Cancel Culture refers to a somewhat new way of representing the withdraw of support for “canceling” individuals for their objectionable or offensive actions. It is generally linked towards social media as a form of group shaming. This can lead to false negative accusations towards individuals by taking their words out of proportion, but it can also spread awareness and help educate people about current worldwide problems. In the article A Racial Slur, a Viral Video and a Reckoning, a young women named Mimi Groves shares her experience from receiving backlash from the use of a racist slur, “At the time, I didn’t understand the severity of the word, or the history and context behind it because I was so young,” said Ms. Groves. I believe that Jimmy Galligan, the young man who posted the video of Ms. Groves had the intent of harming her future, instead of educating her for her mistake. Although, she had made a mistake and offended Mr. Galligan by her words, I believe that he shouldn’t have waited for her to get into a University to release the video and ruin her life. Instead, he could’ve educated her on her actions and explained how her words hurt him and can hurt others.

In the article Tales from the Teenage Cancel Culture, a student named Neelam talks about Cancel Culture and explains that, “I don’t think it’s being sensitive. I think it’s just having a sense of being observant and aware of what’s going on around you.” I do not agree in terms of if people aren’t aware of what’s going on around them, that they should be called out and punished for their actions. But instead, I think they should be told and educated on the mistake they had made. I do however believe that people need to be aware of what they say and how it can affect others, especially when using a word in which they are ignorant to its meaning. In my opinion, I think that Cancel Culture can become a form of bullying when people are calling someone out with a harmful intention, rather than focusing on educating the individual about their actions. The difference between free speech and being racist includes a fine line involving racial slurs, condescension of a race/races, and having a lack of respect for an individual/individuals for their race. These are all serious topics which need to be talked about and are becoming more prominent in society. Even though it might seem like everybody knows about racism, people are still uneducated and need to be taught to not be insensitive about it.