Survey: Plurality of Americans Decry 'Cancel Culture,' Some Think It Hasn't Gone Far Enough
A recent poll revealed one thing on which Americans largely agree: Cancel culture is out of control.
Politico and its polling partner, Morning Consult, asked registered voters questions revolving around the controversial topic July 17-19.
The definition of “cancel culture” upon which people were questioned was from Dictionary.com: “the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.”
One recent example is the treatment “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling received from LGBT activists and others after voicing the view that men and women are biologically different.
Just a friendly reminder that #JKRowlingIsTransphobic#JkRowlingIsOverParty
— ?️??️?OrGAYnic Chemist?️??️? (@That_TimGuy) July 24, 2020
According to Politico, the survey found that 46 percent of Americans agree that it “has gone too far.”
About 25 percent of those surveyed were either ignorant of or lacked a stance on the issue, leaving a significantly smaller portion left to cheer on what has become a political weapon.
Forty percent of those surveyed said they have been participants in attempting to cancel a person or company, and 10 percent are frequently involved in such activities.
Cancel culture is most popular among younger Americans, as 55 percent of those ages of 18-34 have participated in some way, according to the survey. Those 65 and older reported only 32 percent participation.
The survey of 1,991 registered voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Although many have participated in cancel culture in one way or another, recurrent participation is low, which may be a reflection of the attitude of its effectiveness.
“Twenty-seven percent of voters said cancel culture had a somewhat positive or very positive impact on society, but almost half (49%) said it had a somewhat negative or very negative impact,” Politico said.
If attempts to destroy the reputations of public figures or companies are found to be generally fruitless — especially when they are politically charged — it might diminish cancel culture.
On July 9, Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, lauded President Donald Trump’s leadership during an event at the White House for Hispanic leaders.
“We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder,” Unanue said.
Because of Unanue’s support of Trump, #BoycottGoya began trending on Twitter, and Democrats such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is Hispanic, jumped in on the attempted “cancellation” of a company that specializes in Hispanic foods.
Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling “how to make your own Adobo” https://t.co/YOScAcyAnC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 10, 2020
Unanue, however, did not apologize for his support of the president in the face of #BoycottGoya, and even Trump publicly supported the company in return via Twitter:
I LOVE @GoyaFoods!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020
Others joined in on the resistance against the Twitter mob, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and actor James Woods:
Goya is a staple of Cuban food. My grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. And now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. #BuyGoya https://t.co/Mhb7inVKWl
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
If the Politico poll is an accurate indication of views across the entire country, there are enough Americans who, if they stand up together, can show the power that reasonability and fortitude have over hysterical social media mobs, and ultimately squelch the wildfires of cancel culture.
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