Unpopular opinion: I reversed my stance on cancel culture after a musician's apology

I once backed online calls to cancel artists for offensive lyrics from their early work. When a rapper faced heat for lines he wrote as a teen, I thought he deserved the backlash. But after a folk singer issued a sincere apology for similar past comments and still lost gigs, I started to doubt. Now, I see that permanent punishment can stop people from growing and speaking up. Some argue that cancel culture protects groups from harm, while others say it hurts open talk. I wonder where we draw the line between accountability and forgiveness. What are your thoughts on this?

4 comments

4 Comments

michaelr381mo ago

But it's rarely forever in the music business.

ward.olivia1mo ago

Saw a stat that only 10% of chart-toppers have long careers... the rest just fade away.

diana_kim6625d ago

Look at what happened to that folk singer. A real apology should mean something, or else why would anyone ever try to be better? Michaelr38 says it's rarely forever, but losing gigs right after saying sorry feels pretty final to the person it happens to. It makes people too scared to even try and grow. The goal should be getting someone to change, not just making them disappear.

michael_lopez531mo ago

We never talk about how fans' own pasts would look under the same microscope.