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Cancel Culture
Exercise 1
Have you ever heard the term “cancel culture”? What does it mean?
Read the definition:
Cancel culture is a variant on the term "call-out culture". It often takes the form of
boycotting an individual (often a celebrity) who is thought to have acted or spoken
in an unacceptable manner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture
Who does this “cancel culture” usually concern?
Exercise 2
Look at the celebrities and match the pictures to the names:
Ellen DeGeneris, Joanne Rowling, Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake
What do they do? Have you watched any films / read any books / watched their
shows / listened to the songs?
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Do you know:
why they were “cancelled”?
what their reaction was? If they apologized?
which consequences for their career it had?
Exercise 3
Before reading
Read the texts about each celebrity and answer these 3 questions about each:
why were they “cancelled”?
what was their reaction? Did they apologize?
which consequences for their career did it have?
Text 1
Justin Timberlake, the singer and actor, issued an apology on Friday for the role
that he played in the demonization of Britney Spears, whom he dated from 1999 to
2002. At the time of their relationship, Timberlake publicly admitted to sleeping
with Spears after she claimed in interviews that she was saving herself for
marriage.
Timberlake wrote in a message shared on Instagram: "I specifically want to
apologize to Britney Spears because I care for and respect this woman and I know I
failed."
Timberlake has been facing a lot of backlash, and lots of his former fans spoke up
against him.
https://www.newsweek.com/justin-timberlake-britney-spears-apology-1568982
Text 2
The Ellen Degeneres Show, her talk show of 19 years, is also ending, and will air
its final episodes later this year.
In 2020, reports of accusations that Degeneres enabled a toxic work environment
hit the press. Executive producers were accused of "sexual harassment".
It was only after those reports that news broke that Degeneres was ending The
Ellen DeGeneres Show.
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/nbc-just-canceled-this-ellen-degeneres-show
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Text 3
Johnny Depp went on the record today saying that he is a victim of cancel culture
and that “no one is safe” from the movement, calling on people to “stand up” for
people facing “injustice”.
“It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of
you. No one out that door. No one is safe,” he continued. “It’s not just me that this
has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened
to women, men. Sadly at a certain point they begin to think that it’s normal. Or that
it’s them. When it’s not.”
In what appeared to be a reference to his high-profile libel case with UK
newspaper The Sun over its calling him a “wife-beater”, which he lost last year,
Depp said, “When there’s an injustice, whether it’s against you or someone you
love, or someone you believe in – stand up, don’t sit down. ‘Cause they need you.”
Because of that Warner Bros dropped Depp from its "Fantastic Beasts" franchise.
The star has a blockbuster $50M lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard scheduled
to go to trial in the U.S. next year; Heard is pursuing a $100M counterclaim.
https://deadline.com/2021/09/johnny-depp-cancel-culture-so-far-out-of-hand-no-one-is-safe-asks-people-to-standup-against-injustice-1234842145/
Text 4
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling came under fire in early June 2020 for
controversial tweets she posted about the transgender community. Her behavior
has caused fans and stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint to
speak out against her. Here’s what she wrote:
That tweet provoked a lot of backlash, but Rowling did not hesitate and wrote
about her views in more detail. “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way
that feels authentic and comfortable to them. At the same time, my life has been
shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
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As a follow-up, JK Rowling has not been invited to star in the franchise's reunion
special, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/8/22/21362516/cancel-culture-forgiveness-j-k-rowling-carson-king-apologymoral
After reading
Do you feel there was a solid reason to cancel these people?
What do you think about their reaction to cancelling?
Do you believe they will stop being cancelled in the future?
Exercise 4
Not only celebrities can be cancelled, but also a country:
Vladimir Putin has united much of the world in opposition to his actions in
Ukraine, and he has also united a Fox News talking head and a Washington Post
columnist in a particular assessment of the situation: the Russian dictator and the
state he controls are getting "cancelled."
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a39295655/vladimir-putin-cancelled-russia-sanctions/
How is the world cancelling Russia?
What consequences for the country will there be?
Do you think Russia will stop being cancelled? If so – why? When will it
happen?
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