Cancel Culture Strikes Again

Within the last few years, a new term has become quite popular - “Cancel Culture.” Cancel Culture sprang to the forefront around 2017, as certain celebrities found themselves “canceled” for problematic actions or when unpopular ideological ideas surfaced. Cancel Culture struck again this week, as Lucasfilm fired Gina Carano, a Mandalorian star for political thoughts posted on social media. "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable." So, what did she post that was deemed so offensive?

In a recent Instagram post, Carano shared, “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?” This entry raised the ire of “woke” individuals, including the executives at Lucasfilm, and now Carano finds herself out of a job. But again, what was so offensive about her post and question?

We find ourselves living in times when local governments are setting up special phone lines allowing “conscientious” citizens to rat out family and friends for refusing to wear a mask. In some cities, certain households find themselves opening the door to law enforcement because someone complained that there were more than ten people gathered for a Christmas Party. Sure, these people being ratted out may only get a stern warning or fine, far from being loaded into a railroad car and dropped off at a concentration camp, but we are only steps away from further freedoms being stripped away and “patriotic” citizens fulfilling their civic duty to tattle on those less willing to abide by what some would call government overreach. If you don’t think we could at some point mirror the horrors of Nazi Germany, keep in mind, some have suggested that those who supported Donald Trump need to spend time in re-education camps. Sadly, the canceling of Carano exemplifies Hollywood’s disdain for those adhering to more Conservative political views.

In 2018, the star of Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal, tweeted out two pictures. One showed Jewish children behind barbed wire fence in 1944 and the other of kids in detention cages on the Southern border in 2018. Obviously, his intent was to cast the Trump Administration in a poor light, likening them to the Nazi regime. The tweet still exists on his page, posted on June 20th, 2018, and the only thing heard from Disney+ and Lucasfilm is crickets. Why? Because the ideological “cancel culture” tends to target those with conservative views and values.

Beloved by the Mandalorian fan base, Carano’s plight triggered an online petition to reinstate her character on the Disney+ series. Over 3,000 signatures have been registered on Change.org, demanding she be rehired. Whether this drive will change the minds of those at Lucasfilm is yet to be seen, but at least they should play fair in how they handle the social media accounts of their stars. Unfortunately, there is a push to eliminate unpopular opinions, forcing everyone to tow the Party line. George Orwell labeled this behavior “doublethink” in his dystopian novel, ‘1984.’ Instead of incarceration in the Ministry of Truth for having her own opinion, Carano finds herself looking for another job.

Only time will tell if Lucasfilm succumbs to pressure to bring back the popular star, but in the meantime, Gina Carano, “May the force be with you.”