# So-Called “Cancel Culture”, Social Media and Bullying **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676 "2020-08-09T23:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/443 "2020-08-18T16:30:01Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > If we ignore that premise though, then I’d have to ask the question why do we need to invite Collins and Watson? I spent 15 years in the conference industry. Hence the name Banquet Bear." I know how the speaker circuit works. Well, since you know about conferences, then you know that the reason you invite Lawrence Krauss, Francis Collins, etc… and not some no-doubt smart and accomplished member of a recognized minority on their team is because Krauss and Collins have name recognition and established credentials. You personally have an agenda. It’s not a bad agenda. I don’t deny that there is a lack of diversity. But you see, this is what you chose to make this conversation about. When it’s not about that. It’s about whether or not recognized scientists should be excluded because they espoused some wrong ideas while making a highly notable contribution to science and have been thus recognized by their peers. ---
**Author:** ![YWTF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@YWTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWTF)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/444 "2020-08-18T16:31:49Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > The bottom line is that you object to person A using the women’s room, but not person B, and you can’t tell them apart. How does that work in your world? How do you keep A out and not B? And what about predator C, that looks every bit as masculine as A and B, but can say “I’m a transman” or “I’m a transwoman” -the bottom line is you aren’t able to discern between A and B except to say one is allowed and the other is not, and this will somehow prevent C from getting in. > > If you’re in favor of genital or id checks, say so. If everyone should just make that call about everyone standing in line with them, say that. Right now, it seems like you just object to trans people existing. I explained this exhaustively in the other thread. If you don’t know by now that checking your government ID is how society verifies the sex of individuals that come into question, then God help me, I don’t know what more can convince you. ---
**Author:** ![YWTF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@YWTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWTF)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/445 "2020-08-18T16:33:30Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > As has been stated above, I think for now we should just let individuals choose which restroom they feel comfortable using. I see zero reason to believe that this will significantly increase the risk of predatory men entering a women’s restroom. This doesn’t answer my question, at least not directly. Do you think men should use women’s restrooms if that is what they feel comfortable doing? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/446 "2020-08-18T16:36:33Z")
I’ve never seen someone checking government Id at a bathroom door. I don’t think I’d be ok with that. But this is a hijack. I’ll walk away, since this is no longer about cancel culture and now is all about transgender individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/447 "2020-08-18T16:44:54Z")
I wonder if a mod wants to go ahead and merge this thread into the JK Rowling thread, so we don’t have two threads taken over by the same ugly nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/448 "2020-08-18T16:49:24Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Well, since you know about conferences, then you know that the reason you invite Lawrence Krauss, Francis Collins, etc… and not some no-doubt smart and accomplished member of a recognized minority on their team is because Krauss and Collins have name recognition and established credentials. …ah. I see. You are one of the gatekeepers, determined to keep diverse speakers off the agenda. So we were all correct earlier in the thread. I thought so. Did you ever stop to think why its mainly white men who have “name recognition”? And how are you determining what an “established credential” is for speaking at a conference? > [@QuickSilver](#): > > You personally have an agenda. And yes, you personally have an agenda as well. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > It’s not a bad agenda No, my agenda isn’t bad. Your one though unfortunately is. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > . I don’t deny that there is a lack of diversity. But you see, this is what you chose to make this conversation about. Why yes, yes I did. We’ve been talking about it **since we first started discussing conferences in this thread.** > [@QuickSilver](#): > > When it’s not about that. I beg to differ. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > It’s about whether or not recognized scientists should be excluded because they espoused some wrong ideas while making a highly notable contribution to science and have been thus recognized by their peers. Who the fuck is talking about “wrong ideas?” I asked you “why do we need to invite Collins and Watson?” That question still stands. There are thousands of conferences (prior to covid) held all over the world. Collins and Watson weren’t invited to speak at nearly all of them. Why should I invite them to speak at mine? I said nothing at all about anything they may or may not have said. I said I probably couldn’t afford them. I said that there would be marginalised voices that could speak about mapping the human genome and if they were available I would book them. When did I say I wouldn’t book them because of their “wrong ideas?” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/449 "2020-08-18T16:49:30Z")
> [@YWTF](#): > > Your analogies to women’s rights and gay/lesbian rights is laughable, given that women and [gay/lesbians](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/lgb-alliance-group-transphobic-alison-bailey-lesbian-gay-bisexual-a9169091.html) are the one’s who are trying keep their causes from being annihilated by gender ideology right now. Please don’t try to cast your hostility towards trans people as some sort of allyship with the larger queer community. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/450 "2020-08-18T16:52:32Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > > > It’s certainly possible that some moderates and even liberals are buying into the Trump party line about “cancel culture”. I hope you don’t succumb to it, since it’s mostly nonsense, as demonstrated by most of the cites in this thread. > > If it is nonsense, very little of your dismissive attitude (“meh”), skatter-shot rhetoric or appeals to emotion will be effective in discouraging such an outcome. Ironic, isn’t it? Far from it. This thread and the other one has convinced me that at least some progressives support the idea of cancel culture. Free exchange of ideas is at the bedrock of any good society… so I don’t know what to do, politically speaking. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/451 "2020-08-18T16:53:36Z")
