The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines cancel culture as the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure. It’s a relatively new term that has entered into American vocabulary mostly due to pop culture and the popularity of social media.
In Sept. 2020, Pew Research Center asked Americans to share what they think cancel culture means and how they feel about calling people out on social media. Forty-four percent of Americans are familiar with the phrase cancel culture and 49% of those who have heard of it said it describes actions people take to hold others accountable. Just 12% defined cancel culture as mean-spirited attacks used to cause others harm.
Realistically though, Katt Williams’ stance on cancel culture just about sums it up. During a recent interview on “The Joe Budden Podcast,” the comedic genius was asked about his views on the hot topic.
“Nobody likes the out of bounds, but the out of bounds gotta be there or you’ll run up in the stands,” Katt said. “Some of these things are for the benefit of everything. Nobody likes the speed limit but it’s necessary. Nobody likes the shoulder of the road but it’s there for a reason. My point is, people weren’t all that extremely funny when they could say whatever they wanted to say.”
“Cancellation doesn’t have its own culture,” the 49-year-old comedian continued. “That was people of color. That was us policing our own culture. That was people without a voice being trashed by people just because they had a bigger name than them and more money than them and a better office than them, they could sweep them up under the rug like they didn’t matter. I don’t know what people we think got canceled that we wish we had back.”
Check out Katt Williams discussing cancel culture below: