 Cancel culture is there a better way? This is how Wikipedia defines cancel culture, I quote. Cancel culture or color culture is a modern form of ostracizing in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles, whether it be online, social media, or in person. Notably, many people claiming to have canceled, to have been canceled, often remain in power and continue their careers as before. End of quote. Those subject to this shunning are usually referred to as having been canceled. The expression cancel culture has mostly negative connotations and is commonly used in debates on free speech and censorship. The notion of cancel culture is a variant of the term call out culture and constitutes a form of boycotting or shunning involving an individual, often a celebrity, who is deemed to have acted or spoken in a questionable or controversial manner. Moreover, some cancellations have also been defended as exercising free speech and promoting accountability. Others criticize cancel culture as creating a chilling or bullying effect. But the question is, where do we draw the line between cancel culture and bullying? It is worthy of note to mention that most of the cancellation happens by those who have less power than the person or persons being canceled. So while we are passionate and concerned about censorship, when is it okay not to cancel? When is it okay to be silent? You can be argue that silent culture has also done us a lot of harm as many atrocities have been swept under the rug of silence that should have been brought to book. Now, when and how do we decide when to cancel or when to be quiet? Or should we rather err on the side of caution? The other concern is as a nature of all things culture, cultural, it has a tendency to be created by a few for an intended good reason or for good intentions but also has a tendency to ride a wave and get washed off with the tide of time. We must continue to hold ourselves accountable, must also act right, not for fear of being judged or being canceled or because we are self-respecting, responsible individuals. So what is the most sustainable way to speak to power or to popular figures without cancelling ourselves back to the silence which was feared as dangerous? Where is the critical balance? The Rotary Club, four way of the things we say or do comes to mind. So of the things we think, say or do. One, is it the truth? Two, is it fair to all consent? Three, will it build goodwill and better friendships? And four, will it be beneficial to all consent? Advocate that will be careful not to cancel ourselves out of reason, instead let us constructively criticize ourselves to growth and to progress. Really interesting, really interesting. You know, it's that thing for me, where do you draw the line? Because I've seen, I've witnessed a few occasions where people have been called out online either for bad business practices and years down the line, we have found the accusations to be true. There are also people who have been called out online for things that they had said to have done which are not true. I mean, I remember a sad incident where a young man committed suicide, I think a year ago or two. And you know, it's just been able to draw the line. I always say that, you know, we should not be silent when we see things being done in the wrong manner. Or we should also think about it like you said, what is the purpose of what I'm about to say? What good will it do? You know, I'm posting something on social media about someone else. Is it better to ask as a question and have that person answer so that I start like, I've just blatantly assumed that they've done something legal or wrong. I think it's very difficult in the heat of emotions to be able to get, you know, to find the proper way to do things. But I think if we just all stop for a minute or two to breathe and think about what we're doing, I think, you know, it will reduce all the, you know, tension and, you know, mishaps. All right, I think that, in my view, the council culture blatantly stampedes people a lot of times into a movement that they might necessarily not be for. Because let's take, for example, where mainly amongst the youth and online nowadays, because let's take, for example, there's a discussion going on in a particular area and you're speaking in different, I mean, not necessarily against it, but not for it. And suddenly it's like you're canceled. You're no longer relevant to that. So for you to be relevant to the friends, you need to tour their line. So it's like you're stampeded into, okay, let's go with the flow. It's, when you say bullying and I say, yes, that's actually, it's a silent way of bullying you, especially for people who are not self-sufficient, who feel they need probably the approval of the lot to just flow the tide and... So what about this, right? And you see it a lot and I'm so tired of celebrities apologizing. I'm done with it. Thank you. We were all different 10 years ago, right? Some of the things we said and did 10 years ago, if they bring it today, but we're not the same people. Stop canceling people for things they said 10, 15, even 20 years ago, five years ago, people change and we need to give people that chance to grow and understand that every single person that exists on this earth does not agree with everything they did back then. So people just want to troll through the old history and bring it out and cancel people. And I just think, don't say story. Stop saying