Category: RCL

Ella DeKunder, Veronica Emigh, Joshua Reynolds 

ENGL 137H 

November 15, 2019 

Work Plan: History of a Public Controversy, Cancel Culture 

History of a Public Controversy: Cancel Culture 

Duties: 

Ella DeKunder – Scribe 

Veronica Emigh – Park ranger 

Joshua Reynolds – Goalkeeper  

Timeline: 

Week of 11/11/19 

• Choose topic, background research, decide roles 

Week of 11/18/19 

• Storyline  
•  Dec 2- Start gathering images and videos, begin writing script 

• Dec 4- Have all interviews finished, put the video together, finish script. 
• Dec 7- Begin video editing and narration recording. 
• Dec 9- Clean everything up and double check all the work. 
• Dec 11- Present videos in class 
• Dec 14- Final video cuts by noon 

  Definition: 

Cancelled: form of boycott where called-out person is thrust out of social and professional circles on social media or the real world. The internet facilitates and magnifies this exclusion.  

• The person/organization/show can never be redeemed; must be cancelled permanently 
• Demonetized or de-platformed (in terms of YouTube) 

• Looking up past things a person said out of context from multiple years or even decades ago 

 

In our video project, we would like to explore the social controversy surrounding cancel culture and the act of calling out certain people based on their past actions or stances. We would like to emphasize how social media and the internet has magnified this phenomenon recently and how now that people can build their professional career on the internet, “cancelling” them not only destroys their reputation but their livelihood as well. The framing questions we are building our video around center on as a baseline stance, is it ever acceptable to cancel someone, and are there any acts that should be considered irredeemable? In addition, what is a reasonable alternative to cancel culture that still demands accountability for actions, but allows for a more civil discussion as opposed to complete shutdown?  

In terms of historizing the issue, we would like to draw nuanced comparisons between cancelling and boycotting, and how those similar concepts actually represent different realities in history. Both attempt to promote positive change by protesting ideas, but lead to drastically different outcomes. We will also contextualize our argument by explaining how the introduction of social media and the internet changed the effect and extent of how detrimental being cancelled is. In our video, we will use audio bites and video clips from news  sources, social media platforms such as Twitter, one of the largest birthing grounds of cancel culture, and personal interviews with students at Penn State. 

 Day One: 

– relation to doxing politics/social 

– comedians and celebrities  

• Cristiano Ronaldo – sexual abuse  

• Taylor Swift – common trope 
• Kayne West – “slavery was a choice” 
• James Charles – racism/transphobia/ripping off fans  
• Michael Jackson – pedophilia  
• Steven Crowder – kicked off YouTube, demonetized  

• Soph – far-right, kicked off YouTube, banned  
• Kevin Hart – made a homophobic joke in 2008 and couldn’t host Oscars  
• Dave Chapelle – sticks and stones  

– political/legitimate figures  

• Trump – supporters (banned on twitter)  

• Political polarization fuels this fire 

– Pop culture/Movies 

• Joker movie  
• Sticks and Stones 

– how they responded 

– interview people 

– online surveys  

– research and data 

– clear contextualization  

– boycotting relationship 

 Day Two: 

Merriam Webster Definition: 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/cancel-culture-words-were-watching 

 Professor Taheri link 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/style/what-is-cancel-culture.html 

Bottom line: cancel culture is a negative thing, a form of censorship, not purely malicious, can even be well-intentioned, but still detrimental. 

Victims are bullies and bullies are victims  

Conclusion: we need to be promoting effective civil discourse and cancel culture is inherently a form of censorship and endorses the polarization of the media and society. Instead of ignoring ideas or people we don’t agree with, we need to engage in meaningful discourse with them for any progress to occur.  

Levels of Cancellation Severity: 

-Does something someone else finds annoying  

-Says something controversial  

-Does something controversial  

-Does something outright wrong and appalling that should be called out* 

-Morally unacceptable and/or illegal*  

*How should we address these?  

Video Formatting Ideas: 

-Discussing the definition and origin of cancel culture  

-Touching on a few examples of people across different media outlets who have been cancelled 

-Surveying people on campus about people they consider cancelled or that they have seen being cancelled in the media and their thoughts on the issue/what needs to be done. Is it ok? If not, what should we be doing instead? 

Survey Questions: 

What is cancel culture in one or two words to you? 

