Is Cancel Culture anti-American?

originally posted by: Randyvine
a reply to: CryHavoc

Do people in Iran ever get to say, "That's anti Iranian!".

Or how about Turkey?

Or,,,, well I better just stop right there?

Why stop there? You better say it now. You might not be allowed to say it later, if this keeps getting worse.

Besides, if someone in Iran does something anti-Iranian, don't they just behead them?

a reply to: Specimen88

You don't have to say you support it, by your actions you are embodying what it means. Not quite sure why you don't get that but I suppose that's denial for you.

originally posted by: LSU2018

originally posted by: uncommitted

originally posted by: LSU2018

originally posted by: uncommitted

originally posted by: Middleoftheroad
Cancel culture is a defense mechanism for liberals since they can’t debate any of their stances. No worries though once they’ve cancelled everyone they disagree with the next step is bullets flying since nobody will be discussing things anymore. Plus liberals don’t like guns and want them banned, so you see where this is going.

Or Trump goons not believing their cult leader could lose.

How does that relate in any way to Trump and the election? Our stances over the election have been put out there over and over and over and over. In fact, Middle's post can directly reflect what you just said because all you can do to debate his post is say "Trump goons don't believe their cult leader can lose" and you brought nothing to back your statement up.

Because it's a classic example of cancel culture. Nation has an election, many on the losing side can't take that and literally tried to cancel it.

I appreciate you don't like it because it shows it's not restricted to one group of people showing the same behaviour, but that's your problem not mine.

Yeah, denial is always the easiest state isn't it.

originally posted by: TheRedneck
No, Cancel Culture is indeed American.

Censorship is definitely American.

Rigged elections... American.

Open borders: American.

Laws without legislation: certainly American.

Now, if one were to ask, are these things that would have been considered American 50, 40, 30, 20 years ago? On, hell no! They were the antithesis of American. But, we are not living 50, 40, 30, 20 years ago. We are living now. Now, today, all those things are as American as apple pie once was thought to be.

Times change.

TheRedneck

A whole lot more was being cancelled 50 years ago than now (and more every decade further back you go)... any race other than white, women, different religions, art, culture, music, tv, movies, language, dress (skirt lengths, swimsuits, hair cuts, being turned away for being dressed inappropriate), porn, nudity... it goes on and on. America has been cancelling from the get go. Particularly, and almost universally, by the conservative sect of our society. And now you all are so highly concerned? Gimme a break. Not buying it for a second. This is nothing but fake drama due to some angry white people not getting everything they want. It's just so hard!

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

their numbers are too few to be successful as long as we stop giving power to that nonsense

But isn't that the actual concern? They are being given power... by those in power. Look at the riots last year... people who are openly, overtly committing serious felonies and getting away with it. Anyone who dared oppose them was immediately cut down, either through actions taken to punish those in law enforcement who opposed the riots and wanted to maintain law and order, or by those same law enforcement standing by and watching people beaten for disagreeing. Anyone remember Andy Ngo? Literally beaten to the point of concussion because he was filming and had a history of disagreeing with the riots.

How about that couple who stood outside their homes armed while the rioters passed by, in response to threats to burn their home down? Those who threatened them never were even questioned, but the couple was prosecuted vigorously for daring to "threaten" them.

Or Kyle Rittenhouse? He was put under a microscope for firing in obvious self-defense, while his attackers, who were also armed, were ignored.

At the time, there were at least rumors of a Federal response (although it never came). Now the same people who were literally praising the rioters are in total control of the Federal government. Yes, it's a small group, but how many people does it take to create a massacre? it took one in Las Vegas, according to official reports. One person who is treated as if they are above the law can do even more damage. Imagine if there had been no legal response to that shooter... would he have stopped? Or would he be sitting in another city, in another hotel room right now possibly taking aim on another group of people?

All that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.

Do you have an inordinate number of outsiders that have moved into your area, and have changed it drastically in a short time span, leaving those familiar and satisfied with it to exist in an unfamiliar and unsatisfying new culture without time to adapt?

Here? No... not many people want to (or frankly are capable to) live out here. But in the towns and cities around me? Yes, yes I have. Some are literally unrecognizable from 10 years ago.

Worse, I see the new attitudes creeping this way. They will stop at my property line.

What you are seeing in your situation are the beginnings. Many moons ago I bought a house in a city in an area that seemed peaceful enough. It was about a 50/50 racial mix, middle class to lower middle class, and quiet enough. Then people started moving in that didn't really fit into the neighborhood. The music was the first thing I noticed... and I retaliated. Did you know that at 1 AM, Hank Williams songs played at extreme volume will totally negate loud rap music? I'll leave it at that.

