Cancel Culture: How Do Educators Combat Cancel Culture in the Classroom Setting?
What is Cancel Culture?
The phrase "cancel culture" is a new term, but recycled from historical practices that involve opposing a once highly favored organization or person. Cancel culture began as a way to massively ditch organizations and refrain from showing support to people who were deemed as toxic or problematic
In recent years, cancel culture has become increasingly more popular with the rise of social media.The usage of social media has allowed for the increase in conversational awareness about certain issues. Users are fed with certain ideologies about a subject at their fingertips, without ever hearing about the subject before. Thus, it is extremely easy to spread ideas around the internet to reach thousands of users that are impressionable to the subject matter at hand. In the book Literature and the New Culture Wars, Deborah Appleman examines the concept of cancel culture through a post pandemic lens: “All of these factors–economic uncertainty, fear for well-being in the face of a ravaging pandemic, heightened racial sensitivity, and fiercely held political positions have contributed to fomenting of the kinds of culture wars that have led to the concerns” (chp 6). Within the last four years, American politics is extremely divided between the far left and right, which has created an atmosphere of immense tension among the people. The idea of cancel culture has transformed from being beneficial, to seemingly overwhelming.
While the core root of cancel culture is to filter out the negative people/practices within society, what it has transformed into is a larger issue. Nowadays, when people think of the phrase “cancel culture” they often respond with negative connotations about the harsh effects that come with participating in the trend. There are effects that come with taking to social media every issue someone has with a person, organization, or piece of work. These effects can include the over saturation of canceling people/things without it obtaining any real achievement. On the other hand, there is a way to effectively point out the problematic aspects of a person, organization, or piece of work without diminishing it completely.
Classic Texts in the Classroom
In the classroom, educators have to be aware of the texts they are presenting to students. There are certain texts that are categorized and highly favored as “classics,” yet they spark controversy around the subject matter within them. Often, these classics are viewed under a certain perspective that leaves out the voices of other groups of people. In the book Workshopping the Canon for Democracy and Justice, Mary E. Styslinger lists the most popular books taught at the secondary level in most American schools:
1984 (1949), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Animal Farm (1945), Brave New World (1932), The Crucible (1953), Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Frankenstein (1818), Great Expectations (1860), The Great Gatsby (1925), Heart of Darkness (1899), Jane Eyre (1847), Lord of the Flies (1954), Of Mice and Men (1937), Othello (1622), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Romeo and Juliet (1597), The Scarlet Letter (1850), A Separate Peace (1959), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Things Fall Apart (1958), To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), and Night (1960).
The issue with most of these novels on the list is the fact that they are not inclusive to represent a wide range of perspectives and identities. Styslinger mentions that “only five texts were written by women and two by authors of color,” which makes it difficult to give an accurate representation of the students within the classroom. Not to mention, most of these texts were written at least “sixty or (many) more years ago” (Styslinger 366). The problem with these texts is that when they are presented to students as their only source of literature, it gives the impression that their stories do not matter. Sure, all of these texts have earned their right to serve as classics in the American classroom; however, they should not be the only source of literature students are receiving.
Given that most of these classics are written by and include White perspectives, they are not culturally relevant to the society students are living in today: “The literature we choose to include and exclude reveals whose stories matter” (Styslinger 366).When students read literature, it encourages them to learn to empathize with the characters and their stories. However, if students are only being fed one particular kind of narrative each time they read a book, then they are unlikely to empathize. According to Rudine Bishops’ article “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” the author discusses the impact books can have on children: “They need the books as windows onto reality, not just on imaginary worlds.” When children can see themselves in a certain book, it is as if they are looking through a mirror (Bishop). On the other hand, when they read a book that is different from their own experiences, it is used as a sliding glass door or window for students to immerse themselves within the story (Bishop). Therefore, it is crucial that students are given the opportunity to read texts that are diverse and offer various perspectives so that each student can gain a new outlook on the world around them.
