Is cancel culture good or bad?
This debate has been continuing on across many online communities.
For one, it exposes notorious influencers for their distasteful racism, pedophilic tendencies, among others.
However, it seems like a tricky bridge for many online personalities to cross. One wrong strike and you’re out. That’s many years of hard work on your content down the drain.
Pewdiepie speaks out
YouTube icon Pewdiepie recently shared his thoughts over the matter.
On his July 2 video appropriately titled “Is Cancel Culture Good or Bad?,” Felix “Pewdiepie” Kjellberg explained that online “cancel culture” can sometimes get ridiculous and dangerous.
Opening up on his views, he believes cancelling someone can be problematic at some point.
Problematic nature
For his latest upload, he watched a group discuss cancel culture and couldn’t help but give his own take.
In particular, he emphasized pioneer YouTuber Jenna Marbles being recently “cancelled” over older content she made years ago.
“With Jenna, that was actually nine or ten years ago. To me, that changes things a lot, especially if I know that person has grown out of that. That doesn’t make it okay, what they did, but at the same time I don’t see a reason to drag them through the dirt because of it.”
He further cites the James Charles incident from 2019 to elaborate his point.
“Remember when James Charles was canceled, and the entire world was so sure that he was a predator? The amount of people that spread that message around, causing him to almost be suicidal. Did we learn anything from that? … This is just ridiculous.”
With the internet cancelling an influencer so easily, it can truly get problematic and personal at some point.
Nothing changed
Ever since the influencer has been attacked by online trolls without solid evidence, nothing has changed in regards to how hostile cancel culture is.
“No one learned anything. If anything this is worse now. Did we learn that maybe we shouldn’t point fingers before we know the truth? No. Those days are over.”
Though cancelling a ‘problematic’ influencer may be done with good intentions in mind, nobody is actually held accountable if the method is done wrongfully.
“That’s the problem. No one holds the people who are a part of the hate mob accountable. I think the James Charles thing is such a good example.”
“I have definitely become so much more aware of not just what I say, but how what I say can be perceived. Because it’s not just what you meant. It’s if you can take a portion of what you said, and it seems like something else. That’s enough. That’s how careful you have to be.”
Drawing a line
Though critical over the subject, Pewdiepie still managed to give a balanced take on cancel culture.
It’s a good thing if we’re able to draw a line at what is not acceptable when it comes to coming after someone, especially an online personality.
