The Double-Edged Sword of Accountability and Censorship

From 'Firework' to Firestorm: Katy Perry and the Cancel Culture Debate - BCM222 Blog

When posed with a question on cancel culture, I can’t help but think of some of the hot water Katy Perry has found herself in, throughout several media cycles in recent years. Katy is no stranger to the force of cancel culture, but is she acquainted with its consequences? From her japanese “inspired” costume at the American Music Awards in 2013 to her 2014 smash hit ‘Dark Horse’ consisting of her appropriating ancient Egyptian cultures in its music videos, Perry has colloquially made a name for herself as perhaps Pop Music’s biggest appropriator.

For some context, I used to be a massive Katy Perry fan as a kid, and I have continued to enjoy her music as I’ve grown older. In particular I have always adored her style, and still do, I could honestly say my current love and respect for fashion may have been born from my love of Katy and her campy outfits that she’s worn over her past two decades of fame. So when Katy was getting criticised and reprimanded for her costume choices and art expression back in 2014, eleven-year-old me was pretty defensive of her and didn't see the problems in her actions. Upon growing up a bit, learning more and having a further understanding of the force behind cancel culture, my thoughts on the matter are much more expansive now, and so too it seems, are Katy’s…

In 2019, Katy was honoured the Inspiration Award at the DVF Awards and had the following to say in her acceptance speech,

“I used to shy away somewhat from being a role model, because my understanding of that responsibility was an assumption that I needed to be perfect in order to do so or to do it well. But over the years, I’ve had to ask myself and those around me, what growth comes from perfection?”

“We need to hold ourselves and others accountable, and we need to offer kindness. Instead of perpetuating ‘cancel culture,’ where we’re constantly playing the shame game, why don’t we work toward a conversation culture that lets us practise compassion, empathy, and support?”

Is it a little unrealistic and fairytale-sh? Sure, but I can appreciate it as a genuine sentiment at least, and I think it does highlight the thoughts that a perhaps silent majority have been trying to vocalise. She’s not wrong in saying that cancel culture absolutely shifted from a force of good change and teaching into an absolute shame game, and I’ll explain why I currently sit somewhere in between the fierce discussion when considering arguments for and against ‘cancel culture’.

I believe that cancel culture can one thousand percent have positive impacts in certain situations! It can hold individuals accountable for their harmful actions or words, particularly those in positions of power or privilege who may have been previously untouchable in the political or media landscapes. Cancel culture can also create a safer and more inclusive society for some minority groups by calling out and addressing discriminatory behaviours. In some cases, cancel culture can even lead to meaningful change and growth, as people are forced to confront their biases and work towards becoming more well-rounded, inclusive people. However, I can think about all of these things and still strongly believe that it is important to approach cancel culture with a level of nuance and avoid using it as a tool for unnecessary and harmful public shaming.

Cancel culture can be frustrating and ineffective for a number of reasons. Firstly, it often lacks due process and can result in individuals being unfairly targeted and vilified based on incomplete or inaccurate information. We once used to say “innocent until proven guilty!”, but it seems now that celebrities and other public figures are guilty until proven innocent…

Additionally, cancel culture can create a toxic environment where individuals are afraid to express their opinions or engage in open dialogue for this fear of being "cancelled." This can stifle free speech and hinder constructive conversations around important issues. I also often see cancel culture as performative, with individuals using it as a way to signal their virtue or gain social currency, rather than actually working towards any meaningful change.

Ultimately, cancel culture can be frustrating because it often focuses on punishing individuals rather than addressing systemic issues. And this is where I become really against the cancel culture war, I often feel there is an ulterior motive behind someone’s “cancellation”, it can often feel as if people have always disliked someone for whatever reason and then they finally have a socially acceptable excuse to diminish and bully them. And, as previously mentioned, I really don’t enjoy our culture's habit of just making everyone expected to think and feel the same things, or face the wrath of the mighty!

Additionally, I think cancel culture can annihilate people and groups further than they previously were. For example, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I am all for fighting for queer rights and queer acceptance, it is absolutely one of my dreams that we can live in an equal world for all; in saying this however, I feel that when we just shut down and push away any voices and opinions which disagree with our community, we may give them more of a reason to believe the stereotypes which they already hold us to. And then let’s say they go and hide away because we’ve “cancelled” them, but they’re frustrated at the silence we’ve forced upon them, so they begin to form these underground groups for like-minded people, and before we know it there’s another shooting at a gay nightclub, possibly because we told them to just go away and shut up, rather than take some time to engage in more deeper conversations to attempt to see where they are coming from and see if we can come to a better place of respect and understanding of each other. I know it sounds dark and twisted but we have seen this happen with other minority groups and stranger things have also happened.

To wrap up my thoughts, I’d say cancel culture can be both good and bad for minorities. On the one hand, it can amplify marginalised voices and hold those in power accountable for their actions. On the other hand, it can perpetuate a culture of fear and create a climate where individuals are hesitant to engage in nuanced discussions for fear of being “cancelled” and we then just find ourselves in a more divided and intolerant world. For now though, I’ll leave you with a quote to ponder on from Louise Adler, “if we cannot with care and considered approach engage with complex and contentious issues, then we have a problem in civil society.”

REFERENCE LIST & Hyperlinks

Ng, E., 2020. No grand pronouncements here...: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation. Television & New Media, 21(6), pp.621-627. (Accessed March 19, 2023.)

D. Clark, M., 2020. DRAG THEM: A brief etymology of so-called “cancel culture”. Communication and the Public, 5(3-4), pp.88-92. (Accessed March 31, 2023.)

da Silva, J.A.T., 2021. How to shape academic freedom in the digital age? Are the retractions of opinionated papers a prelude to “cancel culture” in academia?. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 2, p.100035. (Accessed MArch 30, 2023.)

Clifton, D. (2014) 5 reasons Katy Perry is pop music's worst cultural appropriator, Mic. Mic. Available at: https://www.mic.com/articles/95444/5-reasons-katy-perry-is-pop-music-s-worst-cultural-appropriator (Accessed: March 31, 2023).

Katy Perry is asking you to please stop it with "Cancel culture" (2019) Yahoo! Yahoo! Available at: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/katy-perry-asking-please-stop-152300524.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKMnoq4xVoOD1A__YLBQ-eT3sUww9c3G17X5yVxbO3V6OY-8nF6MUwKK2y1O_6dipkv-8scJxKbB8vrJU53nCvPL4MS7ycP7_U4vlmQ3N5YO0cgUMqmRUfpU04v6tlCf-DMuFKFz2kfv-OQXlJO91scYCu253BNfrzw0FQRVFrQ8 (Accessed: March 30, 2023).

Feeney, N. (2013) Katy Perry's 'geisha-style' performance needs to be called out, The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/katy-perrys-geisha-style-performance-needs-to-be-called-out/281805/ (Accessed: March 31, 2023).

Grand, C.L. (2023) Brave spaces, but not safe ones: What Louise Adler did next, The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/brave-spaces-but-not-safe-ones-what-louise-adler-did-next-20230221-p5cma8.html (Accessed: March 31, 2023).