How “cancel culture” can vary based on factors such as status, wealth, and power.
The phenomenon of “canceling” someone has been around for over a decade, but in the past 3 years, “cancel culture” has slowly become a prejudiced system of dethroning powerful individuals based on personal characteristics such as status, wealth, and power. Canceling refers to removing an individual or group from their position in society due to unacceptable behavior in the past or present. Online public shaming creates a bandwagon effect that the masses join, which allows for a particular narrative to be crafted surrounding the individual in question.
While canceling can be used to hold people in positions of power accountable for their actions and urge them to act in a way that aligns with a just moral compass, it can also be an unfair system of judgment as the result varies greatly based on the person being canceled. In this way, the original intentions of canceling can be overshadowed and obscured by biases that determine the fate of the celebrity or influencer. Their status, wealth, and power play a large part in deciding if they will effectively get canceled or if they will soon return to their favorable position in the public eye. The severity of their accusations and the general public response also contributes heavily to the outcome.
Ellen Degeneres is one recent example of a celebrity getting canceled due to accusations of fostering a toxic work environment and being rude to employees. Considering Ellen’s position of power and her reputation as someone who brings a smile to people’s faces, this was a shock for her fans. The length of Ellen’s career as a talk show host prevented these accusations from having an extreme effect. She soon returned to air with a short scripted apology where she acknowledged the backlash, apologized, and promised to do better. Combined with her celebrity status, this was enough for her audience.
On the contrary, Adam Rapaport of the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen came under fire for the unfair treatment of his employees based on race, as well as an instance of brownface at a Halloween party many years ago. Bon Appetit is a YouTube channel that delivers content surrounding the culinary world to its audience of almost 6 million subscribers. As the editor in chief of the publication, this development did not pan out well for Rapaport and ended with 8 of Bon Appetit’s most popular and well-liked YouTube stars stepping down from their video roles. This is due to Bon Appetit’s smaller and more dedicated fanbase, who were not tolerant of Rapaport’s behavior and demanded immediate change. In addition, the severity of the accusations paired with the undeniable proof and context surrounding racism in the United States today was enough to permanently taint Bon Appetit’s reputation online.
It is clear how cancel culture often bases itself around the existing characteristics of the individuals being targeted, such as their status or power in the public eye. This results in varying results that can range from moving on after a simple apology to severe business and reputational repercussions. For more reading on the examples mentioned, check out the story of how Ellen got cancelled, or the BA Test Kitchen's run-in with cancel culture.