Like you, I wasn't concerned. Just a little noise, and I dealt with it. They learned I wouldn't take offense during the day, especially if it stayed down to a dull roar. But it didn't stop with music... it progressed to crime, people afraid to walk out in their own yards, and eventually drugs and violence. When I finally left (to ensure my children did not go to that crack-infested propagation facility they called a "school"), I was living right in the middle of what was unofficially known as "Crack Alley."

I hope your situation does not progress thusly.

I will leave you with one more example: most historians will agree that the delay of the USA entering WWII was a direct cause of the extended length of that war and untold deaths. We stood by watching and thinking everything would be OK while Germany and Japan expanded their respective empires. By the time we finally entered the war over the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we were not fighting two countries... we were fighting two armed, prepared empires.

Again, the only thing needed for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.

TheRedneck

a reply to: okrian

Gimme a break.

You already got it. You now have the government you wanted all along. Congratulations.

Now why are you so angry? What else do you want?

TheRedneck

What is the American identity today? It comes after being a PROUD BI women of color or a disgusting cisgendered old white male! These types of identity traits take the lead in your identity. How you’re treated depends on these things far more than being American now. We have lots of tribal groups to divide ourselves into based on things you can see (or self identify). Bigotry reigns supreme with out any form of national identity left.

a reply to: CryHavoc

a reply to: TheRedneck

We are not going to agree on this one. We are looking at the same thing through different lens.

In all of America, Whites are still the majority. My area runs very close to the national averages with Whites at 60.6%, Blacks at 13.4% and Hispanics at 21.6%.

Nationally:
2019 U.S. Census Bureau Estimates[17]
Self-identified race Percent of population
Non-Hispanic white 60.1%
Hispanic and Latino (of any race) 18.5%
Black or African American 13.4%
Asian 5.9%Two or more races 2.8%
Native Americans and Alaska Natives 1.3%
Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 0.2%

The mean income is from $60,000 to $95,000. The issue out here is not poverty, and to be honest, the new residents have elevated the value of our homes by a lot. So much so that if I sell, I would never be able to afford to move back out here again. There is no increase in crime, there are no buildings being burned, there are no protests in the streets. This is true in almost all of the 19,000+ cities in America.

I don't fear the changes that are occurring in my area for the reasons you list. There is no attack on White people, and genocide is not what is in the cards in most rural areas. What is happening is urbanization, and the lost of the rural landscape and country ways.

I have only been out here in the woods for a little over 20 years, but I most of my neighbors have been here for 50 or more years. The neighbor who was the first out here, said he was glad when another person moved in because it was lonely, dark, and a long way from help if ever needed, so it made his wife more comfortable to have another family close by. When I moved into the area there were only 22 of us, and they were past the point of viewing any newcomers as a necessity, it was more like a disturbance to their norm. I got a lukewarm welcome, but over the years I have grown close to all my old neighbors.

Move ahead just 20 years and we have had over 50% increase in population. I am seeing a trending in my area that mirrors what is happening in the majority of American regions. What I am seeing is a gravitation from the urban areas to rural areas based solely on fear fed by the internet. My biggest fear in not the increase in the number of people arriving, my fear is the changes to the area the new arrivals create to fit their needs and wants. It is 45 minutes to an hour away from an urban center and I see stores, businesses, and entertainment venues already in the works. Soon the area will no longer be rural and I will be stuck here in the heart of the city, because other tiny rural areas are being swallowed up just as fast.

I doubt very seriously if this area will ever become an inner city, crime laden, area that you describe. About the music, it was an example of a possible noticeable cultural difference. The music is not loud or obnoxious, I hear it because in the woods sound travels and does funny things out here. The music was new and not what we are used to hearing, but it is pleasant enough. They don't play music all the time, usually when entertaining and sometimes when working in the yard. I do the same, except I play audio books. I used it as an example, noting it was the only way you would would even think that our new neighbors may share a different culture.

We can go onto the internet and find examples of people behaving badly or criminality, but those events represent less than a half percent of the whole of America, that is why everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon and posting the same pictures and stories, past making them viral, to making them nauseating, then desensitizing people to all ills. We keep escalating and growing the issues instead of fixing and eradicating them.

We can start by seeing the issues that the internet is pushing us to fear, recognizing the problems, and stopping them from arriving at our property line. We can passively resist changes that are being pushed on us by just saying "no", and fighting with our dollars. The problem is that it easy to post outrage on the internet, it is hard to get out in your community and work with your neighbors to fix the issues that may be creating the problems.

Like I said, we are not going to agree on this, and that is okay.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

We are not going to agree on this one. We are looking at the same thing through different lens.

I thought the purpose of a discussion was to try and see issues through the eyes of others, to better understand the implications of the issues. Am I mistaken?

In all of America, Whites are still the majority.

And therein lies the real issue as I see it. Not in the fact that you state, but in the fact that you felt it was germaine to state it.

