[Ads-l] Cancel Culture

Sat Feb 6 01:18:45 UTC 2021

Wiktionary's definition isn't too bad, though it also misses the direction
of application. I don't think that someone cancelling their NY Times
subscription is ever called 'cancel culture'.

(neologism <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#neologism>,
often derogatory <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/derogatory>) The cultural
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cultural> phenomenon
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phenomenon> of publicly shaming
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shame>, rejecting
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reject>, and ceasing to provide support
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/support> to people, companies, stores,
etc., deemed unacceptable <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unacceptable>,
and calling on others to boycott <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/boycott>
them.

On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 8:11 PM Dennis During <dcduring at gmail.com> wrote:

> I don't think that the term is used equally by all sides. I don't think it
> is used pejoratively by social justice advocates (You see what I did
> there?). It is used by their critics.
>
> On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 2:59 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> How about "a putative unjust or unethical partisan movement to suppress
>> opposing political views"?
>>
>> Getting  closer?
>>
>> JL
>>
>> On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 2:50 PM Dennis During <dcduring at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > 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
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>> "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
>>
>
>
> --
> Dennis C. During
>

-- 
Dennis C. During

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