I’m not sure why considering the entire island that they live on is under authoritarian rule, but for some reason British comedians seem to understand that detriment that “cancel culture” poses to humanity. Whether it’s Ricky Gervais or John Cleese, they seem to always be in defense of free speech — even though they don’t have that in the U.K. Sure, the majority of the people I mentioned are liberals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand the importance of being allowed to say your two cents without persecution.
British comedy legend Rowan Atkinson, who many know for the beloved characters he’s portrayed over the years — “Edmund Blackadder,” “Mr. Bean” or “Johnny English” — spoke with U.K.’s Radio Times about cancel culture and how it is the bane of humanity’s existence.
Here’s what Atkinson had to say, according to Variety:
The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you’re with us or against us. And if you’re against us, you deserve to be ‘canceled.’
It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. So it is scary for anyone who’s a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future.
Atkinson is absolutely correct.
People on social media sites, for some reason, feel like they have the right to shut down someone else because that someone else doesn’t think or act exactly as they do. Essentially, the social media outrage mob want everything to be boring by having everyone be the same.
And the practice of cancel culture should make you fear about the future. Now I’m not usually one to peddle in fear, but if you don’t think that the censorship online won’t eventually translate into the government coming after you for things you say or do, just ask the people of China and the U.K. how that’s going.
A future social credit score like China has could one day prevent you from doing things like traveling all the way down to being able to purchase everyday items.
Don’t believe me? Just wait.
H/T: Daily Wire