Canceled Culture

In the past year, people that have said or done outlandish things about sensitive topics are people who may find themselves in the “canceled” abyss. The cancellation of a person is known to be the highest violation that can be passed upon someone. When you are deemed canceled by your peers, the canceled person undergoes an onslaught of verbal tongue lashes in the media and potential loss of income. Let's look further into the notion of being canceled.

Lisa Raye

Lisa Raye is an actress best known for her role as Diamond in the cult classic The Players Club. She is also known as the lady that wears all white. Lisa Raye is one of the co-hosts on a YouTube show called Cocktails with Queens on Fox Soul. The ladies on the show discuss pop culture. A topic arose about Nicki Minaj, the talented rapper doing a versus battle against the legendary rapper Lil’ Kim. Most people are familiar with these ladies' material and their ongoing distaste for each other. Lisa Raye made a comment stating that Nicki Minaj needs to bow down and pay homage to Lil’ Kim. Lil’ Kim’s sexy style and explicit lyrics were trend-setting during the time of her dominance. As with all things, season changes and Nicki Minaj ushered in the next wave of lady rappers. The words “bow down” and “pay homage” did not settle well with Nicki Minaj fans known as the “Barbs” or Miss Nicki. Lisa Raye was unaware that Nicki Minaj, at the beginning of her rap career, often complimented Lil’ Kim as a pioneer. The internet storm blasted Lisa Raye and decided to cancel her for her comments.

B. Simone

B. Simone is known for being an Instagram comic that was able to transcend her career to becoming an entrepreneur. She launched a beauty line and can also be seen on the Wild ‘N Out show hosted by Nick Cannon. B. Simone became a hot topic after her comments about the tragic death of George Floyd, the black man killed by a police officer and whose murder was caught on film recently. The death sparked a movement of protests and looting in some cities. She tweeted, “I’m not living to please man. I’m here to please God at the end of the day I am a CHRISTIAN! I'm God fearing I have to answer to HIM! I’m going to ask myself WWJD not what would an angry black woman do! I am angry but I am also trying to be Godly. [sic]”

Social media was not here for any of it. At a time like this, her response took social media by storm. But, she didn't stop there at being in the hot seat. B. Simone’s second infraction stemmed from her saying that she did not want to date a man that worked 9-5. She was being interviewed by Nick Cannon on his show. Nick asked her what type of man she was looking for. She gave him her preference for wanting to date another entrepreneur. The social media critics were back out to drag her down for her preference and what they perceived as belittling a man that worked a 9-5 job.

Her third offense! I know this lady needs to catch a break but her woes grew even more. B. Simone was promoting the first book that she wrote. The book was released and was doing pretty well making sales. However, the eye of Sauron was upon her. (Sorry, just a little Lord of the Rings jest.) It basically means that people were paying more attention to their actions. Three women came forward claiming that B. Simone copied parts of her book from their content and that the ideas were theirs, which was documented as being a replica of their words. The information was staggering and caused B. Simone to remove the books from sale. Social media added her to the cancellation abyss, never to return.

R. Kelly

R. Kelly in the height of his career was an R&B genius, singer, songwriter, and producer. He created countless music hits and wrote for various artists. Mr. Kelly also has a sick obsession with having sexual relations with young teenage girls. He is currently in jail awaiting trial as a result of charges by numerous victims that claimed he had sexual relationships with them when they were minors. He is being held without bail on a 13-count indictment, including charges of child pornography, the sexual exploitation of children, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and coercion or enticement of a female. He is also facing federal charges in New York, including one count of racketeering and four counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits sexual trafficking across state lines. A documentary called “Surviving R. Kelly” depicts the awful things Mr. Kelly allegedly did to these young women. By society's standards, the cancellation of R. Kelly was a no-brainer.

I want to take a look at this cancel culture that has sprung up. When I think of cancellation, I look at it as a black hole from which you can never escape. But, is it fair to place everyone in the same black hole? Some offenses can be redeemed based on the person's upcoming actions. Let's go case by case and create different tiers. We can have a pyramid and the base is for the lowest of offenders. In Lisa Raye’s case, her shallow opinion on a small matter should not place her in the cancellation hole. This is a level three offensive that requires Lisa Raye to clarify her opinion without being offensive. Sometimes adding clarity and not sneak-dissing someone is all that’s needed to get out of a stage three cancellation.

Stage two cancellation is similar to a B. Simone offense. This is where having strong mentors and business coaches will improve the individual and help them make better choices that affect their brand. Also, the offender will have to be placed in an adult time-out. They need to be removed from social media for at least three months. Their social media business would be managed by their content manager. During the time-out, the offender will no longer be able to post on personal matters or respond to anyone. Yes, plagiarism is a grave matter. However, B. Simone will have to financially amend her wrongs to the parties that were wronged. And in so doing, the removal of cancellation can be reinstated.

The highest form of cancellation is a level one offender. These measures are for the cruelest of offenders. The violation of another human being that results in diabolical pain and misery is the one offense that cannot be undone. The penalty for a level one cancellation is for that person to no longer have the support of their community. Their memories would be stricken from society's existence. I hope with the cancellation craze that people would appoint different levels to someone's fate. Some people need clarity, some need guidance, and others require complete removal. Please note: the cancellation requirements are subject to change for levels one and two.

Different tiers of canceled people. This is a subjective list and meant as examples only to further define the different levels of cancellation.

Level 3

• Keisha Lance Bottoms

• NeNe Leakes

• Lil Wayne

Level 2

• Doja Cat

• Meek Mill

• J. Cole

• Omarosa

• Stacey Dash

• Terry Crews

Level 1

• Jeffrey Epstein

• All the white people that unjustly kill black people

• All “Karen” type people {because the intent/consequence can be far greater for their victim}