In the midst of America's racial reckoning, the question of how to deal with memorials to controversial leaders has risen again to the national stage - and has brought back criticisms of "cancel culture" with it.
"Cancel culture", the term for when individuals or companies face swift public backlash and boycott over offensive statements or actions, has been an incendiary topic in the movements of recent years, whether relating to misogyny, race or homophobia.
To some, it's a new way to flag past wrongs. To others, it's an ineffective over-reaction in the court of public opinion. In the wake of the George Floyd protests, some see the dethroning of historical figures associated with racism as the latest iteration of cancel culture.
On Tuesday, a group of more than 100 famous writers such Salman Rushdie and JK Rowling published a letter in Harper's magazine in which they decried "this stifling atmosphere" as toxic to artistic expression and healthy debate.
Here's a look at what US leaders and cultural experts have had to say about it.
Trump: 'Far-left fascism'
US President Donald Trump appears to be making it a central part of his re-election campaign. He has deemed cancel culture "far-left fascism", saying it is "driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees...is the very definition of totalitarianism".
He has criticised calls for renaming sites and removing monuments as part of this "dangerous movement".
"This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped, and it will be stopped very quickly," Mr Trump told supporters during his Independence Day event on 3 July.
"We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nation's children, end this radical assault, and preserve our beloved American way of life."
Obama: 'The world is messy'
Last October, former President Barack Obama challenged cancel culture and the idea of being "woke" - a term describing being alert to injustices and what's going on in the community - saying change was complex.
I get a sense among certain youngsters via web-based networking media that the method of making change is to be as judgemental as conceivable about others," Mr Obama said.
"The world is chaotic. There are ambiguities. Individuals who do great stuff have imperfections."
Youngsters who can't help contradicting Trump and Obama
Mr Trump's faultfinders specifically have said his own comments censuring and openly disgracing those he can't help contradicting - from media sources to previous staff to dissenters - likewise play into drop culture.
Yet, more youthful ages have stood up against the thought that drop culture approaches unhelpful judgment.
0 Comments