We can see where this is going. CBS on Thursday just said out loud what the next step in censorship might be. Talking to comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, This Morning co-host Tony Dokoupil suggested a Facebook-style “oversight board” to make case-by-case decisions on cancel culture. Well, nothing could go wrong with that, right?
Fumudoh brought the subject of cancel culture up by suggesting there are other responses than to “cancel” someone: "We can say the wrong thing and learn and grow and become better people. And build a stronger community.”
After the comedian declared that cancel culture “is too wide of an umbrella for society,” Dokoupil offered this insane suggestion: “Do we need an independent oversight board like Facebook set up to like handle these cases and make judgments? And they'd be binding.”
The comic offered a joking reply: “We need Eric Holder to do an investigation and really get at the root of cancel culture because it's too wide.” But Dokoupil didn’t exactly seem like he was kidding.
With cancel culture threating liberals, CBS This Morning journalists are concerned. Back in February, guest Michael Eric Dyson dismissed Democratic governor Ralph Northam dressing up in black face as a young man:
Ralph Northam is the governor of Virginia. When he was a medical student 20 some odd years ago he dressed in black face. Was it wrong? Of course. Was it ridiculous? Yes. Was it nefarious in instances? But my point was don't cancel him out.
In March, cancel culture came for the young, liberal editor of Teen Vogue. Apparently, she made racist tweets at age 17. Co-host Gayle King explained how she was “so disappointed” and Anthony Mason quite logically asked, “Were you like to be judged by everything you did at 17?”
Thursday's insane suggestion on how to handle cancel culture was sponsored by Ashley Homestore. Click on the link to let them know what you think.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
CBS This Morning
5/6/2021
8:38
ZIWE (comedian and social media star): When I talk about unlearning racial bias is that whether you discuss race consciously or subconsciously, you're bringing your learned behaviors, the things you learned in school, into the conversation. I mean, the way the highways are built in the United States have to do with race. It's part of every facet of our society. And so I'm hoping to sort of -- I'm hoping to normalize these conversations so people don't feel like if, “If I say the wrong thing I'm going to die, I'm going to go to jail, I'm going to get canceled.” Ultimately, we can say the wrong thing and learn and grow and become better people. And build a stronger community of global honesty.
TONY DOKOUPIL: We should talk about cancel culture. Because you're right. People don't talk about these issues because they're afraid they're going to say the wrong thing. They may say the wrong thing in good faith or they may say the wrong thing in bad faith. Either way, they can end up shut down. But you don't believe in that. Explain why.
ZIWE: I mean, not exactly -- what is cancel culture really? It seems like a bad press day. Maybe a bad day on Twitter. But ultimately it's twofold: One, cancel culture really doesn't encompass -- it encompasses too much. On one hand, if you are arrested for assaulting your employees versus if you tweet that you maybe don't like Beyonce. And that is too wide of an umbrella for society.
DOKOUPIL: But do we --
ZIWE: Furthermore --
DOKOUPIL: Go ahead, I'm sorry. Go ahead.
ZIWE: No, please.
DOKOUPIL: I was going to say do we need an independent oversight board like Facebook set up to like handle these cases and make judgments? And they'd be binding.
ZIWE: Exactly. We need Eric Holder to do an investigation and really get at the root of cancel culture because it's too wide. And then those who are actually canceled -- I mean, you live in your mansion, you have a nice life, you get a vacation. Doesn't seem so bad. I don't understand what cancel culture is exactly.
