yossarians tree

February 22nd, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^

This takes it as the STUPIDEST FUCKING POST on MgoBlog ever.

Not only does it react to a stupid thing, it doubles down and takes the exact wrong reaction to the stupid thing. Only after we've sanitized all culture will we realize that we've sucked all of the joy, spontaneity, humor, and fun out of life.

Go home and correct yourself and your sad little life.

Joined: 08/19/2010

MGoPoints: 22292

BlueInGreenville

February 21st, 2021 at 9:03 PM ^

I don't see how someone can just issue a blanket defense of cancel culture.  Sure canceling Harvey Weinstein (and sending him to prison for 23 years) was a good thing.  But if there's one person who identifies as Miss Piggy and now no one can watch the Muppets, that would be a bad thing, right?  People just need to stop with the good/evil monochrome thinking.

Joined: 10/22/2017

MGoPoints: 6329

evenyoubrutus

February 21st, 2021 at 9:48 PM ^

Well, yes, technically that is true. They're also oftentimes consequences rooted in bullying. Like when a girl gets kicked out of college because she said a racial slur when she was 14. Did she deserve to be kicked out of college and lose her future because of one dumb thing she said when she was 14? Or was the school afraid of there being a riot on their campus if they didn't acquiesce?

The problem is that victim hood is a premium commodity in our society at the moment, so people are often desperate to find something that they can leverage. Which of course diminishes the victims of actual atrocities. 

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178243

evenyoubrutus

February 22nd, 2021 at 6:39 AM ^

Yes, a grown ass adult understands this. But a 14 year old does not. The fact that you're shrugging at a life sentence for something someone did when she was 14 (and there are countless similar examples) is exactly why cancel culture is in fact a real thing.

Here's another example that is perhaps less controversial: a family friend had his son expelled from a local high school a few years back because he said to one of his friends "I just want to burn this place [high school] to the ground." I.e. he hated high school and was making an exaggerated comment. A teacher overheard him and reported it to the police. Police investigated and said "this was just a kid who made a dumb comment. No threat of violence here." But somehow it leaked to the local news, and the next thing you know parents hold a rally at a school board meeting to have him kicked out of school. So he was expelled. A few more shitty things happened as a result, but the last domino to fall was that he committed suicide when he was 20.

And before you say "it's not the same thing" yes, it is the same thing. It is true justice being usurped by mob mentality thanks to social media. It doesn't have to be a political issue for it to be a result of cancel culture.

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178243

ypsituckyboy

February 22nd, 2021 at 8:07 AM ^

Kinda ironic how much of the crowd cheering the loudest to cancel people for violations of current social norms (“actions have consequences, man”) are also the people who want us to ban the box on job applications or say employers should be legally required to have a legitimate reason to refuse to hire convicted felons.

Joined: 06/22/2009

MGoPoints: 30512

TheVarsity

February 21st, 2021 at 10:51 PM ^

My new thing is to actually look up these "one dumb thing"/"cancel culture" situations people refer to. It's always so interesting. It looks like a student was admitted to Tennessee but her acceptance was withdrawn before she started. So you have a problem with a university withdrawing admission if a video surfaces of a student angrily using the N-word toward black people (from the safety of her car I grant you)? What about the fact that she then sent the video of that conduct to a friend? That was hateful conduct by her that was then intentionally distributed BY HER. You don't have to be afraid of the "woke SJW snowflake mafia" to make the incredibly reasonable call that she showed incredibly poor decision-making that disqualified her from stepping foot on campus as a student. What a strange example to use.

Joined: 12/04/2010

MGoPoints: 620

TheVarsity

February 22nd, 2021 at 10:16 AM ^

You're quite literally changing the subject, but if I had ever directed pure hate toward someone at 14 solely because of their race and then shared it using my social media account (essentially glorifying my act), I would know I put my UM admission at risk. This person obviously knows it. And you know it. That's why you're making the "could you and I have been caught doing something outrageous too" argument, not the "Tennessee shouldn't care and can't take this action" argument. She can bounce back. It'll be painful, but she can do it. Just not at her school of choice. Lesson learned.

Joined: 12/04/2010

MGoPoints: 620

TheVarsity

February 22nd, 2021 at 7:19 PM ^

That's like asking, "If I get fired for misconduct, why would I ever be able to get another job in my industry?" She wasn't shot into the sun. She's just dealing with the punishment associated with a one-two combo of terrible decisions. Anyway, here's what I can think of quickly:

Some institutions accept essentially any student that applies to them (that's not a joke - it's a part of their mission in some cases).

Admissions offices are made up of thoughtful people, and one group of people may be more lenient, understanding, or forgiving than another. I know a person who did some OUT THERE stuff, but a respectable school saw the soft/golden core while other schools wouldn't touch that application with their bare hands. Groups of humans don't all act the same, go figure.

She may actually take actions between now and when she starts applying again that establish personal growth.

She may write a personal statement that addresses the situation proactively instead of getting caught and then defending herself.

Some school may not be good with the Googles and let her in not knowing her past. Wouldn't recommend she intentionally pursue that path.

She could get a recommendation letter from the people she hurt or from people who can speak to her true/current/baseline character.

Schools can view Tennessee as giving her the slap on the wrist she deserved. So she's done her time in the new school's mind even though the new school would have rescinded her offer if in the original situation Tennessee was in.

I could go on.

It's unlikely, but she could even get into Tennessee in the future (after a year of bettering herself/building a case that she isn't that person on the video, after going to another institution and then transferring there, or as a graduate student).

We frequently see stories of people with stains on their life resume that go on to be respected members of society. She wasn't canceled, she's just being forced to deal with a negative consequence of her actions. With the right steps, she'll be back on her feet.

Joined: 12/04/2010

MGoPoints: 620

bluesparkhitsy…

February 21st, 2021 at 11:27 PM ^

What seems like “cancel culture” to some people will seem like “consequences” to others.  Our actions, particularly public actions, have consequences, and sometimes those consequences go too far.  My problem with the “cancel culture” label is that it suggests that any decision not to hire someone, or not to show their movie, etc., is part of this same “culture” and that it, rather than the underlying actions, is the problem.

Public shaming often goes too far, and I think we can acknowledge that the Twitter mob mentality has sometimes led to highly destructive results.  Most of us, I think, can acknowledge that people make mistakes and are sometimes not irredeemable because of these mistakes.  But we’ll invariably disagree over where those lines should be drawn, and that’s a much more interesting discussion than simply condemning overly-harsh consequences as “cancel culture.”

Joined: 10/16/2010

MGoPoints: 2442

evenyoubrutus

February 22nd, 2021 at 6:50 AM ^

This nuanced take is perfect, thank you. I don't think that most of us would disagree on many specific examples. I think unfortunately every single societal issue has been politicized (both sides are equally guilty) and so it gets incredibly difficult to have any sort of reasonable discussion with one another because political motivation is often inferred, whether it's intended or not.

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178243

Commie_High96

February 21st, 2021 at 8:47 PM ^

We should replace the Muppets with more sensitive content from the same era such as Don Rickles specials.  
 

Interesting thought experiment though, are a bunch of monster-puppets signing a Polynesian song cultural appropriation?

Joined: 02/10/2012

MGoPoints: 19679

RAH

February 21st, 2021 at 9:30 PM ^

I believe that the portrayal of native Polynesians in this video is exactly the kind of thing that they find offensive. I understand the reasoning of people with that mindset but I can't shake the feeling that those who encourage such ultra-sensitive reactions are taking fun and happiness from our society and replacing it with anger and hatred.

Joined: 02/23/2018

MGoPoints: 7600