Cancel Culture, Free Speech, and Nicki Minaj

Is “cancel culture” limiting free speech? This is a question many Americans, specifically right wing activists have been rallying on for the past few years. First, let’s define cancel culture. I would define cancel culture as an internet subculture that revolves around political correctness and “cancelling,” or boycotting prominent social figures that internet-goers believe have done something wrong. When a celebrity, influencer, or any prevalent social figure says something considered controversial, there is sure to be a wave of backlash, likely involving a #isoverparty tag on Twitter. This backlash, and the culture that surrounds it, is cancel culture. Generally, the people “cancelling” celebrities and influencers are young, open minded, liberals on the internet, fueled by “politically correct” ideologies. This wave of consrvative opposition to “cancel culture” was partially ignited by President Donald Trump, who often voiced his opinion on the idea of cancel culture. The right argues that if they voice any different opinion, they will face heavy repercussions from people who disagree with them. Earlier this year, TikTok sensation Addison Rae faced heavy backlash for greeting Donald Trump at a wrestling match. Addison later clarified that she was not in fact a Trump supporter, but the backlash has permanentley stained her reputation.Though being cancelled isn’t always a result of a differing opinion, oftentimes, people get cancelled for serious actions like sexual assault, hate speech and abusive behaviors. Such as beauty influencer James Charles who “cancelled” following accusations he sent unsolicited messages to underage boys. But cancelling is more than just facing pushback, being “cancelled” on the internet often leads to many celebrities losing sponsorships, brand deals, and other important financial endorsements that allow them to sustain their careers. This leads to the argument: is cancel culture limiting free speech? 

For a short answer, no. In fact, participating in cancel culture is actually actively exercising your first amendment right to free speech. The argument that being cancelled over an opinion is an infringement on freedom of speech is a baseless and incoherent claim. This argument essentially states “I want to express my opinion, but if the overwhelming majority of people disagree with that opinion and I face backlash, my free speech is being limited.” With power comes responsibility. While free speech is a fundamental American right, there are still going to be repercussions for your actions. If you want to express your opinion, fine, but people who disagree with that opinion are allowed to express their opposing views. In case you forgot, that’s how free speech works. So before you share an opinion that you know may ruffle some feathers, remember that people have the right to disagree with you. Just like how you have the right to voice that opinion. While cancel culture has been completely rejected by conservatives, not all people opposed to cancel culture are necessarily conservative. The culture can be perceived as toxic, lending reason as to why many people take issue with it, regardless of political ideology. The idea that an effective alternative to cancel culture would be “callout culture,” where we can acknowledge the wrong-doings of an impactful figure in a more civil way has been presented by social media-goers. 

There is a prevalent characterization of cancel culture that portrays cancellation as a petty way to tear down celebrities, but that isn’t always the case. More recently, famous rapper and performer Nicki Minaj was scorched on social media for making false claims about the COVID-19 vaccine. As we know, vaccine misinformation has plagued social media platforms recently, and having such an influential person perpetuating these myths about the vaccine really damages a lot of the work medical professionals have been doing to promote it. In this case, maybe Ms. Minaj deserves to be cancelled because she’s spreading dangerous misinformation to her millions of followers. Following the incident, Minaj gained heavy support from right wing conspiracy theorists and white supremacists who argued that backlash to Nicki’s claims were nothing but liberals on the internet looking for someone to “cancel.” That’s a tough claim to make when we consider how many people will refuse to get vaccinated because of Nicki’s words.

 My point being, cancel culture is not necessarily people having petty political fights and insulting each other. These celebrities can have a real impact on their followers, and maybe the internet keeping these celebrities in line is a good thing. Again, Nicki has the right to voice her opinion, but every sane minded person on the internet has the right to disagree with that opinion. Obviously, cancel culture isn’t a black and white issue. It’s filled with complexities and confusion. But regardless of your opinion on the issue, cancel culture is in fact a form of free speech that cannot be restricted or tampered with. Period. End of conversation.

By Sawyer Sugarman