Written by: Michael Swain, FOR SA Executive Director
Article source: JOY! Magazine
“Cancel culture” has become a common expression, and being “cancelled” an increasingly common experience. This typically happens when a person (or an organisation) does or says something that conflicts with the so-called “woke” narrative. The person (or organisation) then becomes the target of a concerted group effort calling for a boycott of the person’s (or organisation’s) work or products. It can simply be defined as “bullying for grown-ups”. The goal is to sanction them to the extent that they are effectively removed from positions where their voice could influence society, destroying their lives and livelihoods in the process. Social media platforms are also increasingly shutting down viewpoints that conflict with the liberal agenda or that criticise its policies. Whether (or not) you like Donald Trump, it is an extraordinary sanction to ban and block the views and voice of a (then) sitting president of the USA.
FOR SA was involved in cancel culture
FOR SA was involved in an example of cancel culture in November 2020 when we invited Dr Sybrand de Vaal to comment on various peer reviewed academic studies on medical responses to gender dysphoria generally, and in children specifically. This was part of FOR SA’s contribution to the democratic process initiated by the Western Cape Education Department, who invited input on their Draft Guidelines for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in public schools. The backlash by activists against Dr de Vaal’s contribution was swift and brutal. Complaints were lodged against him with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and the University of Cape Town, with a petition signed by nearly 2500 people calling for him to be banned from ever practising as a psychiatrist. The complaint has since been dismissed.
The result is often self-censorship
Fear is a major driver of cancel culture and the result is often self-censorship. People are increasingly afraid that anything they might have said or done (even years earlier) can be used to destroy them. No one is immune. Internationally, feminist icon and author of the Harry Potter stories, J.K. Rowling, has been slammed for being “transphobic”, with calls for her books to be burnt. Historical context is equally irrelevant. Statues of Thomas Jefferson (principal author of the US Declaration of Independence) have been removed because he owned slaves. Statues of Sir Winston Churchill, whose leadership was critical to the overthrow of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, have been defaced because he was a “colonial racist”.
Robust debate ≠ hate speech
It is vital to the preservation of a free and democratic society that we defend our rights and continue to practice freedom of speech and expression. Even though it might be experienced as hurtful or deeply offensive, robust debate is not hate speech. Shutting down any viewpoint that does not conform with political correctness is the antithesis of tolerance and the hallmark of a totalitarian society. We have both the right (and arguably the responsibility) to be true to our own conscience and convictions – even though we may have to be prepared to pay a price for upholding them. History shows that those who stand fast and stand firm for faith and freedom will ultimately be vindicated.
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Date published: 16/02/2022
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