Problematic Authors
Moreover, the cancellation does not stop at the work itself. Many times, the problem is with the author of a text. Authors such as Flannery O’Connor, J.K Rowling, and Dr. Suess who have a problematic history with racist or transphobic viewpoints have all been subject to cancel culture. While, their viewpoints and harmful actions are not justified in any way, there is a way to distinguish a difference between the author and the work itself. For instance, J.K Rowling’s famous series Harry Potter continues to be loved and appreciated by millions of people. However, the fans of the book/movie series separate the work from the author. In other words, fans have the ability to appreciate the series without glorifying the author. Furthermore, the series is often associated with nostalgia for the fans. Many grew up reading and watching the series, so canceling a piece of their childhood over the actions of one individual is somewhat of a stretch.
How can we separate the author from the work itself? In most cases, one could argue that by buying and consuming the work a canceled individual has created, such as J.K Rowling, then they are still profiting from it. While this is true in some cases such as music, there is an easier way to avoid this issue when it comes to literature. For instance, buying the media second hand would not only cost less money, but also ensure that the person behind the text is not profiting more from the sales.
Overall, the cancellation of authors can often be a bit more of a fine line than the work itself. It is easier to ditch a piece of work all together due to the toxic qualities within it. However, it is difficult to cancel the work from a problematic author when their work is not a direct representation of their toxic ideas/actions.
Finding a Common Ground in the Classroom
Instead of canceling famously classic texts within the classroom, there are other ways to resolve the issue at hand. Classic texts are filled with timeless themes that are still relevant to modern society. Leigh Emig writes in the journal article “Combining Young Adult and Classic Literature in a Secondary English Classroom” about the importance of classic texts and what they can do for students: “Students need to see that they would benefit from reading these texts in order to challenge their abilities and make them think about controversial or difficult topics” (4). Classic texts are written in a way that forces students to read between the lines and think deeper about the information in front of them. The language and tone in most of the classics are what challenge students the most due to their level of difficulty.
On the other hand, classics should not be the sole source of literature students receive in the classroom. While they are needed to lay foundational themes and concepts that are relevant today, classics do not offer students the opportunity to fully relate to them. For instance, a classic text that is taught in almost every public high school in America is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. While this text teaches students many important themes such as racial injustice, hope, love, sympathy, and societal standards, it does so through limiting perspectives. The novel highlights racial injustice, without offering the reader perspectives from Black characters who are first handedly experiencing it.
Instead, a sufficient solution would be to offer students a variety of supplemental texts to pair with the classic. For instance, a few texts that have similar themes relating to the novel To Kill A Mockingbird are: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. In doing so, students have freedom and choice within their learning. As a result, they can become more motivated to read when they have choices in supplemental reading that offer them books with mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors. Emig points out the importance of using YA novels and classics together in the classroom by stating, “In order to have a well-rounded education and to be exposed to a multitude of agreeing and conflicting ideas and cultures, students have to read literature from both today and long ago” (4). In summary, students will best benefit from reading a variety of books written with a diverse range of genres, authors, time periods, and characters.
Summary
Overall, cancel culture in the academic setting can be used as a tool to educate students on the concept of effective constructive criticism. Instead of canceling texts that do not align with the values and culture of modern society, they can be used as a way to offer students the chance to better understand why certain concepts are not acceptable in modern times. Moreover, canceling texts altogether teaches students that it is acceptable to dismiss something solely because it does not align with a certain viewpoint. An effective solution is to offer students opportunities to find exactly what about a text is problematic. Additionally, encouraging students to learn how to read a text with an open mind that considers additional narratives/perspectives that add to the story. This can be done by giving students the historical background or context behind a text as a way to encourage them to think critically outside of the narrative they are reading. Moreover, texts written from other perspectives can also offer students the chance to compare and contrast themes or ideas. In other words, it is important to teach students the importance of critical thinking by encouraging them to find effective ways to navigate problematic texts or authors.
Works Cited
Appleman, Deborah. Literature and the New Culture Wars. W. W. Norton & Company, Sep 6, 2022.
Bishop, Rudine. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. Vo. 6, no. 3. Summer 1990.
Emig, Leigh. "Combining young adult and classic literature in a secondary English classroom." Rising Tide 7 (2015): 1-27.
Styslinger Mary E. (2023-06-19T23:58:59.000). Workshopping the Canon for Democracy and Justice.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Kindle Edition.
