Cancel culture

Apr 20, 2026 - 12:56
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Cancel culture

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'''Cancel culture''', also called '''call-out culture''', is a cultural phenomenon and a form of [[freedom of association]] where people criticize or disassociate from an individual who is thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner.
'''Cancel culture''', also called '''call-out culture''', is a cultural phenomenon and a form of [[freedom of association]] where people criticize or disassociate from an individual who is thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner.
It usually includes calls over [[social media]] for the target to be [[ostracized]], [[boycott]]ed, [[shunned]] or [[Dismissal (employment)|fired]].{{cite journal |last=Munro |first=Ealasaid |date=August 23, 2013 |title=Feminism: A Fourth Wave? |url=https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/news/feminism-fourth-wave |url-status=live |journal=Political Insight |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=22–25 |doi=10.1111/2041-9066.12021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210124315/https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/news/feminism-fourth-wave |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |access-date=April 29, 2020 |s2cid=142990260|url-access=subscription}}{{cite journal |title= Rape culture and social media: young critics and a feminist counterpublic |last1= Sills |first1= Sophie |last2= Pickens |first2= Chelsea |last3= Beach |first3= Karishma |last4= Jones |first4= Lloyd |last5= Calder-Dawe |first5= Octavia |last6= Benton-Greig |first6= Paulette |last7= Gavey |first7= Nicola |display-authors= 3 |journal= [[Feminist Media Studies]] |date= March 23, 2016 |volume= 16 |issue= 6 |pages= 935–951 |doi= 10.1080/14680777.2015.1137962 |hdl= 2292/30994 |hdl-access= free |s2cid= 147023782}}{{Cite news |last1=Yar |first1=Sanam |last2=Bromwich |first2=Jonah Engel |date=October 31, 2019 |title=Tales From the Teenage Cancel Culture |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/style/cancel-culture.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 4, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200601235105/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/style/cancel-culture.html |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2025/10/01/cancel-culture-kimmel/|title=How cancel culture came for everyone|last=Branigin|first=Anne|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 1, 2025|accessdate=March 20, 2026}}
It usually includes calls over [[social media]] for the target to be [[ostracized]], [[boycott]]ed, [[shunned]] or [[Dismissal (employment)|fired]].{{cite journal |last=Munro |first=Ealasaid |date=August 23, 2013 |title=Feminism: A Fourth Wave? |url=https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/news/feminism-fourth-wave |url-status=live |journal=Political Insight |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=22–25 |doi=10.1111/2041-9066.12021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210124315/https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/news/feminism-fourth-wave |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |access-date=April 29, 2020 |s2cid=142990260|url-access=subscription}}{{cite journal |title= Rape culture and social media: young critics and a feminist counterpublic |last1= Sills |first1= Sophie |last2= Pickens |first2= Chelsea |last3= Beach |first3= Karishma |last4= Jones |first4= Lloyd |last5= Calder-Dawe |first5= Octavia |last6= Benton-Greig |first6= Paulette |last7= Gavey |first7= Nicola |display-authors= 3 |journal= [[Feminist Media Studies]] |date= March 23, 2016 |volume= 16 |issue= 6 |pages= 935–951 |doi= 10.1080/14680777.2015.1137962 |hdl= 2292/30994 |hdl-access= free |s2cid= 147023782}}{{Cite news |last1=Yar |first1=Sanam |last2=Bromwich |first2=Jonah Engel |date=October 31, 2019 |title=Tales From the Teenage Cancel Culture |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/style/cancel-culture.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 4, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200601235105/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/style/cancel-culture.html |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2025/10/01/cancel-culture-kimmel/|title=How cancel culture came for everyone|last=Branigin|first=Anne|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 1, 2025|accessdate=March 20, 2026}}
This shunning may extend to social or professional circles{{mdash}}whether on social media or in person{{mdash}}with most high-profile incidents involving those with influence in [[Mass media|media]] or [[Political organisation|politics]].{{cite news |last= McDermott |first=John |date=November 2, 2019 |title=Those People We Tried to Cancel? They're All Hanging Out Together |newspaper=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/style/what-is-cancel-culture.html |access-date=August 3, 2020}}{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/965815679/is-cancel-culture-the-future-of-the-gop|title= When Republicans Attack 'Cancel Culture,' What Does It Mean?|work=[[NPR]]|last=Kurtzleben|first=Danielle|date=February 10, 2021|accessdate=March 24, 2026}}
This shunning may extend to social or professional circles{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}whether on social media or in person{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}with most high-profile incidents involving those with influence in [[Mass media|media]] or [[Political organisation|politics]].{{cite news |last= McDermott |first=John |date=November 2, 2019 |title=Those People We Tried to Cancel? They're All Hanging Out Together |newspaper=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/style/what-is-cancel-culture.html |access-date=August 3, 2020}}{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/965815679/is-cancel-culture-the-future-of-the-gop|title= When Republicans Attack 'Cancel Culture,' What Does It Mean?|work=[[NPR]]|last=Kurtzleben|first=Danielle|date=February 10, 2021|accessdate=March 24, 2026}}
More generally, cancel culture includes changes in who one [[Honour|honors]], such as the removal of monuments from a public square, removing books from school curricula, changing [[place names]], etc. Such subjects are said to have been "canceled".{{cite web |date=July 12, 2019|title=What It Means to Get 'Canceled' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/cancel-culture-words-were-watching |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618080415/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/cancel-culture-words-were-watching |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2020 |work=[[Merriam-Webster]]}}{{cite web |date=July 31, 2020|title=What Does Cancel Culture Mean? |url= https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/cancel-culture/ |access-date=August 19, 2020 |publisher=Dictionary.com}}{{efn|[[Merriam-Webster]] notes that to "cancel", in this context, means "to stop giving support to that person". [[Dictionary.com]], in its pop-culture dictionary, defines cancel culture as "withdrawing support for (''canceling'') public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive."}}
More generally, cancel culture includes changes in who one [[Honour|honors]], such as the removal of monuments from a public square, removing books from school curricula, changing [[place names]], etc. Such subjects are said to have been "canceled".{{cite web |date=July 12, 2019|title=What It Means to Get 'Canceled' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/cancel-culture-words-were-watching |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618080415/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/cancel-culture-words-were-watching |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2020 |work=[[Merriam-Webster]]}}{{cite web |date=July 31, 2020|title=What Does Cancel Culture Mean? |url= https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/cancel-culture/ |access-date=August 19, 2020 |publisher=Dictionary.com}}{{efn|[[Merriam-Webster]] notes that to "cancel", in this context, means "to stop giving support to that person". [[Dictionary.com]], in its pop-culture dictionary, defines cancel culture as "withdrawing support for (''canceling'') public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive."}}
While the careers of some public figures have been impacted by boycotts{{mdash}}widely described as "cancellation"{{mdash}}others who have complained of cancellation successfully continued their careers.
While the careers of some public figures have been impacted by boycotts{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}widely described as "cancellation"⁠{{mdash}}{{tsp}}others who have complained of cancellation successfully continued their careers.


The term "cancel culture" came into circulation in 2018 and has mostly negative connotations.
The term "cancel culture" came into circulation in 2018 and has mostly negative connotations.
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