sorry, because you are then helping them cancel you. Yeah, because if you're the who do need to cancel next. That's free apologizing. Yeah, but that's not to say that. I mean, so my problem is the culture, right? Is the thinking behind saying, you know, let's attack this person and then get them to take an action because we attack them. So it's a motive for me, because I believe strongly as well that there's a lot of good that social men can do in terms of accountability. So for instance, in a show I said earlier that a politician promised something and it's five years on the line or two years out of the line. It's okay to say, sir, I mean, post his, his what's it called, his manifesto and say, sir, this was your manifesto two years ago. We're here to say any of these things. So there's a place for calling out. I'm even going to say calling out now, you know. I love that you said call out culture. I'm all for call out culture, not cancel culture. It's different because what counseling does in my, before you come in, sir, I'm just a few of your time, is that it's time for divergent views. So you all must go in a particular line of thoughts. No other person must go wrong. I actually think that it also affects if we keep, if we keep remaining quiet over issues that come up every day, then what happens to somebody who faces that same challenge? The person feels intimidated already for instance, in rape cases, where you see young girls come out to say, I was raped, there is this attack, this silent attack. Some people would like to keep quiet, but you hear some people come out to say, are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? What were you, what were you wearing? Is that a question? So mostly these who were raped just decided to keep quiet or decided to keep it as a secret. Nobody's talking. And it goes on and on. And before you know it, it's affecting our psychology. She's developing, she's growing in a different manner. She's having a particular mindset about men. So it affects the culture and it affects our children and even the youths. Absolutely, absolutely. Because you're patting down a culture that doesn't go well. Yeah, so how do you get the critical balance? So there's a silent culture, if you like. And there's a call-up culture. So it's basically straddling more than achieving the critical balance. Making sure that you give people room. The whole point of social media again, I mean part of the point of social media is that you have a platform. To express yourself. To express yourself, you know, but then... But that really showed the realness of who we are as humanity. And just shows we had a lot higher esteem of who we are. And it's actually showing the true nature of human beings and we're telling. Now, the thing is that Sholah, you spoke to something there and it doesn't even have to be extreme as rip. In that, people are just scared to speak up because they don't want to speak up. Because everybody in that comment session will now be terrorizing you. So there's a certain amount of lack of emotional resilience, emotional maturity. And that speaks to how we're raising our children. So something happened between, I think, my generation, I can count for you. And the one after. Because there's a stark difference. We are still open to hearing other views and debating other views. We understand that we can't all agree. But we should all hear each other out because in that discussion and in that debate is how we create things for the better. Absolutely. We don't agree without being disagreeable. We don't disagree. You see, there's this program I host on TV, LEGO Stalks, I have 1.3 FM on radio, rather. And it got to a point where when I started the program, some people called it and they said to me, you have your breath of fresh air. Is it breath of fresh air? Breath of fresh air. Breath of fresh air. That's the point. That you allow people to hear their views without nudging them in a particular direction. And I think that's why, like you said, where do we draw the line? There is no drawing the line. The cancel culture is wrong. Call out is better. Call out is pointing at what you're doing wrong. Cancel culture is more like stifling, oppressing, bullying, limiting their judging, limiting someone's ability to even think along a particular line. Because you don't need to agree with me but there might be sense in what I'm saying. And when we're younger, you hear, what you're saying makes sense but I don't agree with you. Yes. It's simple. That's independent thinking. It's educational. What education should do is allow you to have your own opinion but then be sensible and intelligent enough to take over those opinions and not agree with it and still not fight them. Exactly. Fantastic. On last week's episode, on the issue of special needs children in the Nigerian education system, British Adventure Book says teachers need to learn how to reach every child, irrespective of how the child learns. That's the size of the show today. Join us again next week on another edition of The Advocate. The Advocate continues on our social media platforms on Facebook, plus TV Africa, hashtag The Advocate NG and Instagram, at plus TV Africa, hashtag The Advocate NG. So catch up with previous broadcasts. Go to plusTVAfrica.com slash The Advocate NG. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel plus TV Africa. Join us next week, same time on this station. Let's keep advocating for a better society. Bye-bye now.