Cancel Culture Harms Everyone’s Rights

Cancel culture is a form of soft totalitarianism: the persecution of one’s political opponents in the place of debate and the complete condemnation of those who make mistakes.

The two most common arguments against cancel culture are: It isn’t a real phenomenon — only an exaggerated right-wing talking point. Or, contradictorily, that those canceled deserved to be. Neither of these arguments is tenable.

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Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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Cancel Culture

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Cancel culture is a form of soft totalitarianism: the persecution of one’s political opponents in the place of debate and the complete condemnation of those who make mistakes.

The two most common arguments against cancel culture are: It isn’t a real phenomenon — only an exaggerated right-wing talking point. Or, contradictorily, that those canceled deserved to be. Neither of these arguments is tenable.