1. Is it acceptable to cancel someone? Yes or No 

1. Should any of these people be cancelled? List people (choose any of the above) 

1. What is severe enough to deem someone cancelled? (choose any of the above) 

 Day Three 

Framing Questions 

1. Is it acceptable to cancel someone? 
2. What things deserve redemption?  
3. Are there any acts that are absolutely irredeemable?  
4. Why do we as a society feel the need to censor people? 
5. How do we promote civil discourse? 
6. What would qualify as reasonable accountability? How do we hold one another accountable without completely shutting them down?  

 Historicize the controversy 

Before 

• Only a couple sites to release news (CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox) so without internet, the censorship not apparent because edited out, and now anybody can make news or be a journalist or create information 
• Boycotts used to be a constructive means of promoting equality and fighting censorship 

Now 

• the opposite: used to abuse and silence 
• Social media proliferates  

 Day Four 

Survey logistics: 

100 people surveyed in person outside of the HUB. 

Topic: Mental health awareness and mental health parity

Purpose: To convey the truth the mental health is just as important as physical health and should be treated as such.

Thesis statement: As a result of recent legislation passed in the 1990s surrounding mental health parity there has been an increased wave of awareness for mental health that has resulted in challenging harmful societal stigmas about mental illness.

Introduction/catch attention:

“Imagine you are at your local drug store, without a wallet, clutching money you scrounged up from the seat cracks and crevices of your car, a grand total of only $1.50, made up of assorted coins. That’s all you’ve got. You need to buy toothpaste and a toothbrush, as you have neither at home, but a toothbrush costs 75 cents and toothpaste costs a dollar. Your short 25 cents and you’re stuck. You can only buy one, and you’re leaning towards the toothbrush because it’s less expensive. But the thing is, you know it really doesn’t matter which one you choose, because you can only afford one, and one without the other is ultimately useless. This feeling of really needing something, being so close, but not being able to afford it, and the futility of only fulfilling half of your needs does not only apply to oral hygiene purchases. People with mental illnesses used to face this dilemma every day.”

Body

MI: Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 and Surgeon General Report – shift existence and why it occurred.

• “Mental health parity describes the equal treatment of mental health conditions and substance use disorders in insurance plans as compared to other medical condition medications.”
• By imposing these limits, mental health care became more within the realm of affordability and more importantly, the precedent that mental health and physical health are equally important was established publicly.
• “In 1999 the first ever surgeon general’s report on mental illness was released”
• Gave mental illness widespread credibility in the eyes of the public and is also very telling that the first report was just over 20 years ago.

MI: Advertisements and TV examples – juxtaposition between attitudes before and after and how the mainstream perceives these issues.

• We can use the mainstream media as a means of tracking and viewing the progress of this shift, specifically as it pertains to the attitudes of society and stigmas developed over time
• Instagram stats compared to 1985 “depression” poster
• 1980s PSA compared to Burger King advertisement

 MI: What does this mean and why is the shift important.

• Since the beginning of time, humans have struggled with their mental health; however, for most of history that struggle had been internalized and thus shamed out of ignorance and fear.
• One in five U.S. adults experience mental illness every year and one in six U.S. youth (ages 6-17) experience a mental health disorder every year
• Behind every number or stat or study, there are individual people that represent those bar graphs and lines and percentages that rely on legislation like the MHPAEA that enable them the ability to afford the treatment they need

Conclusion:

Start conversations. Operate from a place of kindness and empathy rather than shame or guilt. Be aware of how you yourself treat the needs of your own brain compared to the needs of your body. Are they equal in your mind? We need to treat people as people and not as the sum of their mental illness. Let’s not be afraid to speak, because the only thing worse than saying something wrong is saying nothing at all.

Thank you

Visual Content:

Slide 1: Toothbrush v. Toothpaste images (old time store feel)

Slide 2: Mental Health Parity Act 1996/Surgeon General report related media

Slide 3: Depression poster + Instagram tagged page

Slide 4: Screenshot of video + Burger King ad

Slide 5: Bar graph or pie chart data for mental illness stat

The most helpful feedback I received in the peer review workshops was surrounding my topic sentences and their clarity and purpose. Both peer reviewers commented on the effectiveness of my topic sentences and ultimately, I think those revisions led to a more clear, concise paper as a whole. Additionally, I received helpful feedback on the organization of my paper and possibly shifting certain paragraphs around, which I believe will help my paper flow better.

The most interesting discoveries I made centered around the research I did about mental health awareness in the 1990s compared to now, and how much the societal perspective surrounding people with mental illnesses has shifted. I also thought it was very interesting how the first surgeon general report on mental illness was not until 1999, which seems very late considering mental illness has been a reality for many people since essentially the beginning of time.

