Cancel culture: Retribution, social power redistribution or neither?
Cancel culture: Retribution, social power redistribution or neither?

Summary/Abstract: The analysis of the origins of cancel culture indicates that it started as a response of the oppressed to systemic injustice. In this context, cancelling can be understood as either a form of retribution or a method of social power redistribution. If we approach it as retribution, it becomes apparent that this manner of judging and penalizing has neither epistemic nor ethical grounding, as the epistemic privilege of recognizing oppression does not warrant epistemic and moral authority to act on it. On the other hand, if we understand it as a movement that balances social power, it is revealed that, in practice, it serves those who already benefit from the existing system. The research argues that the aftermath of cancel culture has negatively impacted free speech and led to censorship in academic institutions.

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