…well, in a way I have been. Maybe not in the true sense of the word. Listen to the latest podcast for the full story. Listen now…
One thing I can share here is the problem I see with the cancel culture is that those who are controlling the narrative and cancelling out the voices of the few are doing so despite their plea to be “accepted and treated equally”. Just because someone says something that offends you does not mean it offends everyone. What in the world ever happened to “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Am I just so out of touch and the only one who believes that? I mean yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in such a thing as verbal abuse and words can hurt your feelings. But put it this way, would you rather someone call you a shit face or throw shit in your face? You get my point. We have all, in some way, cancelled someone. Don’t lie. You know you have. For example, say you find out your favorite movie star is supporting a cause you are against. You decide to no longer watch that movie star. Let’s say you have a favorite restaurant, and you find out the owner spoke against something you support. You stop going to the restaurant. You are cancelling them. The difference is, you didn’t blast it all over the world and scream as if you were personally attacked. You didn’t demand that the movie star or restaurant owner apologize for their belief. You didn’t ruin them professionally. You didn’t demand a public apology. You were certainly within your rights to do what you did as were they. This world is too big a place and the time we have on the topside is shorter than we realize to be holding on to hate for words or actions that do not directly affect your life.
This situation, which I am unfortunately a part of every day, reinforces the fact that everyone really needs to open up their minds, be curious and really hear each other’s story. None of us have any idea what an individual has experienced that forms their opinions and places them where they are at that moment. What was said in the past may not be where they are today, and you won’t know that if you cancel them. In the end, EVERYONE just wants the same basic things in life, which is love, acceptance, safety, security and sense of belonging.
We each see the world through our own lens. Heated conversations or an expression of opinions can teach us to grow and learn other perspectives, but only if we are willing to open our hearts and minds and listen. No one should fear expressing their opinion. This world would be a very boring place if we all thought, dressed and even loved the same way.
CLIMB ABOARD MY SOAPBOX 