The most important point I hope the reader takes away is that mental health is a very real and important aspect of health that pertains to everybody and should not be stigmatized or considered taboo. I hope readers take it upon themselves to start conversations with the people they know and care about and invest in each other’s mental health, especially if it is found that further treatment is required to be healthy and experience the best quality of life.

This project has helped me further understand how to research and write a fully developed essay that explores a complex topic with a nuance that does the subject justice. I have learned that research and evidence is the foundation for any paper of this nature, and every educated claim must be backed up with substantial evidence that supports a non-obvious claim that contributes to a meaningful conversation.

Intro

Hook: Mental health awareness seems to be a buzzword these days, however, major shifts in societal attitude and financial legislation helped lay the groundwork to enable this topic to climb out from under the rug where it had been swept for so long into the mainstream vernacular.

Background/Shift context: The late 90s were a big turning point in the advancement of mental health awareness and legislation regarding its reality within American society. As a result, a nationwide and now global movement furthering the conversation about mental health was born and continues to gain momentum.

Thesis: The late 1990s and early 2000s facilitated a major shift in societal and legal views regarding mental health, particularly in the form of legislation supporting mental health parity that enables medication to become more affordable and widespread which ultimately helps reduce the harmful stigmas surrounding mental illness.

Body

“Literature review”

Definition – mental health parity: “Mental health parity describes the equal treatment of mental health conditions and substance use disorders in insurance plans.” – NAMI

• The 1990s and especially 1996 Mental Health Parity Act requires equal limits for annual and lifetime coverage for mental and medical conditions. (mental illness medication debate)
• Legitimizes the idea that mental and medical conditions are of equal importance and worth and should be treated as such.
• Practical legal measures implemented with the intent to improve the access to much-needed medication for people with mental illnesses.
• Financial aspect – before this act, shift, and movement, the financial burden placed on Americans for medical care in general incredibly high and still is, however, because mental health care not incorporated in the insurance policies or the societal conversation as a whole, people who seriously need medication for mental illnesses forces to forgo it in lieu of other medication.
• Before: stigma enforced not only at a societal level but a legal and financial one because being forced to pay exorbitant rates enforces the incredibly dangerous narrative that mental health treatment is less crucial than physical health.
• treatment – limited amount of money, spend on a broken leg or depression?
• After: Attention brought to the issue; ball starts rolling, conversation starting
• Insurance forced to reorganize and adapt to new precedent – various levels of success and implementation enforcement
• Counter the stigma surrounding psychiatric medication from a societal and financial standpoint
• Toxic masculinity and stats about male depression rates; advertisements and popular culture views about the ideal male and their needs (or lack of)

 Analysis of Causes

• Increased awareness of mental health issues – continuing today
• Ongoing shift, still during the transformation
• 1987 Prozac first antidepressant routinely prescribed by family doctors – starts shift to equality and reduced stigma and financial concerns (mental illness medication debate)
• 1980s major breakthroughs in science behind antidepressant medication
• 1987 introduced to market SSRI Antidepressants – increase serotonin in brain, popular because much safer (psychiatric podcast)
• 70% antidepressant prescriptions in U.S. annually are SSRI Antidepressants (psychiatric podcast)
• Discussion of chemistry behind mental health and antidepressants – why necessary, should be destigmatized, and movement toward equality to medical issues because of chemical, bodily uncontrollable aspect disease.
• Social movement toward exploring mental health
• The first surgeon general’s report on mental illness was in 1999…following breakthroughs in medication (mental illness medication debate)
• Surgeon General = “Nation’s Doctor” and leading spokesperson on matters of public health. Therefore, for the first report on mental illness to be exactly 20 years ago demonstrates the relevance of the shift and the turning point in American society that began conversation
• Report: 1. Mental health fundamental to health 2. Mental disorders are real health conditions (psycnet)

 Critique

• Consensus among scholars is decreasing stigma surrounding mental illness is a positive goal that should strive to be achieved
• Most conclude that the shift is still occurring now, possibly with the most impactful legislation or moments yet to happen
• Points of contention surround how much progress has been made – how many steps forward compared to how many steps backwards
• How effective is the legislation if it isn’t fully enforced across different platforms
• Disparity between theoretical and reality
• 1996: “Mental Health Parity Act requires equal annual and lifetime coverage limits for mental and medical conditions. Six years later, General Accounting Office finds mental health coverage has not improved. . . . Zyprexa enters market.” (mental illness medication debate)
• Shift is incredibly important because 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness every year. The sheer amount of people who struggle with and experience this health disorder is reason enough to invest time and energy into addressing and normalizing this reality instead of sweeping it under the rug or acting like it is taboo. (nami by the numbers)

Conclusion

It can be hard to see the end game or result when one is still in the eye of the hurricane so to speak. Because this shift is so ongoing and seems to be gaining more and more momentum, it is hard to believe the trend will plateau now, but instead keep climbing as mental illness becomes more and more accepted by society.  Moreover, as conversation about mental health gradually becomes more mainstream, one could possibly look forward to a further incorporation of mental health awareness into schools and public events to educate the next generation on the realities of mental health and break the cycle of ignorance and fear.

