• The argument that Louis CK’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden proves there’s no such thing as cancel culture is flawed.
• The boundaries of cancel culture are vague, but it can be defined as “a culture where social norms are enforced with repeated and vociferous public shaming”.
• The fact that someone has endured or recovered from the repercussions of public shaming does not mean that there are no repercussions or that those repercussions are fair.
• The argument that Louis CK’s success disproves cancel culture requires the very thing it laments – that is, for the argument to be valid, there must be figures like Louis CK who escape/survive the consequences of public shaming.
• The culture of public shaming appears to be loosening, but this may be due to public exhaustion with the constant demand to be outraged.
Published January 31, 2023
Visit Freddie deBoer’s Substack to read Freddie deBoer’s original post Do You Want Cancel Culture to Exist?