Here on the section of road I live on, there are 8 families. 4 are white; 4 are black. No one cares; I had to sit and think over who lived where and count them up just now. One of the black families are a pair of brothers whom I know very well. Good people, salt of the earth. They have their quirks, but we all have those. I have eaten with them, we visit regularly, and we help each other when needed. There's not much I wouldn't do for either of them.

That is a lack of racism. When they come to visit, I don't see a "black man." I see a man.

Now, he has a sister who comes to visit him regularly, and I avoid his place when I know she's there. Why? Because she looks at me and see see "whitey." She sees oppression. I am neither of those things, but I cannot tell her that. She refuses to listen. Paul (not his real name) often apologizes for her attitude; I always respond that he isn't responsible for her behavior.

That is racism. Flat out, pure, unadulterated racism. His sister is a racist. She hates white people. Thank God she doesn't live here; her attitude would likely damage our community.

So understand that when someone, anyone, starts posting about the racial makeup of an area out of the blue, it makes me stop and take pause. It sounds racist to me. The late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told of a dream wherein people of all races would judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I share that dream, and as a result I do not normally classify based on something as superfluous as skin color.

What is happening is urbanization, and the lost of the rural landscape and country ways.

That would be a loss of the culture.

It will also be a greater loss. That rural landscape and those country ways have developed over the years to produce the food you eat. If it is lost, so is the supply of food. That culture also serves as a tie to the past, when parents taught their children how to actually do things: fix a car, build a shed, grow a garden, handle a gun, hunt, fish, how to forage... and we are rapidly losing the ability to do those things. Now, you can say they are no longer needed in an advanced society such as ours, and you would be correct. But what happens if this advanced society suffers a catastrophe, as has happened to untold societies in history? You can say it will never happen, but I can remember when people were allowed to smoke freely in stores, in restaurants, and people would claim that no one would ever be able to change that. I can remember a time when I could walk into a bank and conduct my business freely; a year ago I would have never believed that I would be barred from doing so because of a physical disability.

So understand that your own words just agreed with everything I have posted. Yes, the culture is being attacked; it's just not your culture. That would seem to be the difference in our perspectives.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: LSU2018

originally posted by: wdkirk
The “words hurt” and “I don’t like what you are saying” crowds are in control. See also - “everyone gets a trophy” and “no ability to debate” crowds.

It breeds laziness and ignorance. Without laziness and ignorance, you can't have total control. Look how the media can successfully turn their side against us over one manufactured news article like the jussie smollett debacle. His story didn't make sense from the very beginning but if you didn't believe him, you were called a racist and homophobe.

Interesting how you use the word 'us' - what's 'us'? What collective do you think makes up your 'us' group?

The fact you use the word 'us' means you also have a 'them' - you are defining how you are embodying cancel culture without knowing.

a reply to: CryHavoc

Besides, if someone in Iran does something anti-Iranian, don't they just behead them?

I don't know for sure. I think the world only allows the use of
anti American as a negative connotation.

In general, I think cancel culture is the result of society's shift from intelligence and empathy to vanity. This has been 100% encouraged by social media. So many are now living in a delusional state that they must have perfect lives (kinda like "keeping up with the Jones" on crack). One mistake...and you are obviously not worth being alive. Now, calling someone out for making a bigoted statement or being ignorant is one thing...attacking people for every little thing they do just because you disagree is another. Also, how are people supposed to learn and grow if they are never given the chance? This screams to me that most of the people "cancelling" are so incapable of looking at their own mistakes and learning from them that they don't think anyone else can either. Which ya know...is incredibly immature.

Sorry for the rant...to answer your question...cancel culture is essentially human nature upgraded for the social media age.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Probably want everyone to stop disagreeing with them all the time.

originally posted by: TheRedneck
a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

We are not going to agree on this one. We are looking at the same thing through different lens.

I thought the purpose of a discussion was to try and see issues through the eyes of others, to better understand the implications of the issues. Am I mistaken?

In all of America, Whites are still the majority.

And therein lies the real issue as I see it. Not in the fact that you state, but in the fact that you felt it was germaine to state it.

Of course the purpose of the discussion is to try and see issues through the eyes of others, to better understand the implications of the issues. But the reason for the discussion in the first place, is that we don't see things through the same lens. Hopefully the discussion will bring insight and clarity, even possibly understanding, of why and how others see things.


This whole thread is about race. The whole idea of cancel culture is about the fear of one race, taking power away from another race, and instilling their beliefs and culture, so my commenting on the fact that Whites are still the majority and still very much in power did not come from out of the blue.

My inclusion of the racial makeup of my area was to show that my area mirrors that of the national numbers of this country, in response to the numerous post that speak of White genocide and in response to your comments about the the lost of power within the status quo, and the comments about the deterioration of areas due to outsiders that don't quite fit into the area. The information was to show that Whites are not the minority in the United States, they are not in danger of genocide.

