Benjamin Franklin
said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it.” Words famously spoken more than 200 years ago by one of our country’s Founding Fathers ring even truer today in a world plagued by online mob attacks, social media shaming, and
cancel culture
.
As we celebrate the birth of our country’s independence on
July Fourth
, we should rejoice in our right to voice differing views by celebrating one of the basic freedoms upon which our nation was built: freedom of speech.
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Unfortunately, a growing trend to “cancel” those with whom you disagree has become a widely accepted style of social justice, a modern-day form of acceptable censorship. But silencing someone whose views you don’t share flies in the face of the values on which our country was built. Canceling someone is inherently un-American. Being able to speak your mind and read whatever books you want and allowing others to do the same are among the basic rights we enjoy in this country.
July Fourth is about our nation’s separation from Great Britain and our desire to build a new government reflective of the many different voices that comprised our diverse country. Freedom of the press and speech, the power of assembly, and the right to petition are what make the United States a great place to live.
Cancel culture is eroding those rights. Hard-won reputations that are established over the years can be tarnished in seconds by a carelessly placed social media post that never really disappears or an out-of-context comment that subsequently goes viral. Shaming someone into silence because you don’t agree with their views is not what democracy is all about.
The stressors of social media and threatening power of anonymous online mobs shape our daily lives. Naysayers who err on the side of outrage shut down anyone who doesn’t share their point of view and attack those who voice opposing views too loudly. This needs to stop.
As we celebrate our hard-won independence, we must remember that the rights and privileges we enjoy belong to everyone, not just those with a certain point of view. And that is something worth celebrating. That is something we must never forget.
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Evan Nierman is founder and CEO of the crisis communications firm
Red Banyan
and co-author of
The Cancel Culture Curse: From Rage to Redemption in a World Gone Mad
.
