Is Cancel Culture Killing the Arts?

Is cancel culture killing the arts?

I will argue that it isn’t.

In fact, I don’t think cancel culture?is as prevalent?as some would like us to believe, nor as prevalent as the debate around it.

I would also like to point out a?very problematic tendency?to?confound cancel culture with public criticism, which is a healthy reflex of any functioning liberal society.

***

Now, there is no doubt that the process that began with the?recent mainstreaming of a variety of social issues?(relating to gender, race, identity, sexual orientation etc.) into public discourse is?changing our society.

It is?changing our politics?and it is?also changing the arts.

Some of the changes taking place are?welcome if not long overdue.

-?Greater representation?by groups that have long been overlooked?in positions of power/influence or greater visibility?is, in my opinion, a good thing.

- A?re-drawing of the boundaries of what is considered acceptable behaviour?within a professional setting (be it a theater, a movie set, a publishing house, a ballet company or a museum)?is, in my opinion, a good thing.

-?Revisiting revered works of art with a critical eye is not sacrilege;?it can be a fascinating process that provides additional layers to our understanding of these masterpieces and?is, in my opinion, a good thing.

***

Of course,?change does not happen linearly.?The?speed and intensity?with which many of these developments have taken place in some quarters, but, quite tellingly, not in others, has created?backlash.

The pain and anger caused by previous injustices?fuels a sense of urgency?in making progress happen, but also?a sense of righteousness, which can often get out of hand.

At the same time,?given how deeply ingrained?many of these problematic systemic behaviours are within all social participants,?we often feel at odds with ourselves; even the "wokest" among us?may fail to meet the standards of these evolving social norms.

This is?an explosive mix, made even more explosive by our newfound ability to?air our grievances through social media, a new and largely unregulated?"town square"?that has become available to us as?a way to protest, but also?to vent our frustrations. A medium through which we can do so at a?safe distance?from the people we are?railing against.

***

In the midst of all this, our ability to?remain level-headed is not a given. And so,?I get why so-called cancel culture is?being?framed as the new "big bad".

The problem is, this trend is?distracting us from the real "big-bad":?the?systemic inequalities and injustices?this new?social reckoning calls out in the first place.

And so, unless we?put all this?into perspective,?progress will stall.

What’s worse, many of the?aforementioned positive developments?can be?repackaged, repurposed and politicized?to nefarious ends.

Think of how often?Trump?has invoked "cancel culture"?in the US. Think of the?Meloni?election in Italy. Think of the rise of the?extreme right?in countless liberal democracies in recent years.

This idea that?cancel culture is threatening to unravel our societies?is?powerful, yet often?very much exaggerated.

***

Now, when it comes to?art specifically, whether we should?judge works by the artist’s views and?behaviour?is an open question.

Perhaps there are other professions where it would be?easier to separate the person from the professional. But,?given how personal art often is, I find the distinction particularly problematic.

To a certain extent,?it depends on whether we consider context important?when looking at art.

Do we need context to?fully appreciate?a work of art or do we consider?experiencing it, just as it is presented to us,?with no information?surrounding it whatsoever, as the preferable way of interacting with it?

If we deem context important -?who?created it,?why,?when,?for whom?and so on and so forth - then?we cannot be indifferent?to the views and behaviour of the artist.

***

Context is also important as a?tempering mechanism, in times of great social turmoil.

A few years ago, the removal of?beloved classic "Gone With the Wind"?from the platform of HBO?Max?amid?growing concerns about racial injustice?being glorified in the film caused an uproar. A few weeks later the film was?restored,?with a disclaimer?saying it?denies the "horrors of slavery"; a fair characterization.

At the end of the day, was this perceived attempt to "cancel" "Gone with the Wind" a form of?censorship? Hardly, given that the presence of the film on this?private platform?was quickly restored and that, even if it hadn’t been, it would have remained available in a variety of other forms and mediums.

Was the discussion surrounding the?stereotypes?depicted in the film useless? Being able to?revisit the past with a critical eye?does not negate the artistic value of the film or many of its merits. On the contrary, this discourse makes it?newly relevant, also alerting us to the danger of?subconsiously internalizing problematic attitudes?of the past, just because a work of art, or movie in this case, is considered a masterpiece.

Similarly,?why is it sacreligious?to look at Picasso’s work through a?gender lens? Should our understanding and appreciation of art be?fixed and forever constant? After all, isn’t it?closed-minded?to consider?giants of the past?as?figures beyond repproach, which we turn to only to glorify, allowing them to rest peacefully in the ivory towers of our collective memory?

***

Now, what kind of impact are these new?attitudes having on?contemporary art and artists?

We are witnessing the emergence of?new themes, new players, new norms, new discussions. Some of these discussions might be?heated, but isn’t art?supposed to provoke debate?

I would argue that, in this new day and age,?the arts are alive and well, and so are, to a large extent, many of the artists that are?said to have been cancelled.

Dave Chapelle??The comedian did receive a lot of criticism due to his jokes aimed at?transgender people, but Netflix doubled-down, kept his controversial special on the platform and even ordered four new comedy specials featuring performers he?handpicked.

Will Smith??Less that a year after slapping Chris Rock on the stage of the Oscars he has a new film out, just in time for the?upcoming awards season.

JK Rowling??Despite her controversial tweeting over the past few years, she still has an estimated net worth of over 1 billion dollars, she retains a huge platform through which to share her views, the Harry Potter books remain beloved the world over, and she even published another best-selling children’s book.

In other words...?what "cancel culture"?