In Defense of Cancel Culture

Isn’t it ironic how people want to cancel Cancel Culture? Um, isn’t that just another version of the same? It seems that anyone who wants to believe they are woke, open minded, and liberal free thinkers rail loudly against cancelling. On a certain level this obviously makes sense. Are we to cancel someone simply because we don’t agree with something they did or said? I have been accused of doing that a few times this week, in light of the brutal global anti Semitic climate that has emerged from the current Israeli Hamas conflict. Note I did not say Israeli Palestinian conflict. There are many Israelis, Palestinians, and Israeli Arabs who truly wish to live in peace and tranquility. This conflict is between a democratic government and a proud terrorist organization with a charter that clearly calls for global Jewish genocide. You do the math, if it fits your narrative. If not, cancel, right? It’s been a very interesting thing to note this week that people who are neither Jewish nor Palestinian, and who have probably never been to Israel, are suddenly self proclaimed experts on a conflict that brilliant scholars and skilled politicians cannot seem to crack. But any dope with an Instagram account is now spitting misinformed bars from their imaginary dissertation on this volatile topic. Did you care about this last year before it was the trending topic? Or were you too wrapped up in your own stuff and cancelling everyone else? Many people who accused me of cancelling did the exact same thing when it was their issue that was the hot topic. Social media, all media, has been a frightening space to be in for a long time now. There are certain narratives being fed to, and consumed by, the public. You don’t agree? CANCELLED. OUT. DONE. Even if someone has a good point that goes against said narrative, they are shamed and finished. Amongst the numerous layers of staggering hypocrisy that have been made crystal clear recently, accusing others of subscribing to cancel culture is one of them. It’s like when you have a problem you can cancel, but if I have a problem then I can’t.

Let me make this clear. Anti Semitism is abuse. Like any other “ism” or human phobia, Jewish hatred is abuse. At the slightest whiff of that, and I mean the SLIGHTEST, I will cancel you. Not from your right to exist and speak freely, but from my life. It’s amazing; distancing and detoxing ourselves and our lives from any other type of relationship abuse is not only encouraged but congratulated. Good for you, Gurl, he didn’t treat you right. Block his sorry ass. You deserve better. The parent, friend, or boss that wasn’t good to you? F them! Delete them from your life. Protect and honor yourself, Babe! I follow many relationship, dating, love, and therapy accounts/coaches/teachers. Across the board they teach that to in order to protect our emotional and mental well being, strict boundaries are needed. Lines that cannot be crossed are essential for how we treat ourselves. And how we treat ourselves teaches others how to treat us. So a jerk boyfriend can be cancelled but not someone spouting poisonous anti Semitic garbage? I don’t think so. I reserve the right to eliminate anyone and anything that threatens my life, my peace, my rights as a Jew, my rights as a woman, my kids, my community, my heart, and my state of mind. The worst offenders are the woke “peaceniks” who don’t even comprehend how the regurgitation of the “cool” narrative is literally leading to Jewish beatings all over the world. Dude, pick up a book or book a flight. Too much effort, I know. Much easier to argue with me over what I’m allowed to be offended and hurt by. Much easier to yell at the world for cultural appropriation while posting memes of children being led to the gas chamber every time you have a bad day. We are more concerned with getting pronouns right (something I am very careful with, since I don’t want to offend with how anyone identifies) than calling people Nazis. Nazis, you Guys. One of the most evil groups of people ever to exist. ADOLF HITLER WAS TRENDING THIS WEEK ON TWITTER. Read that again and again and again. Guess who un cancelled Adolf freaking Hitler? Every single person who in some way has weaponized one of the most painful parts of modern Jewish history for their own usage. I love how the new millennial shtick is “I’m not anti Semitic, just anti Zionist”. Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night and carry on during the day. Look, you are clearly entitled to your opinion, no matter how much I don’t agree. Say whatever you want, and don’t give a moment‘s thought to how that is directly causing harm to others. Sure, that’s your right in this democratic country we call home. This land isn’t ours btw. It belongs to the Native Americans, but you won’t see people posting and screaming on behalf of them. Jewish hatred has always been sexy. It has always garnered points and street cred with the masses. Jews have been scapegoated throughout history. This is a hard and sad fact. So perpetuating that narrative has always been fully acceptable and expected. It’s always on trend. That’s not what this post is about though. It’s about the fact that just as you have the right to spew uninformed, ignorant, embarrassingly uneducated garbage in the name of “ social justice”, so too do I have the right to remove you from my life. I have done this. I will keep doing this since my life and my energy are precious. In this one life I have, you and your anti Semitic rhetoric are not welcome. There is a block button I can use at will. I will do whatever I have to do to protect myself.

If a friend gives me very bad vibes for any reason, out. If a relative has caused me great harm, out. In my personal life this is always lauded and admired. In my Jewish life, the message is that I am required to eat shit no matter how bad it tastes. Sorry, Boo, that’s not how I work.
If you hurt me and genuinely love me, we can work it out. Good people, myself included, make many mistakes.

If you hurt me and you don’t really care about me, I will cancel you. Faster then you can hit share. And trust me, I won’t regret it. I am very selective with whom is granted access to my life. And abuse of any kind will never be allowed in.

There is a phenomenon I’ve noted in regards to Jewish shiva, the mourning period after someone dies. I have had the good fortune to not yet sit shiva, but I know many who have. Shiva is a weeklong period in which visitors come visit the mourners. Every person I know who has sat shiva, despite drowning in grief and misery, remembers exactly who came to visit and who did not. They never forget who did not come to visit. They won’t know what day it is or if they ate lunch, but they will remember if you were there for them. Humans are pack animals. Our survival depends on our herd. We instinctively know who supports our survival and who will leave us for dead, physically or emotionally. This is why shiva, and participating in any kind of anti Semitic rhetoric, hits so hard. We are designed to look for those who will sustain and support us. Which also means we are designed to look for those who won’t.

Cancelling is editing. And editing eliminates the excess that isn’t helpful. If you won’t help me, or will only do so at your convenience, I wish you well but from a very, very far distance. You are not safe for me. If I brought you into my life with the touch of a button, I can escort you out with the touch of another.

Hatred is cancelled.