Cancel Culture In 1984 By George Orwell

The right to speak freely - regardless of whom it might offend- is the cornerstone of democracy, but this right is currently being crushed under the weight of the new and more imposing doctrine of cancel culture. As cancel culture grows more invasive in today’s society it is beginning to embody the culture of Orwell’s dystopia, 1984. Cancel culture is a phrase used to refer to a practice where those who are judged to have acted or spoken unacceptably are ostracized, boycotted, and publicly shamed. It thrives on the same practices that kept The Party in control in 1984. By limiting free speech through intimidation and instigating hatred, canceling culture is making independent thought a crime. Political speech was once a way to debate ideas, but culture now acts as a ruling party that punishes people who express thoughts that conflict with their own. David Winston consults with Government Affairs and advocacy teams on policy issues. He shares his views on censorship, stating, “ In too many venues today, the purpose of political speech isn’t to question and debate ideas but rather to ensure ideological conformity dictated by a cancel culture elite that punishes those with ‘contradictory true thoughts’ because those thoughts are seen as incompatible with what amounts to an absolute belief in the infallibility of their dogma”

Restriction of free thought and conformity were absolute. People lived in fear of losing favor with the party and becoming an unperson. The consequence of individual thought in 1984 was vaporization: a person is made to disappear and erased from all articles/history. In 2023, being canceled (ostracizing someone whose ideas are no longer tolerated) is the cultural equivalent of vaporizing them. “It’s a cultural boycott... an agreement not to amplify, signal boost, or give money to. People talk about the attention economy — when you deprive someone of your attention, you’re depriving them of a livelihood