Graphic by Tula Winton
On the surface, cancel culture doesn’t sound too bad. Merriam-Webster describes it as “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.” It’s a way of holding people, corporations, and the actions they take accountable, but it’s changed over time.
Something that started as just speaking out has been weaponized. Now, cancel culture often involves taking situations out of context and using them to publicly shame people for circumstances that are outside of an individual’s control.
Tesla’s brand image has completely changed; it was once known for being a symbol of the future and contributing to a more sustainable and economically circular society. Tesla was one of the first brands to offer a fully electric car that charges quickly and has a battery that gets significant mileage on a single charge, making it feasible to own an electric car that could be as practical as a traditional internal combustion vehicle.
But what was once considered a symbol of progressivism and a green future has pulled a complete 180. After Elon Musk decided that having billions of dollars, his own car company, his own private space enterprise, and so many more things that I don’t care to list wasn’t enough, he got involved with politics.
He helped Trump get elected, then decided to create the department of government efficiency and call it DOGE.
I cannot make this up If I wanted to. I feel like I am living in one of those South Park parody episodes.
A lot has changed with Elon in the last few years and so has the public’s interpretation of him. Teslas have been digitally and physically canceled as a way to protest against Elon and the people endorsing him.
Truthfully, cancel culture doesn’t have a place in this world because it doesn’t work. Some online comments and protests aren’t going to stop the corporate giants from printing money. If billionaires, large company owners and shareholders cared about our opinions of them they wouldn’t be trying to cut DEI. They wouldn’t cut funding for cancer research for the sake of government efficiency. They wouldn’t be cutting USDA funding that helps farmers feed the American people, and they wouldn’t be cutting benefits for people who have risked their lives to serve this country.
I hate Elon’s guts. As a person, as a father, and as a public servant I would consider him one of the worst.
Cancel culture is like putting a bandaid on a compound fracture, people want to make change, they write their senators, they need to donate and help the free press so they can get reliable, proper news.
Trying to make a difference isn’t easy, and it isn’t fast, but the only way to solve a problem is to get to the root of it, and pull the whole thing out.