 

My chosen topic for the Paradigm project is the shift in perception and stigmas surrounding mental health and the move towards psychiatric treatment. I mostly want to research how the stigma surrounding mental illness propagated by society resulted in it functioning as a taboo topic until very recently, roughly 30 years ago in the early 1990s. The time period covered by this topic is roughly the beginning of the 20^th century to now, with key focus moments occurring in the 1950s, 1990s, and 2010s.

This shift is important because it is extremely relevant to today’s times and one could argue that right now we are in the midst of a kairotic moment for this topic. Moreover, mental health is pertinent to everyone and should be treated with as much concern and awareness as physical health. Because so many people struggle with their mental health and mental illness affects a large amount of the population, it is critically important that this shift is understood and explored so that people realize how harmful stigmas surrounding mental illness can be and how there should be no shame in reaching out for help, whatever form that takes.

I feel I did well speaking slowly and clearly, taking intentional pauses to let the information I was giving sink in and not feel overwhelming. I thought my introduction was engaging and unique, and I transitioned into the main point of my speech well.

I used my hands a lot when I spoke, and I may have gestured excessively. My eye-contact could have been better, and the cadence of my voice could have been more exciting or at least more confident. I should have driven home my thesis more clearly and possibly reworked how I organized my speech and where I implemented key moments, such as when I talked about kairos or the supermarkets. I could have included more research as well to support my personal experiences.

I was not aware of how much I used my hands, how slow I talked at times, and that my voice was so deep at times.

Speculoos Speech

Some may bite into a Scooby Doo fruit snack or eat a can of SpaghettiOs and have intense flashbacks to their childhood. Because in the days of recess time and elementary school, nothing ups your playground credit like having the right snack. Me? Nothing brings me back to the throes of my youth like chomping down on a molasses, gingerbread-like Speculoos biscuit.

So, that begs the question, what are Speculoos biscuits?

Speculoos biscuits are the quintessential snack or dessert treat for Belgian and Dutch natives, or in my case, expat kids who lived there. Speculoos are no new product, and their familiarity and homemade connotation function as a large part of their appeal. Lotus Bakeries is one of the leading brands that produce packaged Speculoos, and they were founded in 1932 in Lembeke, Belgium (Lotus Bakeries). However, Speculoos biscuits themselves existed way before 87 years ago as homemade cookies, which contributes to the commonplace establishing their familial connection and sense of nostalgia. In fact, Speculoos biscuits are traditionally given as gifts on Saint Nicolas Day, December 6^th, which functions as a form of kairos as young children associate these biscuits with the holiday time and presents.

Here’s the most important part: every single packaged Biscoff Speculoos biscuit looks and tastes exactly the same. There is no such thing as seasonal flavors of Speculoos or red velvet or chocolate iterations of Speculoos that exists with a brand like Oreos in the United States. This is intentional and conveys the ideology that when the original is excellent, there is no need to generate new versions of product to satisfy the customer base. Sticking to one simple packaging design and color serves a rhetorical intent to establish the brand and create a sense of familiarity, no matter what context the biscuit appears in. Tying in my Texan heritage with my Belgian experience, the ideology of native Belgians surrounding these biscuits can be summed up in a phrase my grandpa always said, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If the original tastes great, there’s no need for different variations.

Ultimately, Speculoos function as a cultural staple of Belgian and Dutch snacks because they embrace the commonplace that overconsumption is considered excessive and the satisfaction of a product is not determined by its variety but instead by its quality.

By analyzing other countries’ cultural staples, we allow that which is familiar to us and the things we consider commonplaces to come under scrutiny and perhaps not become so common. Aware of the fact that other countries are perfectly content with the few, simple products they know and love, how do we as Americans feel about the aisles and aisles of junk food on our shelves that essentially are different forms of the same thing? What does that say about our collective cultural mentality about waste, want, and consumption?

Thank you.

 

Works Cited

1. “Lotus Bakeries.” Lotus Bakeries, www.lotusbakeries.com/.

Some may bite into a Scooby Doo fruit snack or eat a can of SpaghettiOs and have intense flashbacks to their childhood. Me? Nothing brings me back to the throes of my youth like chomping down on a molasses, gingerbread-like Speculoos biscuit.

