[Ads-l] Cancel Culture

[Dennis During]

If it is predominantly used disparagingly about anything, however vague the
targets and however unfair the disparagement, then the intent of
disparagement is part of its meaning, as is the case for 'political
correctness', 'social justice warrior' ("SJW") and similar terms. Currently
in the US 'fascism' and its sister terms 'fascist', 'neo-fascist', etc and,
probably 'communism' and its relatives are similarly predominantly used
disparagingly. 'Socialism' not so much.

The phenomena disparaged by the use of the term 'cancel culture' seem to
include principally the boycotts, including secondary boycotts, facilitated
by social media, of businesses, especially consumer-oriented ones, and of
entertainment personalities because they are deemed to violate some moral
imperative, usually under the rubric of 'social justice' (a term which,
unlike SJW, is not predominantly pejorative). I think both the deeming and
the boycotting are the objects of the disparagement intended by use of the
term 'cancel.culture'.

On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 2:19 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:

> > On Feb 5, 2021, at 8:36 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > "Cancel culture" has broadened its meaning to become "a movement to
> > suppress opposing political views.”
>
> Or, as an alternate gloss, ‘a movement to hold individuals accountable for
> their actions and publicly stated views’. To demote a member who has
> expressed racist threats is not precisely an instance of opposing their
> political views.
>
> I’m also unclear on the scope--Do we really want to classify
> denazification in Germany (= 'the process of bringing the leaders of the
> National Socialist regime in Germany to justice and of purging all elements
> of Nazism from public life, carried out especially between 1945 and 1948’)
> merely an instance of cancel culture, i.e. the Allies’ suppressing opposing
> political views? Maybe I’m not sure what “cancel culture” meant before it
> was broadened; it’s always reminded me of the use of “political
> correctness” to dismiss or ridicule those protesting hate speech or threats
> of violence.
>
> LH
>
> >
> > E.g., from Yahoo! News:
> >
> > "The former Trump and Bush adviser said the decision to root out
> extremism
> > in the military was 'cancel culture' and then disparaged Mr Biden's pick
> > for Secretary of Defense by claiming he was likely hired solely because
> he
> > is Black."
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 2:19 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> CNN chyron:
> >>
> >> "Trump Wants To Cancel Goodyear."
> >>
> >> He wants us to boycott it.
> >>
> >> JL
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jul 31, 2020 at 10:26 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> >> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Bill Mullins wrote:
> >>>> Earlier in Twitter -- Oct 28, 2016:
> >>>>
> >>>> https://twitter.com/unicorninkk/status/792025338616418304
> >>>> "I hate cancel culture until I want to set things on fire! "
> >>>
> >>> Worthwhile topic, Fred. Great citation, Bill.
> >>> I initiated a germane thread back in May 2019.
> >>>
> >>> [Ads-l] Word/Phrase: cancel, cancel culture, cancellation culture
> >>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2019-May/154643.html
> >>>
> >>> The mailing list message included some tweets with the phrase: "You
> >>> have been cancelled". The precise meaning was not always clear. The
> >>> tweet citations begin on Nov 22 2008.
> >>>
> >>> Dave Wilton initiated a pertinent thread in February 2020.
> >>>
> >>> [Ads-l] Cancel culture, cancel (2018)
> >>>
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2020-February/156597.html
> >>>
> >>> John Baker mentioned the Mashable.com article dated Nov 18, 2017 which
> >>> was referenced in a tweet.
> >>>
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2020-February/156598.html
> >>>
> >>> Dave Wilton presented a tweet together with a reply tweet that
> >>> exhibited the desired sense on Feb 8, 2017.
> >>>
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2020-February/156599.html
> >>> https://twitter.com/DougieFresh818/status/829410105502400513
> >>> https://twitter.com/chazzsplash/status/829410413091631105
> >>>
> >>> The tweet found by Bill Mullins appears to be the earliest currently
> >>> mentioned on this mailing list.
> >>>
> >>> Garson
> >>>
> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
Dennis C. During

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org