With all due respect, you exhausted me with your, “…are you cancelling me?” bit. I’m out. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/452 "2020-08-18T16:54:35Z")
> [@YWTF](#): > > > [@Acsenray](#): > > > > As has been stated above, I think for now we should just let individuals choose which restroom they feel comfortable using. I see zero reason to believe that this will significantly increase the risk of predatory men entering a women’s restroom. > > This doesn’t answer my question, at least not directly. > > Do you think men should use women’s restrooms if that is what they feel comfortable doing? Transwomen should use the women’s restroom if that is what they feel comfortable doing. Cis-men should not. At least in the common way that restrooms are configured today. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/453 "2020-08-18T16:56:29Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > With all due respect, you exhausted me with your, “…are you cancelling me?” bit. I’m out. …with all due respect, the “are you cancelling me” bit was over and done with a while ago. If you “are out” it certainly isn’t because of that. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/454 "2020-08-18T16:59:05Z")
You’re right. It’s because of the last bit of nonsense. Still, I should not have ignored my instincts. ---
**Author:** ![YWTF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@YWTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWTF)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/455 "2020-08-18T17:01:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Transwomen should use the women’s restroom if that is what they feel comfortable doing. Cis-men should not. At least in the common way that restrooms are configured today. Why not? What is the underlying rationale for discriminating by gender identity but not biological sex when it comes to which room a person relieves themselves or undresses in? You don’t have to answer this question in this thread but it would great if you could answer it in the other one. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/456 "2020-08-18T17:05:11Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > > [@QuickSilver](#): > > > > > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > > > > > It’s certainly possible that some moderates and even liberals are buying into the Trump party line about “cancel culture”. I hope you don’t succumb to it, since it’s mostly nonsense, as demonstrated by most of the cites in this thread. > > > > If it is nonsense, very little of your dismissive attitude (“meh”), skatter-shot rhetoric or appeals to emotion will be effective in discouraging such an outcome. Ironic, isn’t it? > > Far from it. This thread and the other one has convinced me that at least some progressives support the idea of cancel culture. Free exchange of ideas is at the bedrock of any good society… so I don’t know what to do, politically speaking. That’s certainly what Trump wants you to believe - that progressives, or even “cancelling” bigots, has anything to do with repressing free speech. You’re the one that appears to have a problem with responding to speech with speech, not those who disagree with you. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/457 "2020-08-18T17:22:45Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > > > It’s certainly possible that some moderates and even liberals are buying into the Trump party line about “cancel culture”. I hope you don’t succumb to it, since it’s mostly nonsense, as demonstrated by most of the cites in this thread. > > If it is nonsense, very little of your dismissive attitude (“meh”), skatter-shot rhetoric or appeals to emotion will be effective in discouraging such an outcome. Ironic, isn’t it? I welcome all rhetorical strategies in the fight against nonsense! Please, join me, and fight nonsense in whatever way you think is best. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/458 "2020-08-18T17:28:56Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > That’s certainly what Trump wants you to believe - that progressives, or even “cancelling” bigots, has anything to do with repressing free speech. You’re the one that appears to have a problem with responding to speech with speech, not those who disagree with you. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I welcome all rhetorical strategies in the fight against nonsense! Please, join me, and fight nonsense in whatever way you think is best. Me thinking that there is some unreasonable throttling of speech that is going on in liberal and progressive circles may be right and it may be wrong. But it is laughable to insinuate that, _'QuickSilver is completely different from Trump – yet thinks very much the same as Trump_’. Laughable, hyperbolic and frankly, lazy. ---
**Author:** ![transcriber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/transcriber/32/4342_2.png) [@transcriber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/transcriber)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/459 "2020-08-18T17:29:37Z")
Welcoming all rhetorical strategies isn’t something to be proud of. At all. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/460 "2020-08-18T17:29:52Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Me thinking that there is some unreasonable throttling of speech that is going on in liberal and progressive circles may be right and it may be wrong. > > But it is laughable to insinuate that, _'QuickSilver is completely different from Trump – yet thinks very much the same as Trump_’. Laughable, hyperbolic and frankly, lazy. That wasn’t responding to you. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/461 "2020-08-18T17:32:10Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > That wasn’t responding to you. yeah… my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676/462 "2020-08-18T17:44:53Z")
> [@transcriber](#): > > Welcoming all rhetorical strategies isn’t something to be proud of. At all. Maybe if some notion of “purity” is more important to you than beating the fascists and fascist-adjacent. But I recognize that my approach isn’t for everyone, and doesn’t work for everyone. That’s fine. But it works for some. Fights against injustice have historically needed multiple types of rhetoric (and action, for that matter). Malcolm X was important to the Civil Rights movement – maybe as much so as MLK Jr. Bernie’s approach is just as important as Biden’s, even if Biden ultimately won the primary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-called-cancel-culture-social-media-and-bullying/917676.md?page=24)