At first, I didn’t understand what people meant by “cancel culture”.
I thought, for years, that “culture” meant getting all dressed up and going to the premiere of a new opera. Something I have never done, which might explain why I misunderstood what “culture” really is.
When reporters started talking about “cancel culture” in the Lamestream Media, I slowly came to understand that “culture” really means “whatever any group of people are doing at the same time.”
Like, eating at McDonald’s. You could say that we have a “McDonald’s culture” here in America, among a certain population. Or “MAGA culture”, among another population.
Actually, “McDonald’s culture” and “MAGA culture” might be the same group of people.
“Cancel culture” seemed to be a very different group of people, but now I’m not so sure.
In October 2017, sexual assault allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein led to the cancellation of his projects, his expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a jail sentence. These events contributed to the rise of the #MeToo movement, where individuals — mostly women — shared allegations of sexual assault, leading to the cancellation of the careers of those accused. Louis C.K., Garrison Keillor, Al Franken, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Mark Halpern… the list of famous men accused, and now unemployed, is rather lengthy.
The New York Times documented 201 people who have been “canceled”. (Actually, they are not all men. Three are women.) Donald Trump does not appear on the New York Times list. If you play your cards right, you can sexually harass women and still be elected president.
It now appears that a person can get canceled without ever groping a co-worker.
Comedian and host Stephen Colbert announced on his show last Thursday, that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had gotten its cancellation notice.
I’ve watched the Late Show on occasion, and will confess that I’ve laughed at some of Mr. Colbert’s jokes. Not out loud, but at least, chuckled quietly.
During the Thursday taping of the show, Mr. Colbert shared the news with his audience.
“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the ‘Late Show’ in May,” he told the audience. The audience reacted with loud ‘boos’, either because they didn’t approve of the cancellation, or because they had expected the show to begin with a comedy routine.
It seems the cancellation didn’t involve sexual assault allegations. But it did come at a weird moment in time. (There have been a lot of such weird moments, this year.)
CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show came after its parent company, Paramount Global, announced it had agreed to pay President Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit alleging a “60 Minutes” interview with Presidential candidate Kamala Harris was edited to make her look good. Trump’s lawyers claimed he suffered “mental anguish” following the “60 Minutes” interview, and sued for $20 billion. “Billion” with a “b”.
That’s a lot of mental anguish, even if the settlement was only $16 million. Seems to me, President Trump should know better than to watch “60 Minutes”.
Reportedly, the money will be used to finance a future Trump library, and to help pay off President Trump’s legal bills. Which are numerous.
Last week, on Monday, Mr. Colbert humorously referred to the settlement as a “a big fat bribe”… given that Paramount is currently seeking Trump administration approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Then on Wednesday, Paramount cancels his show?
No sense of humor?
Or maybe just “part of the settlement agreement”?
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be next to get the ax.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” the President wrote Friday, in a post on Truth Social. “His talent was even less than his ratings.” He predicted that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be next to get the ax. Presumably, once he figures out how to file a $20 billion suit against ABC.
I am hoping to hell that President Trump never reads any of my humor columns.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.