Adobe deletes Bluesky posts after backlash

Are you claiming cancel culture isn't real?

"Cancel culture" is just a term we started using to cope with seeing people we're sympathetic to being judged for their words or actions.

Define "cancel culture".

Yes, good idea trawling up things people said when they were dumb and young, which they don't even think or agree with today, and trying to cancel their career over it.

Not to benefit society, but to make one feel good about themselves about the victory they achieved in ruining someones life.

"Hey, this dude posted something wildly, rabidly racist in public on main a while ago. Maybe we should reconsider what kind of person we think they are instead of just taking their word that they're 'not like that anymore' and aren't just better at hiding their real opinions that they know are unacceptable to voice in modern society."

The people trotting out the phrase "cancel culture" as a boogeyman also tend to run around being apologists for racism, sexism, assault, or criminal behavior. Regardless of if you're actually upset about legitimate instances of people overreacting, the fact that the term "cancel culture" is used to complain about pedophiles or sexual predators actually suffering consequences makes it difficult to take any complaints seriously.

Or maybe just ask them if they still think that? If they say no, suggest they take it down.

Everyone wins and the world is a slightly nicer place.

Rather than hounding people's employers etc. The world is already divided to extremes, best not to make it worse.

What changed my thinking on cancel culture was being asked if I believe in the possibility of redemption and giving people a second chance or am I more of a lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key kind of guy?

When the people I like get in trouble socially for doing things that they maybe shouldn't. /s

That's not true at all. You should read The Canceling of the American Mind (though get it from the library, because it's not really good enough to own imo). The authors very clearly lay out the evidence that there has in fact been an increase in the sort of online lynch mobs we call "cancel culture". It comes from both the left and the right, and the increase has been noticeable if you look at the data.

People have always tried to use social pressure to strike at people they didn't like. But there really has been a marked increase in occurrences in the last ten or so years.

Even Obama, considered by some to be an icon of the left, has called out cancel culture.

We're starting to see the legal effects of people being fired for holding legal views.

> someone says something dumb 5 years ago

Fire them, debank them, humiliate them, destroy their life.

> someone commits petty crime for the 13th time.

Meh

I just don’t post anything publicly anymore because the EV is clearly negative now. Luckily the people I meet in the real world are not the thought police.

There is a pretty long list of deranged shitheads who still haven't faced any consequences for their actions (I mean physical actions, not "mean words on the internet"). Celebrities and pseudo-celebrities, stuff like that. I will be the first one to say cancel culture is real when they do face consequences, but currently it's like water off duck's back. What's more interesting: they are not even billionnaires.

Fantastic book, highly suggest HN readers pick that one up.

"Red scare" is just a term we started using to cope with seeing people we're sympathetic to being judged for their words or actions.