American culture is constantly adapting, and there is some kind of beauty in the fact that immigrants came here and colonized a land, then merged their cultures, which continues to adapt with each generation. There is a sadness that accompanies any change that is not sought or welcome, so I understand and I share in that pain.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

Of course the purpose of the discussion is to try and see issues through the eyes of others, to better understand the implications of the issues. But the reason for the discussion in the first place, is that we don't see things through the same lens. Hopefully the discussion will bring insight and clarity, even possibly understanding, of why and how others see things.

I share in that hope. However, simply acknowledgeing that we are not seeing eye-to-eye and therefore the discussion should not continue is decidedly counter-productive to such an endeavor. That was my point. We can each see things from our own perspective, and at the same time attempt to take into account the perspectives of others. Those two things are not exclusive to each other.

I am endeavoring to show you why I feel the way I do.

This whole thread is about race. The whole idea of cancel culture is about the fear of one race, taking power away from another race, and instilling their beliefs and culture, so my commenting on the fact that Whites are still the majority and still very much in power did not come from out of the blue.

I will accept that. I do not see it so much about race, myself, as about culture, and culture need not be race-specific. It is completely possible for a black man and a white man to share in a culture; it is actually unusual for such a pair who live in a neighborhood to not share major aspects of cultural identity.

My inclusion of the racial makeup of my area was to show that my area mirrors that of the national numbers of this country, in response to the numerous post that speak of White genocide and in response to your comments about the the lost of power within the status quo, and the comments about the deterioration of areas due to outsiders that don't quite fit into the area. The information was to show that Whites are not the minority in the United States, they are not in danger of genocide.

The term "genocide" may be stretching the definition here. I myself have no concerns that white people are going to be hunted down by roving gangs for a bounty on their heads. I'm sure there are some fringe elements who think they want that, but these are indeed fringe elements and not worthy of any serious consideration other than condemnation.

Of course, I do not hear condemnation of those statements; only apathy toward them. That does concern me. It concerns me because, while such actions might not fall under the technical definition of "genocide," such actions, if allowed to occur, could fall under the heading of "homicide" quite easily. I am more concerned for me and mine than I am about some futuristic fantasy genocide. Every day in this country, people are killed by other people. I am sure those who are killed were not in the least concerned about their race compared to their concern for themselves.

I believe the liberal use of the phrase "white genocide" refers less to the eradication of an entire race and more toward acceptance that homicide may be deemed permissible, or at the least not worthy of punishment, as long as such homicide is directed at someone of the correct race. Now, before you go all "that can't happen" on me, recall that it has already happened. During the height of slavery in the United States, killing a black slave was not something that was readily prosecuted. That was only one of the horrendous aspects that made slavery such a grievous offense to humanity.

It does appear to be happening again. I watched a section of Atlanta burned to the ground because a black man who was blocking the drive-through at a Wendy's was approached by officers, and then took a taser from one and fired it at them, causing them to return deadly fire and kill the man. You cannot tell me in all honesty that the situation would have been similar if the perpetrator/victim had been white. That incident underscores the single reason for this thread, and for the concerns being voiced: there seems to be two sets of laws depending on the race of a person involved.

It does not have to be a written statute... just the unfair and unequal application of law is enough to raise such a concern. It also need not be actual, if there is sufficient evidence to cause concern. I have seen many times the evidence I would need to have such concerns, both in actions taken through official channels (that Atlanta PD officer was fired without an investigation) and through media talking heads supporting the concept of unequal justice.

I am a white Southern male. I do not recall filling out a form stating where I wanted to be born or what color skin I wanted to have. That was random chance. I have never owned a slave in my life. I have never oppressed anyone based on their race or skin color. I have seen such things happen by others, and I have spoken out against it. However, it seems now that there is a movement to withhold punishment for anyone who was born with darker skin than I should I be targeted by them for an act of theft or violence.

At this point, I need more than simply "I don't see that happening." I need to see actual action taken and accepted against criminals who commit illegal acts against others, regardless of their race. That is my threshold for proof that my fears are unwarranted, and I do not see myself lowering that threshold. There is too much at stake for me personally.

I also don't think that threshold is excessive. Can we at least agree on that?

TheRedneck

a reply to: ketsuko

Well, they'll likely have laws against disagreeing with them soon enough. Maybe that'll assuage their sensibilities.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: okrian
any race other than white, women, different religions, art, culture, music, tv, movies, language, dress (skirt lengths, swimsuits, hair cuts, being turned away for being dressed inappropriate), porn, nudity... it goes on and on.

No... Those are still here DESPITE someone trying to Cancel them. And are proof that America can change, and doesn't need to be dismantled like some suggest.

Well, I think I asked the right question - or at least one that people wanted to discuss.