When
the #MeToo movement happened, it opened the doors for other forms of action in
which everyone – rich or poor, famous or infamous (but usually famous) – was
called to account for a past crime. No one was immune to such attacks. These
accusations usually took place at around the time such persons were trying to
move forward in their careers or to maintain a place of importance in their
jobs.
Not
only did this spark other forms of attack, but it also created an addiction
among everyone everywhere to see who the next victim was being burned at the
stake. Twitter and Facebook users soon clung to their phones, gobbling up the
latest news of who was being called to court now and all the juicy details of
their crime. Even worse, this became an ongoing pastime among most folks, keen
on dragging skeletons out of everyone’s closet – everyone except their own.
When this became
widespread, social media turned into a playground for amateur
"activists" calling out and publicly shaming people who committed
some crime, no matter how legal it might actually have been, or who said
something that was actually taken out of context. In fact, the urge to jump on
people who are actually innocent of wrongdoing had everyone ready to sling
accusations and call for a boycott even when there was no reason to do so. They
perceived something that did not match a person's true values or their
intentions.
Sometimes,
all it took for someone to fall under the “accountability” radar was just by
posting something online that a person, or a majority of people, didn’t like.
They didn’t really do anything wrong at all; their attempt at humor or innocent
observation is met with someone having their hackles raised or being offended
by it so they decide they want to try to “cancel” this person. They start
digging around and looking for anything related to this person which may not be
socially acceptable, politically correct or even just seen as “bad.” They don’t
need to do anything wrong or say anything questionable to become the next
target; all they need to do is just post something online that someone doesn’t
like. For some people, that is all that it took to make them suddenly be put on
trial.
I
can’t help but observe this “Great American Pastime” and recall a verse from
the Bible: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
One
can’t help but wonder if this prevailing trend, which seems to be here to stay
in society, is more about achieving a sense of superiority over another person
simply because they have made that mistake or committed that crime while the
accuser had not. In some way, accusers get a sense of “I’m better than them”
only because they have not done that kind of thing, and therefore have the
right to call someone out for it. Additionally, it would seem that this trend
created an angry mob forever bent on going after anyone who seemingly has
committed a crime or social faux pas. Are we so determined to destroy people
that we now consider it our duty, even a hobby of sorts, to seek out and bring
attention to a guilty person? In some cases, it’s not even about pointing out
something “bad” that someone did but more about gathering as many victims of
these witch hunts as possible in order to gain a sense of being perfect.
I
have to wonder about all of the people who all of a sudden want to see their
tormentor put on trial. Are they blameless of any crime themselves? Are they so
perfect that they have never done anything wrong or bad to another human being?
The fact is, nobody is perfect. We all screw up. We all make mistakes. And
every single human being is prone to commit one crime, mistake or completely
unintentional goof or another at some point in their lives.
One
thing that was created from this trend is what became known as “cancel
culture.” First we went after people who committed crimes and brought an end to
their longstanding, even respected, careers. Then we went after historical
figures and writers. Laura Ingalls Wilder is one such writer who fell victim to
cancel culture; the fact that she mislabeled Native Americans in her novels
with a derogatory term that was in use at the time she wrote her stories meant
her name was removed from a scholarship that was originally created in her
name.
The
only good that came out of cancel culture is that we no longer honor or idolize
historical figures who were slaveowners. From there, we took a nosedive into madness
and cancel culture spun out of control.
One
can’t help but also wonder why it took so long to call a guilty individual to
court. Yes, the crimes are bad, and, yes, the person who committed the crime
should definitely be held accountable, but why wasn’t all of that done when the
crime happened? I understand that most of the people who sling these
accusations are taking advantage of someone’s spotlight to try to ruin them
because of a past crime (and this has happened for many celebrities), but is this
because they now finally have the courage to stand up and speak out? Or is it
all about the money and/or attention they will gain?
While
we can all understand how holding people accountable for crimes or mistakes is
a good thing because someone who committed a crime is finally owning up to it,
this trend has created an atmosphere of doubt, negativity and dread among
everyone because these very actions have been taken to the extreme.
Now,
everyone is susceptible of being questioned about their past. Everyone trying
to do anything with their lives, usually a good thing, is suddenly put on trial
for a past mistake or a past crime. And most folks who know such things exist
in their past will decide not to anything with their lives after all, for this
very reason.
Not
only this, but if someone even has ONE mistake or ONE crime – just ONE mark
against their character or behavior in the past, when they were still
developing, growing and learning – then they will decide that that will be the
dealbreaker. This one mistake or this one crime will mean the end of them, no
matter how little or insignificant it is. They will see this one blot against
their character and understand that the very existence of this one thing means
they might as well not try to do anything good now, because it won’t mean
anything. People won’t care. They’ll only care about that one mistake, that one
crime. That is all they will see.
Despite
how much life coaches and motivational speakers want us to believe that “the
past is the past” or “I am not my past,” such colorful and inspirational quotes
won’t stand up against an accusation of a past crime. We can talk about how we
have grown, changed and matured since then, but the unfortunate reality is that
we’ll end up talking until we are blue in the face because none of it will
matter to everyone busy pointing fingers and hurling accusations. Does this
mean these sentiments don’t hold much weight? There was a time when they did,
but now, in this age of accountability, such claims just don’t cut it. It
doesn’t matter how much we have changed. It doesn’t matter how sorry we are.
Because all that people will care about is what we did, and they want blood.
