Cancel Culture Is Cancelled
Once upon a time, just after the siege on the Capitol, I was scrolling on Instagram, as one does, and noticed a fellow friend/ teacher/ activist, re-post something that stopped me in my tracks. In the re-posted content, a decolonization educator had explained the term “banana republics” and Samuel Zemurray’s role in the creation and development of the historically predatory and exploitative business practices during this period. It wasn’t this information that shocked me (although if you are not already familiar with the term “banana republic” I encourage you to look up the history behind the term) but the way it was being shared; identifying Zemurray as Jewish.
As I scanned the post, I looked for the context as to why his religion mattered. Surely there would be some other ethnoreligious reference to provide meaning behind this otherwise anti-Semitic, dog whistle. But as I’ve come to expect all too often when bias is at play, there was not. And to make matters worse, when gently called in, this writer blamed their research on identifying him as such instead of taking responsibility for their problematic storytelling.
Quickly, I checked my ego and reached out to my friend, the re-poster, because as a friend, a creator, and an educator herself, I believed that she would welcome a discussion about the harm of reposting something written so irresponsibly. And I was right. What came next was a hearty conversation around using religious identifiers when there is no need for othering. We both agreed that there is an inevitable confrontation in being “called in” to examine words and/ or actions but that it’s all in the delivery of the “caller” and choice of action by the “called in”. We agreed to unpack these observations in an Instagram Live, one where we could honestly discuss the events at the Capitol, how racism and antisemitism are both being given much-needed attention in the work against white supremacy right now and how influencers and brands are responsible for speaking up about it. It was thorough, it was cathartic but most of all, it helped to shed light on parts of “doing the work” that we don’t often think about and the potential to do that work in a way that invites change, not shame.
The difference between this conversation and what you might imagine would happen if someone said to you “I don’t like that you said *this*” is the difference between being asked to be accountable for an action you may, or may not, realize is harmful and the impulsive (oftentimes explosive,) ego-driven response that can come from feeling shame for making a mistake. The reality is that as we continue to do the work to be better global citizens, we’re not going to get it right all the time. But this doesn’t mean that we need to be publicly shunned or forced into a self-imposed exile and refuse to ever try again.
Watch our Instagram Live conversation here and commit to continuing this conversation, and the work, together over on Instagram. I have lots of ideas.
Editorial note: Vanessa is Honor Code's social media expert and creates content and other social media magic over at Pretty Creative Co.