How Cancel Culture Hurts the Writer
The Thin Skin of the Artist Makes Them Vulnerable to Mob Opinion.
Ten Shun!
Before we go on to talk about the impact of cancel culture on writers, I want to remind you that there is a live Zoom chat for all my paying subscribers at 6pm BST on July 25th. If you’re not a paying subscriber, this might be the time to rethink!
As with my podcasts, it will Completely Unprofessional ( TM). I am a techno moron, but I will give it a go. It will be fun, I’m sure. I will send the link out shortly
Now, onto the vexed question of cancel culture.
I live in Kensal Rise, Northwest London, a place so transparently and comprehensively located on the liberal left that the right-wing commentator for the Spectator, Rod Liddle, uses it much in the way as the Daily Mail used to refer to Islington Socialists. He will usually talk about ‘latte sipping residents of Kensal Rise’ as if a particular variety of coffee was unknown in Stoke Poges or whatever Tory hellhole he happens to live in.
Anyway, Rod, for all his faults - and there are many - isn’t entirely wrong to describe Kensal Rise thusly. Here, you would be hard pushed to find a Brexiteer, or a Tory voter, or someone who didn’t enthusiastically embrace open borders.
I am largely in keeping with this stereotype - although as it happens I have doubts about open borders - but there is one area in which I am somewhat out of kilter with my left-leaning Kensal compatriots.
This is in the issue of free speech.
I recently found myself in discussion with a good liberal friend and neighbour, who tried to convince me that cancel culture didn’t exist, that it was a right-wing conspiracy theory - or something of the sort.
I responded with this remark. “ I know cancel culture exists. Because it is in my head every time I write the page of a new novel, or an article, or a column idea”.
Self-censorship is right at the heart of my output .
I have to check everything I write in fear of becoming centre of a Twitter storm or being thrown out of Kensal Green as a heretic.
Why should I care about becoming at the centre of a Twitter storm?
Not so much because it will cost me in professional terms. More the reason most people want to avoid it.
Because it is upsettting and hurtful, however much you believe in your own arguments.
Because Twitter storms are a form of bullying.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Tim Lott's Writing Boot Camp to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.