On Cancel Culture & the Medicine Stories Podcast
I decided long ago (after having done it once) that I will not be removing podcast episodes just because my guest goes on to say or do things that some people, even myself, find disagreeable.
I am not responsible for the words and actions of the people I’ve had recorded conversations with, and my having spoken to them once does not mean that I condone everything they’ve ever done or said or (!!!) will ever do or say in the future.
I’m not here to intellectually coddle my listeners, and it’s horrifying to me that some people think it’s my (or any “influencer’s”) job to tell people who/what they should or should not believe, follow, be aligned with.
In many cases, I see extremely complex issues- one big grey area- reduced to a few highly charged talking points, collapsed into black and white. I see what clearly are and need to be both/and conversations forced into either/or conversations, which take us nowhere fast and will never be the way to arrive at the solutions we so desperately need for the complex societal problems we face.
Though I have enthusiastically participated before, in recent years I have distanced myself from cancel culture. It doesn’t work. No one learns or grows (this has been closely researched by social scientists). It only entrenches people deeper into their beliefs and behaviors. In actuality it does the opposite of “holding people accountable.” Please read that last sentence again. Cancel. Culture. Doesn’t. Work. (As a starting point, listen to Brené Brown’s podcast episode linked below).
I frequently get asked- and sometimes bullied- to remove episodes or “speak out” against people, and threatened that I will be called out too if I don’t comply. This is a game I refuse to play. (This has happened with numerous guests, and it’s to the point now that when I schedule a new interview I ask myself “What might this person say or do in the future that will get them called out and me in trouble for once having interviewed them?” which is completely insane and unsustainable).
Basically, I am aligned with Chloé Valdary’s three principles for actually effective social justice work:
Treat people like human beings, not political abstractions.
Criticize to uplift and empower, never to tear down, never to destroy.
Root everything you do in love and compassion.
This is, of course, as is everything, a complex issue. I’ve spent countless hours over many years thinking, having real life conversations, and listening to others online having conversations about this topic. If you disagree with me, that’s fine. You’re an adult and I trust you to be true to yourself (and you are certainly in good company). But perhaps this isn’t the space for you.
In summary: the Medicine Stories podcast holds itself apart from cancel culture, and I will not waste my precious life energy on ineffective call outs (my own or someone else’s). This is not up for discussion here, but there are approximately one million other places you can go on the internet if you feel the need to argue against my points (though I won't be participating, as I've taken all possible counter arguments into consideration and, again, used to buy into some of them myself).
Thank you.
Resources that I’ve found helpful:
https://fuckingcancelled.libsyn.com/
https://brenebrown.com/.../brene-on-shame-and.../
https://www.autostraddle.com/kin-aesthetics.../
https://quillette.com/.../i-was-the-mob-until-the-mob...
I'll close with this quote from President Obama: “This idea of purity and that you’re never compromised and you’re always politically woke- you should get over that quickly. The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws... There is this sense sometimes that the way of me making change is to be as judgmental as possible about other people, and that’s enough. If I tweet or hashtag about how you didn’t do something right or used the wrong verb, then I can sit back and feel pretty good about myself. Did you see how woke I was, I called you out. Then I’m going to get on my TV and watch my show … That’s not activism. That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far."