No Geordi. Cancel culture is not “consequence culture”

LeVar Burton says he’s fine with cancel culture, except that it’s misnamed. He says it should be called “consequence culture.”

Before I explain where he’s wrong, I have to admit that there’s some sense to what he’s saying.

When you’re a social being in a social world, actions have consequences. People might not like you when you fart on a crowded train. And (I know this sounds counterintuitive) but I’ve often felt that our culture has become more coarse as the threat of being punched in the face fades.

To put that another way, you’d be very polite to Mike Tyson’s daughter. (“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Mike Tyson.)

So then, what’s the difference between “there’s a consequence for anti-social behavior” and “cancel culture”?

I can think of four things that characterize cancel culture that make it loathsome, and distinguishable from the simple idea that actions have consequences.

1. The inability to see that there might be another side to a question. Case in point, the treatment of Bret Weinstein at Evergreen State College.
2. The immediate leap to super-heated, spittle-faced frenzy, often without any regard for the facts.
3. The lack of any mercy or forgiveness. The absolute worst thing you can do with the cancel culture mob is apologize to them. They simply take that as proof of your guilt and pile on harder. There is no grace.
4. The lack of historical perspective. I.e., applying today’s moral norms to things that happened in another time and/or environment.

And while we’re making distinctions, there’s also the matter of boycotts. When people propose to boycott MLB because they’ve gone woke, isn’t that “cancel culture”?

Maybe, and maybe not. Again, there are distinctions to be made.

• A boycott goes after an organization, not a person.

  Having said that, it’s worth noting the boycott might be motivated by the same kind of mental errors mentioned above — e.g., the inability to see the other side, and the immediate frenzy without knowing the facts. That sort of woke attitude often characterizes the boycotts from the left.

• Some boycotts are designed to push an organization back towards the norm (e.g., sports is supposed to be a political safe space) while others are designed to push an organization towards the radical extreme (e.g., you must change your bathroom policy).

To sum up, while I loved you as Geordi La Forge, LeVar, you’re off the mark on this one.