Taylor Swift is tired of it. Cancel the culture – and you should be too



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The September issue of Vogue Taylor Swift and a long talk about his new album Lover, which just came out last week. In the interview, Swift revealed that this new album was perhaps his favorite project to date. She touched on very heavy topics, including her activism, her approach to the art of songwriting, and her feelings about "undoing culture".

Swift's views on the culture of cancellation are spreading among celebrities, fans and experts. Let's take a closer look at what the musician had to say and how her vision resonates with the current tendency to judge quickly and harshly.

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift | Efren Landaos / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

What is the cancellation of the culture?

The rise of social media has given consumers unprecedented power. Today, a simple tweet or a negative comment on Yelp may encourage businesses to demand a solution before the controversy spreads.

With the recognition of this power, it has been possible to take advantage of collective shame and shame to launch a call for ethical consumption by "canceling" companies and even individuals whose actions do not correspond to certain values. As the #MeToo movement captured media coverage and empowered women to stand up and tell stories of abuse, the culture's cancellation was getting stronger.

What better way to take back power from those who have abused it than through a show of collective strength that removes the opportunity to profit from the very people who disapprove of this behavior? When you "cancel" a business, you refuse to buy it. When you "cancel" a celebrity, you ignore his plans. When enough people are in agreement, the cancellation can have a serious impact.

Who was canceled?

Several celebrities have been trained in the culture of cancellations. When Roseanne Barr tweeted an insensitive comment to the race about Valerie Jarrett, her next restart of her hit TV show was about to be canceled, not only affecting her but all the other actors and staff members working on the show. While the show has been renamed The connorshe continued without his matriarch, who was considered too toxic to be included.

Louis C.K and Kevin Spacey have both been targeted to cancel the culture after inappropriate behavior by women. SoulCycle was "canceled" for its owner's financial ties with President Trump.

Although these acts of public shame are often furious and emotional, they are also rarely permanent. Many "canceled" celebrities are back at work and in the spotlight in a matter of months, often making headlines about their return or attempted reparations.

What did Swift have to say?

Swift itself has been the target of annulment appeals. When Kim Kardashian posted the video of her husband, Kanye West, discussing the lyrics of his song "Famous", West fans were outraged by the fact that Swift had claimed to know nothing about the song and had offended himself of his exit.

Swift says that although she knew certain words, she did not know them all, and certainly not the most shocking ones. Anyway, the hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsCanceled was quickly in vogue and would trigger months of calls for a boycott of the singer's work.

In his interview, Swift directly addressed what it meant to try to cancel a person: "A massive public shame, with millions of people saying that you are a quote without citing quotes. canceled, is a very insulating experience. I do not think there are so many people who can really understand what it is that millions of people hate you very much. "

She went on to say, "When you say that someone is canceled, it's not a TV show. It's a human being. You are sending massive amounts of messages to that person to silence her, to make her disappear, or she could also be perceived as: Kill yourself."

What do the experts say?

In one Psychology today Article, Dr. Pamela B. Paresky calls the culture of cancellation, "apocalyptic", saying, "An apocalyptic culture is not interested in hurt hearts. He wants to destroy, not to heal. He wants to punish moral impurities and not forgiveness for children. And he uses new social media tools to achieve his apocalyptic goals. "

She points out that the impact of the cancellation of culture is a fervent emphasis on shame and blame rather than a path to reconciliation and forgiveness.

Others, like strategist Camonghne Felix in communication, see the power of the culture of cancellation. He explains that it is only through collective indignation, such as these shameful public incidents that allow ordinary citizens to control power: "If not, how can we, the public, [who are] largely helpless in the daily execution of value systems, moderate society without something like the cancellation of culture? "

Asking for the cancellation of a person can be a cathartic way of recovering power, but it is important to remember that there is a human being on the other side of the conversation.

As Swift reminds us, "canceling" someone is not the same as canceling our Netflix subscriptions. In the darkest moments, this may be perceived as a call to the person for it to cease to exist or to end one's own life, and to propose ways of redemption and growth will probably lead to a better future for all.

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