Is it time to cancel "Cancel Culture?"
Truthfully, we're long past that time—we need to correct course on this bizarre and destructive response.
Reason being? Because it’s not helping … with anything! We are more divided than ever before. Instead of looking for reasons to find fault in one another and do battle, we could invite discourse—the civil kind.
The entire premise of cancel culture is built upon the notion of conditional love … on steroids! Basically, it comes down to one condition: if you do and say what is deemed acceptable, then life is good and you will be loved—valued. If you don’t, your life could be ruined. The impact is often broad reaching and long lasting. Those who get cancelled are publicly hung out as potent reminders of where not to tread—if you stray from the acceptable narrative, look out!
Wow—when I see what certain individuals have endured at the hands of the cancellers, I have a quiet moment of gratitude. Like ALL OF US, I had my moments, and thank goodness there were no phones with cameras around to capture them. Inappropriate, offensive, stupid, embarrassing—the list is long. Point being, if some of the stunts that I was a part of in my youth were shared on social media, I would be screwed and cancelled!
When I search for the who's who with a target on their back these days, J. K. Rowling, Jordan Peterson, David Chappelle, Riley Gaines, and Wayne Gretzky, of all people, are mentioned as the current crop of those who have pissed someone off. These individuals illustrate the toxic dynamics of cancel culture, where public shaming, career damage, and social exclusion often follow perceived ideological missteps.
J. K. Rowling has been engaged in a long drawn-out clash with the trans community—her views on biological sex run counter to those of trans individuals and their supporters. For more than five years they have publicly disagreed. Despite death threats, Rowling refuses to back down.
Canadian psychologist and author, Jordan Peterson, known for his critiques of political correctness, is another target who has, for many years, drawn attacks for his opposing views on climate change and the trans community. Universities have cancelled public events when Peterson was invited to speak, and YouTube has demonetized his channel on their platform.
Riley Gaines first attained notoriety in 2022 at the NCAA National Swimming Championships when she, during a race, tied a biological male swimmer named Lia Thomas who was permitted to compete in the women’s events because he identified as a trans-woman. She and her supporters claimed it was unfair for women to have to compete against a biological man, while her critics returned fire calling her transphobic and a bigot. Again, despite multiple death threats, Gaines continues to champion fairness in women's sport. She and several other female collegiate athletes are currently suing the NCAA.
If you don’t think Riley’s treatment by the trans community has had an impact on other female athletes speaking out—think again. I know some Olympians who won’t touch this issue with a proverbial 10-foot pole—a shining example of where cancel culture has successfully disabled any dialogue or debate that might further the understanding of where both parties are coming from.
Comedian, David Chappelle’s boundary-pushing material has been drawing the ire of transgender individuals, as well. Unapologetic, Chappelle continues to defend his work claiming cancel culture as a threat to comedy and free thought, which only fuels the backlash. Many of his in-person gigs have been cancelled, and there remains pressure on Netflix to pull his comedy specials.
Wayne Gretzky’s resume is an impressive legacy: a player who rewrote record books, grew hockey worldwide and became a Canadian hero through his unmatched talent and contributions to the game. Yet, as of 2025, his association with Trump risks overshadowing all of it.
Gretzky’s case is a stark example of how decades of goodwill can be torched over political optics. His contributions—backed up by stats, championships, and cultural influence—stand in extreme juxtiposition to calls to erase his name from streets or boo him off rinks. It’s a classic case of cancel culture’s excessive and unrelenting punishment, where nuance is sacrificed for ideological purity.
If you remember last week’s piece on Soldier Mindset and Scout Mindset, all of these instances display the traits and behavior of someone imbuing a Soldier Mindset with absolutely no interest in understanding the details of the offending side. The tactic is to threaten, silence, eliminate and even destroy the individual and their undesirable narrative. It only appears to be getting worse and cancellers continue to ramp up their response to others’ unpopular beliefs and opinions.
The current climate of excessive retaliation toward unwanted views is a sad reminder of where we are as a society, and how far we have to travel if we ever hope to co-exist on this planet peacefully.
