When notable figures have acted in a way that swaths of people have found unacceptable they are boycotted and shunned, resulting in losing work opportunities and, in some cases, retreat from the spotlight.

Such “cancellation” or decision to stop supporting a public persona, entered the vocabulary about ten years about, but really started to grow in popularity during the #MeToo movement, beginning in late 2017 when women in the film industry spoke up with allegations of sexual misconduct by people…men… in power.

Now “cancel culture” has spread, gaining traction in other spheres, such as the political and literary worlds, fueled by social media.

Further Reading:

* What Is Cancel Culture and What Does It Mean in 2024? (Vice)

* Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment (Pew Research)

* Pros And Cons Of Cancel Culture: Tool For Change Or Trendy Toxicity? (Dear Media)

* Specific Cases Discussed in the Episode:

* Bill Cosby: The rise, fall and release of 'America's Dad' (BBC News)

* People are looking to forgive him’: inside Will Smith’s carefully choreographed comeback (The Guardian)

* Love Island USA's Cierra leaves show after racism row (BBC News)

* In light of George Floyd’s death, ex-NFL exec admits what we knew all along: Protests ended Colin Kaepernick’s career (Yahoo! Sports)

* A complete breakdown of the J.K. Rowling transgender comments controversy (Glamour UK)

Theme Music: “Banjo Beat” - Will Records

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