A lucid guide from one of the most lucid writers around. Thank you. It helps in two directions: for those who are cancelling or being cancelled, it shows what this entails, and for those who are offering or receiving legitimate criticism, it shows how this is not the same as cancelling.
Cancelling seems to have become a knee-jerk reaction…
A lucid guide from one of the most lucid writers around. Thank you. It helps in two directions: for those who are cancelling or being cancelled, it shows what this entails, and for those who are offering or receiving legitimate criticism, it shows how this is not the same as cancelling.
Cancelling seems to have become a knee-jerk reaction; even those with no particular stake in the issue take part in it. My second book received some angrily dismissive reviews on Goodreads from people who clearly hadn't read it and didn't know what its arguments were. Were they ganging up on me? I doubt it. Did they have anything personal against me? As far as I know, they were strangers. They might just have been annoyed with the book title or summary--and annoyance is enough of a provocation.
Some of this knee-jerk cancelling may come from the pressure (especially online) to have an opinion about everything and to share it quickly and widely. "We want to hear your voice!" "Join the conversation!" But why? Shouldn't a person have room to form thoughts in private?
Much cancelling is deliberate and premeditated. But much of it seems to be impulsive--and so one possible remedy is to slow the impulses down. Your list can come in handy here as well. Before posting, people can ask themselves: Am I trying to shed light on an issue, or am I trying to punish or harm someone? Am I thinking and acting from my own knowledge and conscience, or am I following others' lead? Am I focused on the questions at stake, or on personal matters? Am I trying to come to a better understanding myself, or have I already decided that I am right, no matter what anyone else might say? If the answer to any of these questions is the second option, then the person should hold back and think the matter over some more.
A lucid guide from one of the most lucid writers around. Thank you. It helps in two directions: for those who are cancelling or being cancelled, it shows what this entails, and for those who are offering or receiving legitimate criticism, it shows how this is not the same as cancelling.
Cancelling seems to have become a knee-jerk reaction; even those with no particular stake in the issue take part in it. My second book received some angrily dismissive reviews on Goodreads from people who clearly hadn't read it and didn't know what its arguments were. Were they ganging up on me? I doubt it. Did they have anything personal against me? As far as I know, they were strangers. They might just have been annoyed with the book title or summary--and annoyance is enough of a provocation.
Some of this knee-jerk cancelling may come from the pressure (especially online) to have an opinion about everything and to share it quickly and widely. "We want to hear your voice!" "Join the conversation!" But why? Shouldn't a person have room to form thoughts in private?
Much cancelling is deliberate and premeditated. But much of it seems to be impulsive--and so one possible remedy is to slow the impulses down. Your list can come in handy here as well. Before posting, people can ask themselves: Am I trying to shed light on an issue, or am I trying to punish or harm someone? Am I thinking and acting from my own knowledge and conscience, or am I following others' lead? Am I focused on the questions at stake, or on personal matters? Am I trying to come to a better understanding myself, or have I already decided that I am right, no matter what anyone else might say? If the answer to any of these questions is the second option, then the person should hold back and think the matter over some more.