For much of the past two years, the phrase "cancel culture" has been everywhere, mostly in hyperbolic form, used to describe an otherwise very complicated matter of accountability or criticism of public figures or those engaged in public discourse.
One of the most prominent recent examples is Morgan Wallen, who has been on the road in the middle of a mammoth comeback trek across North America, dubbed the Dangerous Tour. Selling out massive arenas and singing for seas of starry-eyed fans, the 28-year-old singer is a lofty example of the myth of the so-called cancel culture. Wallen is literally at the height of his career and has nowhere to go but up. He's not canceled, whatever that even means.
Of course, much of the "cancellation" of celebrities stems from two major cultural movements, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, both of which have prompted very worthy and sometimes very heated and emotional discussions in America regarding sexual assault and harassment as well as racism and police brutality, respectively. Both are very important issues and each respective movement has led to the discovery of numerous illegal, immoral and otherwise unsavory acts, many done in secret.
At the heart of what has become known by the caricature label of "cancel culture" is merely accountability. If you assault someone, if you kill someone, if you physically harm someone, there are consequences. And likewise, if you're a grown man (which Wallen was in January 2021) and you hurl the n-word at a friend on camera, you can expect to face some consequences. What exactly those consequences are is where things get murky.
One of the glaring problems is that for millions of Wallen's fans, he did absolutely nothing wrong. They were quick to defend him and blame the media or the "woke mob" (another cartoonish term frequently used by elected officials and primetime talking heads). It's cancel culture! Because, who among us! Right!? But thankfully for Wallen, he recognized his own wrong. He was remorseful. He took time off. He stayed offline. He went to rehab for alcohol abuse. (Pro-tip: If you get "canceled," apologize, attempt to make amends, and then be quiet!)
Morgan Wallen is a truly talented artist. He is a star with a bright future ahead of him. He made a gross, indefensible mistake, and it happened to be caught on camera. He was lambasted publicly. He was blacklisted by radio stations and award shows and his own record label. But he took earnest steps to rehabilitate himself and earn back the public's trust, and in the process, he has proven not only the myth of whatever cancel culture is, but also the importance of second chances, which should ultimately be the remedy whenever possible.
For those who have killed or physically harmed someone, the consequences of such mistakes are likely much more than rehab and good PR. And that's beyond my pay grade to weight into those debates. But for those who hurt someone with their words, for those who have made terrible errors in judgment, for those who displayed ignorant, sexist, biased, bigoted and even racist behavior, my hope—as someone of color who has experienced the ugliness of racism firsthand—is that there must be room for forgiveness, for apology, for growth, for grace, for learning, for second chances, and for redemption.
When you do wrong, acknowledge your mistake, and then do whatever you can to try to make it right. Whether it's about matters of race, faith, gender, sexuality or simple common decency, if we cannot allow someone the space to grow and learn and evolve, how else do hearts and minds change?
This month, as Wallen has trekked across the Midwest, including a show at Oklahoma City's Paycom Center, he was celebrated and cheered by many devoted fans. But he was also the recipient of a wealth of grace and mercy. And he's hopefully a reminder that at some point, we'll all be in need of a second chance. Maybe even a third and a fourth chance. It's part of being human.
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