Out of Control, Out of Bounds, and Out of Apologies

The phenomenon of cancel culture immunity

Cancel culture is usually ruthless. When a celebrity falls from grace, they are swiftly exiled, written out of scripts, dropped from sponsorships, and relegated to the fringes. Some attempt a comeback, pleading their case via a desperate Instagram reel or launching a YouTube show because no mainstream platform will take them. But ultimately, their careers fade into obscurity.

Despite its explosion in the late 2010s, cancel culture is no new phenomenon. You could argue that figures like Napoleon Bonaparte were cancelled — exiled to Elba, only to attempt a comeback in a moment of ego-fuelled disbelief. 

At its height in 2020, The New York Times traced cancelling’s origins. It turns out the West didn’t invent it. The phenomenon stems from China, where it was called renrou sousuo — the “hunt for human flesh.” Initially, it was a tool to expose corruption and abuse, with online activists publicly shaming wrongdoers. One early example involved exposing the monster behind a viral ‘crush video’, a sadistic fetish which saw a woman stomp a kitten to death with her stilettos. But in the West, cancel culture has taken on a life of its own. The hunt is on, and celebrities know it.

Yet, some figures seem immune. Take Kanye West — or Ye, as he maturely insists on being called. Some argue he is unstable, that his actions stem from an erratic mind rather than true malice. Adidas saw a storm brewing and severed ties years ago. Yet just a fortnight ago, Yeezy.com listed a £17 t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika. The product code? HH-01 — an acronym that requires little imagination. The website was swiftly pulled from the internet, but Ye was not. 

You can’t deplatform someone who doesn’t depend on a platform for their fame. Ye thrives on chaos. His outbursts — political, antisemitic, or his farcical presidential run — aren’t random. They are calculated, designed to provoke. He exploits the system with precision; what once seemed like reckless boundary-pushing is now a full-blown game of hopscotch over the line of acceptable behaviour. And the worst part? He doesn’t care. His brand of controversy fuels his fame, making him untouchable. Fans are addicted to the spectacle, drawn to his defiance of decency. 

I have my doubts about cancel culture. Too often, it’s a tool wielded by the political left, the self-proclaimed champions of free speech, who seem happy to silence those they disagree with. The idea that a select group gets to dictate what you can and cannot say is deeply flawed. Even figures like Barack Obama have criticised it, warning in 2019 that “people who do really good stuff have flaws.” Cancel culture has become a game of judgment, often ruining careers and tearing apart lives over a decade-old misinformed post, an act which is not just excessive, but fundamentally immoral. It assumes that people can’t change — when in reality, they can and often do.

But let me be clear: this isn’t an insensitive joke or an aged dodgy post. Ye has gone out of his way to promote antisemitic ideology. And when figures like him normalise dangerous politics, they make it easier for others to do the same. He doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of a fascist, and perhaps that’s why he isn’t taken seriously as one. In casual conversation, I still hear him described as “hilarious” and “off-the-wall.” People revel in watching him implode, only to rise again. But this isn’t just controversy for controversy’s sake — he is commodifying Nazi ideology, turning it into a brand, profiting off provocation. It’s not funny. It’s not quirky. It’s insidious.

Ye is proof of a failed system of accountability. What happens when cancel culture loses its grip? When someone refuses to care? You get Ye — out of control, out of bounds, and out of apologies. I’m not saying online warriors should go harder on free speech; silencing dissent is a slippery slope. But if the man is no longer making clothes or good music, and therefore contributes nothing, he should be a figure of the past. His views should be given the same weight as the next crazy person. No TMZ, no headlines, no spectacle. Starve the fire.

Image from Wikimedia Commons