Cancel Culture vs. Accountability

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I am not the first person to talk about cancel culture, and I surely will not be the last. However, considering the recent scandals involving high-profile YouTubers, it's been on my mind lately. Why is it that the same names pop up routinely in the media for having done something shitty? I don’t know how many times we have all seen an influencer “take accountability for their actions” by issuing a notes app apology, not posting for a month, and then returning as if nothing has happened. Cancel culture does not have the impact that its proponents think it does. In fact, cancel culture has the opposite effect they want it to have. 

When people are demanding immediate remorse and accountability, we pressure influencers to post an apology to calm the storm. Authentic or not (usually not), these apologies are doctored by a PR team, which has the primary goal of protecting the public image of the creator. The influencer has no time to reflect, admit to themselves that they did something shitty, and take proper steps towards accountability. 

Cancel culture defines people as black or white, good or bad. Influencers are human, they f*ck up, some more than others. Some of these f*ck-ups are extremely harmful. When someone is canceled online, they put their defenses up. Why would someone admit to doing something wrong if it also means they are inherently a bad person? The creator probably doesn’t see themselves as a bad person, yet cancel culture leaves no room for error. Rarely is someone completely good or bad. Cancel culture aims to label people in categories; when you get canceled you either accept that you’re “bad” in the public eye and consider yourself misunderstood, or fight the media from moving you from “good.” When is there time to take accountability? 

The influencers that end up defining themselves as “misunderstood” are usually the ones we see time and again “taking accountability.” Take Jeffree Star, for example. He has proven multiple times he is racist and manipulative and has been canceled more than once because of it (rightly so). Each time he issues a traditional YouTube apology, and when that isn’t enough, he claims he is misunderstood. He claims that only his “true” fans know he is a good person, and the media can slander him all he wants, but he knows his actual intentions. Great. Nothing ever happens, his palettes still sell, and the world moves on. Not once has Jeffree put in any work to understand the feelings of those his racist comments affected. Not once has Jeffree offered any substantive form of retribution. This prime example proves that cancel culture does not work. 

I draw a connection between cancel culture and punitive justice vs. accountability culture and restorative justice. In her book, We Do This ‘Til We Free Us, renowned activist and abolitionist Mariame Kaba writes, “You can’t force somebody into being accountable for things they do. That is not possible. People have to take accountability for things that they actually do wrong. They have to decide that this is wrong. They have to say, “This is wrong and I want to be part of making some sort of amends or repairing this or not doing it again.”

What in cancel culture is encouraging people to take real responsibility? Because of our punitive punishment system, the instinct is to deny (Kaba, 45). There are harrowing consequences waiting on the other side of blame. Again, there is little incentive for a creator to say, “I did this. I hurt this person.” People who want to be accountable should be given the space to be. Cancel culture provides no room for this. 

Restorative justice in place of punitive justice operates from a belief that the path to justice lies in problem-solving and healing rather than punitive isolation. An article, Restorative Justice Takes Focus Off Punishment, written by Kyle Harding for Santamaria.com, highlights the benefits of communication rather than punishment. In Santa Barbara County, juvenile offenders benefit from hearing about how their actions have affected others. “Juveniles are impulsive," he writes. "Restorative justice addresses that cognitive part and gets them to think." Having offenders attend victim panels can give them perspective. 

Another helpful table from the Conflict Solutions Center illustrates the differences in the approach to justice between retributive justice and restorative justice. Most notably, it highlights a retributive approach focused on the offender’s past behavior versus a more beneficial restorative approach, focusing on the harmful consequences of the offender’s behavior with an emphasis on the future. I believe this is the way we should approach situations where influencers do shitty things. Instead of focusing on shame, how do we shift the focus to problem-solving? Do we define a person by their mistakes or by their capacity to improve? When we change the narrative around the problem to be victim-centered rather than influencer-centered, we take away the pressure on the influencer to deny accountability. 

I think it’s okay to enjoy influencer content. I personally will turn on videos of certain YouTubers while alone at home because it feels like I am hanging out with someone. I follow people who inspire me to create, dress up, go out and do things, and people who make me laugh. Some of these people have made mistakes. Apologies that address the root of the problem, the direct harm caused, rather than focusing on the feelings of the influencer, are successful in my eyes. Taking accountability doesn’t have to be a 6-part documentary series. All it requires is a genuine realization of the victim's feelings. 

Consequences are still going to happen, that’s the nature of life, but I think those influencers who can take consequences with grace are those that have a positive impact on their followers. I am tired of influencers claiming they are simply “misunderstood” and giving up on any form of problem-solving. Accountability is difficult, it’s not always fun, but it’s necessary because, again, humans f*ck up! We need to stop focusing completely on the mistake and rather allow the victims to express what they want to see happen to feel justified. Cancel culture takes the conversation away from the harmed and emphasizes immediate punishment. It’s just not realistic for any genuine change to occur.

Book: 

https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1664-we-do-this-til-we-free-us Kaba, Mariame, We Do This ‘Til We Free Us, Chicago, Haymarket Books, February 23, 2021. 

Article: 

http://www.cscsb.org/restorative_justice/restorative_justice_article%20SMTimes.html 

Table: 

http://www.cscsb.org/restorative_justice/retribution_vs_restoration.html

By Isabella Buoscio

University of Utah student. Passionate about food, fashion, and finding myself in unexpected situations. I write to gather shared experiences and make the world a bit more connected.