By Manjit Kaur | Opinion |
Cancel culture has become a powerful force in modern society, particularly through social media. At the surface, it appears to be about holding people to account for harmful words or actions. However, when we look deeper, we find cancel culture is more about publicly shaming others with whom we disagree.
Social media has many advantages. We can, for example, react instantly to what others might think and speak. However, the downside is that when we disagree with someone online, it is easy to react without thinking. Like sheep, we can easily be sucked into a wave of criticism on bits of information without fully understanding what was said or meant – we simply see things as black and white without considering anything else. This sheep like thinking is even more dangerous today with the way artificial intelligence is used to create fake profiles, videos, images and posts.
Public shaming spreads quickly in cancel culture, leading to people being labelled, judged, and sometimes dismissed. A particularly worrying trend amongst Sikhs is to judge or cancel somebody simply because they might have a different appearance. This can range from whether they are Amridhari or ‘Mona’ Sikhs, organisation or sect, to turban style and clothes/bana.
Cancelling and shaming can take many forms and occur in many places. In my experience, such behaviour is evident even in the Gurdwara, where we should expect people to act with respect and warmth. Too often, individuals are shamed simply because of how they look or dress. While it is important to respect the rules of the Gurdwara, harsh judgement should never replace compassion.
Instead, we should be encouraging, inclusive and willing to educate those who attend. The Gurdwara should be a welcoming space where everyone feels safe, secure, respected and not humiliated, as sometimes happens. This tendency within the Sikh community to swing between extremes points to a deeper psychological challenge, where aggressive or passive behaviours appear more common than assertive and cooperative ones.
FREE SPEECH
At the heart of cancel culture lies the debate around free speech. Are we allowed to express ourselves freely, or should we impose limits? Freedom of expression is shaped by many factors, some external and some internal, for we can also cancel ourselves if we feel we have nothing of value to say. So how we were raised, what we were taught, and the environments we grew up in, can all have an influence on what we might feel is right or wrong, shameful and acceptable.
As we age, travel, learn and gain experience, our thinking develops and our position on many matters may change. For example, we might have been brought up with racist or sexist attitudes but with time we might come to realise how wrong these are. Some people are fixed in their ways and believe we should never change our thinking and should simply obey without question. They will be eager to cancel those who question their beliefs, attitudes and even actions by accusing them of being anti-Sikh!
My belief is that Sikhi encourages us to have an open mind, to think, reflect and change. Gurbani warns us against blindly following, but to be conscious, thoughtful individuals. And that means not condemning others but, as Guru Nanak demonstrated in his life, to engage people in dialogue. as Guru Nanak says, “as long as we are in this world, O Nanak, we should speak and we should listen”. (ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਰਹੀਐ ਨਾਨਕ ਕਿਛੁ ਸੁਣੀਐ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਹੀਐ ॥, GGS p660).
When leaders or groups dictate how people should think, behave, or speak, fear replaces understanding. Guilt and shame silence individuals, and people stop exploring life for themselves. They become controlled, like someone holding a remote control over their lives. This is not freedom but oppression!
Offensive comments and bad behaviour are real and should not be ignored. Some people speak without thinking, causing pain through words or actions. Beliefs differ, and that is natural and diversity of thought is not a weakness. Instead of cancelling each other, we should engage in dialogue and sharing of perspectives. We should ask: What is this person’s journey? What experiences shaped them? Understanding is not about agreeing on everything but respecting different perspectives.
Whether one is focussing on Sikhs or society more generally, cancel culture is often based on an unwillingness to live with diversity, whether that is related to the views people hold or the lifestyles they chose to live. When we cancel people repeatedly, we must ask ourselves: who will be left? How many relationships can we afford to cut off? Gurbani reminds us that every person has something valuable to offer and when we fail to see that, we blind ourselves.
GROUP THINK
Another aspect of cancel culture is ‘group think’, where we create barriers between ‘us’ and ‘them’. From my own journey, I have learned how group think can lead to all kinds of oppressive and dehumanising behaviours. Wanting to walk your own path or think for yourself, does not mean rejecting others. In fact, it can bring you closer to “Waheguru” and people.
When you refuse to be cancelled, or to become trapped in group think, and start thinking for yourself, something amazing happens. Your understanding and confidence grows, not from ego, but from a place of respect for self and others. Rather than spending our valuable time and energy in bringing people down, we should focus more on how we can we lift others up. Gurbani teaches us that to make mistakes is to be human for it is through our mistakes that we learn and grow.
Manjit Kaur, a UK-based therapist and counsellor, is a presenter at the 1 Show Live at Panjab Broadcasting Channel, UK. She can be contacted via email at manjitkaur1show@gmail.com
RELATED STORY:
Valentine’s Day: A Sikh perspective on true love (Asia Samachar, 14 Feb 2024)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here
