April 6, 2022
We have catch phrases for
practically everything these days, don’t we? In the beginning was the catch
phrase, “hashtag” which I am certain y’all know is represented by the symbol, “#”,
aka number sign, aka pound sign. And then – it just took off. Your first
challenge is to find where there should be a space between the words, because
hashtags, by their natures, contain no spaces. So, with the spaces put it for
our mutual understanding, here are just a couple of the ones I noticed. Hashtag
“nothing burger”; hashtag “kabuki theater”; hashtag “there there” which,
contrary to what one might think on first sight/hearing is not a reference to
comforting anyone for anything. It’s a confirmation that what the speaker suspects
the subject has done is true—or, conversely, what others think is true, simply isn’t.
The difference is represented by the qualifying introductory words: there is a(there,
there), or there is no(there, there).
In fact, the trend is to hashtag
just about any damn thing you can think of! And it doesn’t have to be something
short, either. Go ahead and ask Ms. Google about the longest hashtags. The one
that came up when I did just that left me shaking my head at its length and blushing.
But the one catch phrase that
I’ve taken the longest time to think about is this one: hashtag cancel culture.
My first question when I began
hearing that phrase, “cancel culture” all over cable news was what the heck is that
about? So I began my particular kind of research—a combination of looking to
see what folks are saying and, of course, asking Ms. Google about cancel culture—like,
is it a culture in the sense that the Roman Empire or Ancient Greece were
cultures? Was it a protest directed at that 1980s rock band whose lead singer
was Boy George? I seriously didn’t know. But I looked and I learned, and I am
now ready to discuss this topic with a modicum of authority.
To answer my own question—and to
strip it down to its most fundamental meaning—cancel culture is a form of
ostracism. Did you know that the word, ostracism goes all the way back
to ancient Athens—to the days of Athenian democracy? It was their form of
social shunning. A citizen could be ostracised which meant they were expelled
from the city-state for ten years.
We still use that word, ostracism,
when we describe times when people are tossed from their particular little nook
of society. Amazing, isn’t it? That what in essence was a form of bullying initiated
in a culture that was thriving before the birth of Jesus would still be
in such popular use today. I guess we haven’t progressed as much as some of us
would like to believe we have.
Or putting it another way:
this is just one more piece of evidence that, at the base of everything, human
nature does not change.
My question then is this: if
our natures do not change, does that mean that the onus for breaking some of
these toxic behavior patterns we’ve succumbed to lies with society (aka
legislation)—or does it remain with each of us, individually?
There is a half of me that
wants to stomp my foot, curse and swear, and then shout from the rooftops that “we
ought to make a law against all forms of discrimination!”
And there is a half of me that
fervently believes that we are each of us, at the end of the day, responsible for
our own selves, in every respect. You see, when at last I, to quote
Shakespeare, shuffle off this mortal coil, I know that I, alone, will stand to
answer for how I’ve lived my life.
It was at this moment in all
my ruminations and ponderings, that I heard the voice of my mother from some long-ago
moments of conflict between us. One of the things she would say to me often—beyond
that old chestnut, “why should I keep a dog and bark myself”—was “you can think
what you like but don’t you dare say it.”
I suppose there is no perfect
answer as to how to extricate ourselves from this impossible conundrum—organized
bullying via cancel culture—in which we find ourselves living.
I referred to ostracism as an
act of bullying and I believe that it is. “Cancel culture” is also a act of
bullying. And lest anyone you know insists that the practice of cancel culture is
righteous, let me point out that one cannot believe in the freedom of speech
and the freedom of expression and then turn around and persecute those who
speak and express themselves in ways that one doesn’t like.
Therefore, I will state my
belief that a person may feel in their hearts however they wish to feel and may
believe in their hearts whatever they wish to believe. But, and this is a big
but thank you Mom, there should be legislation when it comes to our actions.
What you think about me isn’t
my business. You are free to think whatever you want. You should not be free to
do anything that would interfere with my ability to indulge in life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. You may not like me, but you have no right to
exert your influence over me based on your fickle feelings.
I find it once more worth mentioning
(almost as an addendum to my last week’s essay), that those I see who most like
to use cancel culture as a tool/weapon are once more those who like to proclaim
themselves as believing in a certain sacred book.
And to them all I can say is
this: aren’t you grateful and relieved that God doesn’t believe in
cancel culture?
Just something to think about in
this Lenten season.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
No comments:
Post a Comment