I have heard the phrase “cancel culture” used in the past, but its usage seems to have increased over the last several months — particularly among Trump-supporting Republicans.
Former President Donald Trump was a big fan of calling any conservative held accountable for racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or xenophobic comments victims of the left’s cancel culture. So it was no surprise that in his second impeachment trial, his lawyers called the entire proceedings “constitutional cancel culture.”
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan used the same argument when he defended Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was pulled from her House committees this month because of her continued support of untrue, dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories as well as several social media posts that were deemed racist.
“Everyone has said things they wish they didn’t say. Everyone has done things they wish they didn’t do so who’s next? Who will the cancel culture attack next?” Jordan said.
Most recently joining the pity party that cancel culture is out to get them is “The Mandalorian” actor Gina Carano, who was let go from the Disney+ series after an Instagram post compared Jewish people persecuted in Nazi Germany to Republicans in the U.S. today.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors… even by children,” Carano shared on her Instagram story. “Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
Carano’s post brought immediate condemnation for its comparisons and, along with being fired from “The Mandalorian,” she was also let go by her talent agent, UTA. This wasn’t the first time Carano has shown herself to be intolerant. She came under fire in the past for echoing Trump’s election fraud claims, calling COVID-19 a hoax and for mocking the transgender and gender nonconforming communities by posting “boop/bop/beep” as her pronouns in her Twitter bio.
After Carano was fired, conservatives came out in force yet again calling it an attack by cancel culture. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz took time out of his day to tweet his anger that “Disney cancelled her” and in the process made it very evident that he knows nothing about “Star Wars.” Conservative columnist and online troll, Ben Shapiro has even reached out to Carano about making a movie together.
“Cancel culture” cries from conservatives are nothing more than wanting no consequences for their abhorrent actions. They stoke the flames, make snide comments, or what they say are just “jokes,” and then act all offended when they are expected to answer for those actions.
When calls for Carano to answer for her pronouns “joke” rose on social media, she said that she didn’t understand their importance and would do better. Obviously she decided that instead of doing better she would double down on her ignorance.
I hate to break it to Carano, Trump and all of those people supporting them, but being held accountable for your actions is what adults do. Recognizing when you are being hurtful and hateful, then apologizing, educating yourself and doing better is what an honorable, productive member of society does. They don’t cry and whine while kicking their feet.
After Shapiro tweeted about what I’m sure will be a thought-provoking, critically acclaimed film he is making with Carano, she said in a statement “I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before.” Well Carano, I assure you the grownups in the room will continue to use their voices to make sure your hateful ignorance is called out. This is the way.
Speaking of using their voices for good, in this issue we talk with four amazing transgender women of color who are making positive changes in their communities: The Hair Clinic’s Jiyah Bolden, The R.I.S.E. Initiative’s Shea Cutliff, Haute Coudoor’s Naomi Wright and Divas in Dialogue’s Mulan Williams.
In Arts and Entertainment, we talk with “The Prophets” author Robert Jones Jr. and preview Theater West End in Sanford’s “End of the Rainbow.”
In news, we talk with the parents of a young boy who went viral for performing at Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando and a nurse from Tampa General Hospital who showed her Pride while at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl LV.
