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I’ve taken to listening to former ESPN anchor Sage Steele’s podcast, and over the weekend, I found myself engrossed in a June episode with guest Sharon Osbourne. It was an interesting turn that highlighted a major problem in modern society: cancellation. Both Steele and Osbourne have been very public victims of that epidemic, a global one that threatens how we think and interact with one another and will eventually – inevitably – indoctrinate an entire generation. I much prefer a world that allows for eccentricities, in personality and in thought, but one controlled by common sense. I want that in my own life. I want that in my friends. A world where nothing is off-limits and people are disposable – even eradicated – seems a little too Soviet Empire for my blood. Rather than embrace our natural eccentricities, beliefs, and self-determination, we’ve found ourselves self-editing and becoming lifelong apologists for the man in the mirror. After all, we have to be on constant lookout for the modern day “Brown Shirts.” Some, I think, even buy into the propaganda, while I hope others – if even silently – realize the absurdity of it all. In Great Britain, filmmaker Richard Curtis, who you may know as the force behind such classics as Love Actually and Bridget Jones’ Diary, has recently said that he regrets instances in his films where he talked about women’s bodies, and while I don’t think we should shame people, I do wonder if he’s not taking himself a bit too seriously; a question we all must face, without consequence, in 2024. After all, part of the charm of Bridget Jones was that she was an every woman, who struggled with everyday issues, from insecurities to, yes, her weight. We’ve all been there, men and women. It’s what made Bridget Jones lovable. It’s why she’s getting another big budget sequel in 2025 and still exists in our modern consciousness. If we ban everything, every minute tidbit of language and culture, from Bridget Jones to Sharon Osbourne, our lives become as barren as a parking lot in Antarctica. I take a human issue with that. I take equal issue with it as a writer. We live in a world that’s perpetually offended, high on cancellation, low on love, powerful behind a keyboard, and exceedingly weak.
We are stronger when we are free and you’ll never find me comfortable with asinine fads or the retraction of ideas, and in that vein, I, too, resent when others prescribe thoughts and opinions. Despite my finding that most people are generally smarter than given credit, a lot of people seem to possess clairvoyant powers these days. It seems particularly unfair to those long departed. If you’ll recall, even Roald Dahl’s children’s books have been edited, including the word “white” being replaced with “agog” in “James & the Giant Peach.” Beloved books and films have been pulled from shelves and theatre marquees, so that in the event someone is offended – outraged, inevitably – none of us should be allowed the liberty to think for ourselves.
Two years ago, a friend brought me a gift from Germany – Vom Winde Verweht, a 1937 printing (its first in Germany) of “Gone With the Wind.” It’s a treasured gift, but even more impressive because the novel survived WWII and the Nazi regime, who not only banned the book, but gave orders to seize all copies. People were even shot for possessing it. Margaret Mitchell was not the only target whose work was destroyed. Victor Hugo, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, James Joyce, and Oscar Wilde made for good company. Such famed writers falling victim to totalitarian regimes is something to ponder and we should be careful not to repeat history. If cancellation continues, perhaps, we should just shut down the presses. Why create if it offends? Why say – or write – anything at all? We could all have a chuckle at the expense of the ‘Cancel Brigade’ if they didn’t get away with it. History shows us its success. If agog sets us ajar, perhaps, the word we should really be looking for is DOOMED. That’s what we are if we don’t quit the madness. Sure, you have the right to disagree with others. You have the right to disagree with me, You just shouldn’t have the right to destroy reputations and livelihoods, burn books, or limit information. If that’s the name of the game, in the very Roman mythology sense, we’re going to ‘Elysian Fields’ in a handbasket.