic, like the right to use the bathroom appropriate for your gender, and I think that resistance to woke is a large contributor. https://www.prri.org/spotlight/states-have-become-more-polarized-on-transgender-civil-rights/
I think that even there, progressive policy is part of what turns people off. Sports is not nearly as obvious to me as the clear cases of protection from discrimination and bathroom access, and I think that focus on that issue as well as left-wing information on it has lost us support with people who might otherwise be more sympathetic. So in addition to backing off on cancel culture, I think it's important to focus on the more popular parts of the progressive agenda. I look forward to reading more of your posts!