A Modest Proposal: Ban the Word “Cancel”

“This dude needs to be canceled,” said I wish no one.

“This is cancel culture run amok!” said nobody ever again, if I had my druthers.

Folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but time’s up on “cancel” in all its forms. It’s got to stop. I’m not usually one to ban words and phrases, but if that’s what it’ll take to get people to stop using the term, then I say everyone better beef up their find & replace hotkeys in Word, because “cancel” has got to go. I’m not saying it’s the new n-word or anything (because nothing will ever be the new n-word) but still… every time someone talks about being canceled on social media, it’s causing more harm than good. So with all the moral gravitas I can muster, I’m begging you… all of you…

Knock it off.

If this sounds like a desperate solution, I was pushed over the edge by two stories in the news cycle that people (mostly conservatives, but not exclusively so) have been trying to attribute to cancel culture.

First, the issue of the six books being discontinued by the estate of the late Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, because of racist imagery. “Dr. Seuss is being canceled!” said Fox News, in a link that I’d rather not share.

This cancellation claim is ridiculous and nonsensical for a variety of reasons, the…