Jose Gonzalez-Campelo/The Cougar
The disinvestment of public figures, otherwise known as “cancel culture,” has exploded in popularity in the past decade. Every day there seems to be a new celebrity or politician who has done something the internet deems unacceptable.
For prominent individuals, getting canceled is a PR nightmare. Trending on Twitter and being the subject of gossip columns is enough to impede career opportunities and ruin one’s reputation. For professors and students alike, this fear has harmfully crept its way into academia, leading them to be overly cautious and sometimes not share their thoughts at all.
Cancel culture has its roots in boycotting but fails to be as impactful. The typical cycle is a person will come under fire for their words or actions, ignite social media feeds and disappear from the spotlight for a few months before reappearing. There are few examples of people successfully being “canceled”, and cancel culture fails to properly educate and hold people accountable.
Engagement in the classroom is undeniably important, as it helps students succeed and apply textbook concepts to life. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, classroom participation has transformed from forcing student involvement online to social media becoming a more prominent news and opinion source.
These changes can be both negative and positive. On one hand, some students feel they can flourish and provide alternative viewpoints in discussions. Conversely, others refrain from sharing their opinions and debating with peers.
Improving feelings surrounding free expression begins with the professor and anthropology associate professor Dinah Hannaford agrees with that statement.
“It is the professor’s responsibility to create an environment in the classroom where students feel comfortable trying out different points of view,” said anthropology associate professor Dinah Hannaford.
As a simple start, professors should incorporate discussion-based activities into the curriculum and encourage students to share their thoughts. It is most effective, however, for them to lead by example. Setting the tone and subjecting themselves to the initial awkwardness that comes with exploring ideas would take the pressure off of students to initiate these discussions.
Though everyone is timid at the beginning of the semester, it is important to not fall into the trap of silence. Doing so stunts the growth of the class as well as the individual. Encountering new ideas and navigating how to engage with them is one of the main objectives of college, after all.
“Sometimes learning how to think, as a student, involves meeting resistance and having to take on feedback,” Hannaford said. “If you had already been exposed to everything you needed to be exposed to, you wouldn’t need to come to college.”
Cancel culture’s inherent flaw is it does not address the root of any problem, instead creating the issue of many refusing to speak out of fear. Shunning a wrongdoer does not allow them to confront or evolve their belief. Instead, they are cast to the side where they will continue to believe their opinion with an added layer of resentment. While this may work with celebrities and corporations, it goes against the purpose of education.
Legally mandated censorship continues at universities and K-12 schools, understandably causing students and faculty to have reservations about expressing themselves. Increased restrictions only prove how powerful of a tool one’s voice is and should inspire students to be outspoken. There is no reason to assist governing bodies in trying to limit articulation in academia.
Anaya Baxter is an integrated communications junior who can be reached at [email protected]
