Cancel culture: the kiss of death
Guilty or not, you are ostracised
You have most likely heard the term “cancel culture”. This is a label most prominent people fear more than death itself. In these days where anyone with a social media account holds power in their palms, cancel culture can spell death to a career. It’s more devastating than simply being deleted from a Whatsapp group or blocked from Twitter.
Some people believe that participating in cancel culture is the most effective way to hold public figures accountable. Others view cancel culture as nothing but mob mentality, the equivalent of being ostracised from a village because you have soiled yourself.
The term was used in the dialogue of the popular movie, New Jack City but became popular during the #Metoo movement when public figures such as Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein and R Kelly were “cancelled” due to allegations of sexual abuse.
Closer to home, a few celebrities have borne the brunt of being cancelled. Radio and club DJS Euphonik and Fresh resigned from their radio slots after they were accused of rape. When Sjava was accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend, fellow musician Lady Zamar, the Dstv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards withdrew his two nominations, and cancelled his performance at the ceremony.
“Social pressure” forced rapper AKA to cancel all his scheduled gigs in the wake of the controversial death of his fiancé Nellie Tembe last year, though he has moved on and is in a relationship with fellow rapper, Nadia Nakai. Uyajola 99 presenter Jub Jub similarly stepped down from his television duties after his controversial sex podcast comments, though Moja Love has since
announced his comeback.
I am following two interesting cases at home and abroad this week, that of Johnny Depp accusing his ex-wife Amber Heard of defamation, and that of former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa. Depp claims Disney dropped him from the sixth instalment of the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after Heard wrote a damning opinion piece alluding to her abuse at his hands.
He accused her of ruining
his career and is suing her for $50-million.
The eagerly awaited Meyiwa murder case took a turn this week when his then-girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo’s lawyer was asked to leave the trial. Magdalene Moonsamy was on a watching brief for her client, who for years faced public opprobrium since the death of her boyfriend.
The court of public opinion is unforgiving and you can remain “cancelled” irrespective of your unproven culpability.