3 Steps to Navigate Cancel Culture
‘Cancel Culture’ is so much more complicated than what meets the eye but if I had two words for it…
Over it.
As a communications professional, I see ‘Cancel Culture’ as a cheap and quick way to avoid the pain, trauma, and historical implications an event/person/product has inflicted. It’s almost unavoidable these days. Every time you log onto Twitter, someone is trending with #cancel in front of their name. If you log into Facebook you see books, movies, people, politicians being shamed for insensitivities. If you navigate over to Instagram you’ll find a bunch of “activists” reposting a recent headline or graphic they just saw from another account. And if you’re on LinkedIn, well, you’re probably reading a bunch of paragraphs that aren’t even necessarily related to the topic on hand.
I am in no way saying that people and their histories should not be held accountable. In fact, I am absolutely saying that people should be held accountable. But how can we be held accountable and learn from our mistakes if we don’t give each other the time, space, and proper communication to be able to do so?
Cancel Culture is more than just a PR nightmare (but I mean is any PR bad PR though???). It’s an easy way out. It’s a way NOT to have hard conversations. It’s a way to throw fire at a problem when we don’t like it. It’s a way to avoid the tough work of reprimanding and repairing the past.
As humans, we need to remember we were put on this earth to make mistakes. We are not perfect and we never will be. We are here to learn from our mistakes and to make our world a better place for those who come after us. If people, places, stories, and products continue to be canceled without giving them the chance to evolve, how will we learn from our past?
This is where I believe Civil Communication can be a guide to navigating the wrongdoings of racists, sexists, homophobic, and the like.
Below I offer 3 steps to navigate ‘Cancel Culture’ using Civil Communication as a tool to evolve instead of erase.
Embrace Humility
Since we are all human, I would bet that there will be a time in everyone's lives where we will be on the wrong side of history. Take our lovely politicians, business leaders, celebrities, and colleagues who are accused of sexual misconduct. By NO means should we excuse their wrongdoings and we should ABSOLUTELY hold these leaders accountable. By doing so, leaders need to understand how to communicate humility when assuming responsibility for their gross misconduct. It gives them an opportunity to say,
“I am sorry for the comments or gestures I advanced towards you. I was in the wrong and I perpetuated societal stigmas that I had observed in my own environment. it is no excuse and I am putting in the work by doing XYZ to be better”
2. Lend Grace
This is the hard part. As the recipient of these comments, an apology will not erase the harm and hurt inflicted. So how do we lend grace? Do we skip this part and come back to it later once the perpetrator recognizes wrongdoing and is held accountable? I do not have the answer. But I do know that I, too, may someday be in the wrong and I will need to own up to my mistakes. By this, I could say,
“The hurt you have inflicted on me and on others is inexcusable. There is a lot more work to be done on your behalf and I look forward to seeing the change occur.”
3. Hold Others Accountable
And here’s where the change happens. Humility, grace, and Civil Communication will not change the world on their own (although, they make this place a helluva lot nicer to live in). We need accountability to ensure change is made and that the change is everlasting. As a society, it is our job to uphold new standards to abide by and to set new boundaries that are acceptable for all. To communicate accountability,
“Moving forward, it is understood that all persons are to be respected and believed in the workplace and elsewhere. Misconduct such as this will not be tolerated on any levels and it will result in termination/explusion/removal/etc” *insert appropriate standard/boundary to be acted upon*
Do you see the difference between ‘Cancel Culture’ and communicating accountability? Do you see how we need to be armed with effective communication tools before we jump to canceling parts of our own shadow selves?
Communication is such a powerful tool for our society to ignite change but we are robbed of any effective understanding of how to be Civil Communicators. So next time you’re commenting on the next ‘Cancel Culture’ post you see online, ask yourself how you can lend grace while holding others accountable.
