Public shaming – Understanding Cancel Culture

Students are overheard talking about being ‘cancelled.’ What does that mean and how should it be handled?

Activity

Read the NYT article Tales from the Teenage Cancel Culture.

Discuss the following questions:

What does it mean to ‘cancel’ someone?

Why might someone think that cancelling is an appropriate way to deal with a person they disagree with or find annoying?

What harm can result from cancelling someone.

How would you react if students in your school or district were cancelling one another?

Create one of the following:

Outline an activity for colleagues to help them understand cancelling and identify ways they might address it with students.

Outline an activity for students to explore their understanding of cancelling and to identify practical strategies for dealing with it.

Additional Resources

Cancel Culture Is Not Real, TIME

Obama on Call-Out Culture, NYT

When online shaming goes too far, Jon Ronson TED Talk

, The Guardian

How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life, New York Times Magazine  

Why Justine Sacco wasn’t the biggest problem during her Twitter storm,  Big Think


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