Cancel culture is discussed with guests Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott, who share personal experiences and explore its impact on college campuses, individuals, and trust. They also delve into the tactics used to dismiss arguments and discuss ways to address cancel culture.
Restoring K-12 education is crucial in teaching the principles of free speech, pluralism, and the importance of upholding freedom as a civic duty.
Cancel culture undermines trust and expertise by punishing differing opinions, leading to a lack of objective and open society.
Cancel culture flourishes in college campuses due to fear, ad hominem attacks, and administrative indulgence, stifling political expression.
Deep dives
Importance of Restoring K-12 Education
One of the main ideas discussed in the podcast is the importance of restoring K-12 education to teach principles of free speech, pluralism, and the significance of our inheritance of freedom. The podcast highlights the need to educate young people about these values and their role in upholding them as a civic duty. It suggests that teaching these principles can help circumvent cancel culture by promoting courage and the contagiousness of free speech.
Cancel Culture's Impact on Trust and Expertise
The podcast explores how cancel culture undermines trust and expertise. It emphasizes that when individuals see others losing their careers or facing punishment for expressing differing opinions, it erodes trust in experts, as the incentives are skewed towards saying things that protect individuals from being canceled rather than speaking the truth. This erosion of trust is seen as detrimental to fostering an objective and open society.
Consequences of Cancel Culture on Academia
The podcast delves into the impact of cancel culture on college campuses, highlighting how a loud, illiberal minority can create an environment of fear and deter students from expressing their political beliefs. It discusses the damage caused by ad hominem attacks, bias response hotlines, and the bureaucracy surrounding cancel culture. The podcast argues that campuses provide fertile ground for cancel culture to flourish due to the ideological bubble and the administration's indulgence of such behaviors.
Understanding Cancel Culture and Its Definition
The podcast provides a definition of cancel culture, referring to it as campaigns to punish individuals for speech protected by the First Amendment and the resulting climate of fear and conformity. It emphasizes how cancel culture is not strictly partisan and can be seen across the spectrum. It also points out that cancel culture is particularly prevalent in media organizations, nonprofits, and corporations, where employees may push for better behavior from managers rather than focusing on the organization's primary mission.
The Path to Overcoming Cancel Culture
The podcast offers several solutions to combat cancel culture. It suggests the importance of creating a culture of grace and tolerance, promoting healthy discussions focused on addressing specific problems without dismissing arguments or engaging in ad hominem attacks. The podcast also encourages the revitalization of education to teach foundational principles of free speech, pluralism, and democracy to young people. Additionally, it explores the need for individuals and institutions, such as corporations and nonprofits, to take a stand against cancel culture and prioritize open dialogue.
How did cancel culture emerge — and what is it really? Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott join Andrew to talk about how cancel culture has come to replace genuine debate on both left and right, how young people see cancel culture, and how a culture of free speech can be restored.