Apologies mean nothing. A repentant heart means nothing. They want the accused
to be punished, and usually in a very big way that could destroy their career
or suddenly make them bankrupt.
There are good things that
have come about as a result of this movement. For one, someone who committed a
crime and got away with it will finally be brought to justice. I know someone
who committed rape as a teenager and got away with it. As an adult, he raped
someone again, and this time he faced imprisonment. In such a case, yes, it’s
good that someone committing crimes or who committed a heinous crime is now
facing punishment for that crime. (Karma catches up to everyone.) For another,
it has empowered the victims of such crimes to speak out. The fact that their
tormentor is now put on trial is the one thing they need to find the courage to
come forward and confess that they were victimized by this person as well.
Finally,
the age of accountability has empowered everyone – male and female, gay or
straight, Christian or atheist and Black or white – to speak out when they see
someone behaving badly. We can now take notice of a person saying or doing
something that used to be tolerated and say to that person, “Stop.” Those kinds
of behaviors used to be tolerated but they aren’t anymore. It’s time for a
change. We can now speak out against racist, sexist, homophobic and hateful
speech because we now have permission to let those people know that we no
longer tolerate that kind of behavior.
At
the same time, this age of accountability has created a major downside that we
really need to start exploring. Because everyone is being called out because of
a past crime or mistake, anyone with even one mistake or one crime in their
past will be forced to stay stuck. They will see how everything that they do to
redeem themselves won’t matter because no one will care. They will see how That
One Big Thing in their past is the Worst Thing Ever and they will be at the
mercy of this thing from their past, holding them back and preventing them from
moving forward with their lives.
Unfortunately,
this may drive some people to commit suicide, because they will believe that
this crime from their past will negate everything from their present, no matter
how good it is. It will drive some people to addiction, because they will be
tormented by their past and stuck in it. By keeping their attention on this one
past mistake or crime, they will grow to hate themselves and seek to destroy
this Horrible Evil Person that they are because of it. The age of
accountability has them believing that everything they do to make up for their
past crime aside from being brought to justice will not matter, because their
accusers will want the one thing that they cannot live without, such as their
thriving career or their hard-earned wealth.
This
type of thinking will then lead them to believe that they will never be able to
redeem themselves. They don’t want to give up their dream or their career or
their wealth – the very thing which will actually allow them to redeem
themselves, according to their accusers. So they don’t even try to make up for
what they did in the past in some other way, because it won’t mean anything.
And
despite cancel culture seemingly fading from America’s fixation and losing
steam on social media, these reactions it has created remain. The belief that
one crime or one mistake in the past forever tarnishes a person’s character and
value has everyone thinking there is no possible chance for redemption. That
they are forever a prisoner to their past.
On
a personal level, I believe that people can change. I believe that redemption
is possible. I don’t hold the past against anyone; I care more about who they
are right now. But I also notice patterns. If someone repeatedly does that
mistake or commits that crime, whether by accident or intention, then it is
obvious that they are making a decision to continue with this bad behavior. In
other words, repeating such bad behavior shows that they CHOOSE to be like
this, and that they haven’t really changed. They have not learned their lesson,
made reparations, sought forgiveness, regretted what they did in the past or
changed their ways. For this reason, they do not earn absolution, no matter how
much they might want it just to keep their jobs.
But
what about the rest of the world? What is the decision on how to handle the
aftermath of a person being held accountable and “putting in the time served”
as a method of repentance? Can we forgive and forget? Are we able to move on?
Time will only tell.
For
some people, this may be too difficult to do. As far as personal relationships
are concerned, there may be a threshold that a person’s crime or mistake goes
beyond what is “acceptable” in the people we choose to be around. For example,
if someone has a history of beating their child or committing rape, that could
be the one thing that would end a relationship, friendship and even a job at a
business. If someone chooses to abuse drugs, people might be change their minds
about wanting to be around them. One woman, for example, lost her job after a
video was posted online of her spouting racist words at a Black woman. Even if
this woman made amends with the person she verbally attacked and changed her
ways long-term, the fact of the matter is that she would likely not get her job
back. It is also possible that any friends she lost because of that video would
have misgivings about recognizing her changed ways and resurrecting their
friendship.
Everyone
has their own standards on what is acceptable in a coworker, friend, partner
and spouse. These standards would pretty much dictate whether or not they would
welcome the previously ostracized person put on trial for a crime back into
their fold again. There must be some degree of trust met and complete honesty
between the parties before they feel comfortable enough to resume their relationships
with each other.
As
to anyone who is struggling with the decision on whether or not they should
even bother to do anything good with their lives after a history of bad
behavior, criminal activity or immoral habits, there is nothing wrong with at
least giving it a try. If a person is truly repentant and sorry for what they
did, then they would not do those things again in the present or the future.
Putting in the effort to change their ways and make up for the pain they have
caused others should at least mean something. It should at least be recognized
that they are sorry for what they did, willing to do what they need to do as a
“punishment” for what they did, then rebuild their lives with the sole focus on
being a changed person and acting in a more acceptable manner. Living a life as
a changed person who would not ever again do those things must be their one and
only goal. Change is possible. Forgiveness is possible. But first they must
forgive themselves and prove they are truly sorry by never doing those things
again.
In
the end, these trends have caused us to take stock of our character. Who we are,
how we treat people, and any negative childhood lessons taught to us by the
wrong people that we must either eliminate or reverse. Moving forward, we will
all be a little more wary and careful about just what we post on social media.
If anything, the age of accountability and fallout of cancel culture will mean
we will all try to become better humans and create a better world.