Speculoos biscuits are the quintessential snack or dessert treat for Belgian and Dutch natives, or in my case, expat kids who lived there. Speculoos are no new product, and their familiarity and homemade connotation function as a large part of their appeal. Lotus Bakeries is one of the leading brands that produce packaged Speculoos, and they were founded in 1932 in Lembeke, Belgium. However, Speculoos biscuits themselves existed way before 87 years ago as homemade cookies, which contributed to establishing their familial connection and sense of nostalgia.

Every single packaged Biscoff Speculoos biscuit looks and tastes exactly the same. There is no such thing as seasonal flavors of Speculoos or red velvet or chocolate iterations of Speculoos that exists with a brand like Oreos in the United States. This is intentional and conveys the ideology that when the original is excellent, there is no need to generate new versions of product to satisfy the customer base. Sticking to one simple packaging design and color serves to establish the brand and create a sense of familiarity, no matter what context the biscuit appears in. Speculoos function as a cultural staple of Belgian and Dutch snacks because they embrace the commonplace that overconsumption is considered excessive and the satisfaction of a product is not determined by its variety but instead by its quality.

By analyzing other countries’ cultural staples, we allow that which is familiar to us and the things we consider commonplaces to come under scrutiny and perhaps not become so common. Aware of the fact that other countries are perfectly content with the few, simple products they know and love, how do we as Americans feel about the aisles and aisles of junk food on our shelves that essentially are different forms of the same thing? What does that say about our collective cultural mentality about waste, want, and consumption?

Thank you.

A Staple Snack

Speculoos. To most Americans, this sounds like the name of maybe an off-brand spaghetti, a zany board game, or perhaps a particularly underground indie band. If you were to ask any Belgian person however, young or old, this word immediately conjures up images of a delicious, brown, crunchy, gingerbread-like cookie, or biscuit. So, what exactly are Speculoos?

Speculoos are packaged biscuits that originated from the Netherlands and Belgium and are consumed primarily by people in those European countries and their surrounding neighbors. Speculoos serve as a packaged dessert option and are found in grocery stores or can be made homemade, and children typically are the primary consumers. Growing up and living in Belgium for four years offered me plenty of opportunities to consume these biscuits, especially in the context of birthday parties, afternoon snacks, or refreshments after church.

As the consumer culture and commonplaces surrounding pre-packaged food and sweets are vastly different in the U.S. and European countries like Belgium, Speculoos serve the purpose of being one of the only small, treat options that can come in plastic packaging to be consumed later on a whim in Belgian grocery stores. They respond to the need to have a quick option for a snack while on the go, a very American concept that most Europeans balk at and typically don’t subscribe to. Which is why in European grocery stores, one does not get lost amid hundreds of aisles filled with various iterations of the same pre-packaged sweets; there is only a couple aisles in total, and Speculoos sit very unassumingly on one of them.

Speculoos have certainly changed over time, along with cultural and consumer perceptions of packaged food. Lotus Bakeries is one of the leading brands that produce packaged Speculoos, and they were founded in 1932 in Lembeke, Belgium. Local companies like this one changed the way Speculoos were consumed forever, going from being primarily homemade to being prepackaged and sold by outside vendors.

Different people and groups all have very different conceptions and views on Speculoos. Most Americans would respond with a blank face if they heard the word, most Europeans would nod, so used to the brand and commonplace that they might be confused why the topic is being brought up in the first place, and most Belgium children would crack a smile and hold out their hand, waiting for the treat they know is coming. For Belgians and Dutch people, Speculoos biscuits function as an embodiment of the commonplace that less is more surrounding packaged food culture and the idea that if you walk into a grocery store and go to the dessert section, this is what you will find on the shelves, not a hundred different varieties of Oreos. They don’t expect rows and rows of packaged food, just the few brands that have established credibility and serve as a staple in their consumer culture.

Speculoos frame the civic by reinforcing the idea that a few dependable, well-known brands in terms of packaged food are good enough, and everyone in the community and culture accepts, and for the most part, welcomes, the reality of having fewer options of pre-packaged food instead of excessive amounts like one could argue exists in the United States.

The “This American Life” podcast paints a very direct, shocking, yet ultimately real picture of Penn State and its culture, particularly how it relates to drinking, partying, and the local nightlife for young college students. Though the podcast aired ten years ago, there are still commonalities and continuities mentioned that still occur today, for example the use of “frackets” and the heavy underaged drinking. These examples can be considered parts of commonplaces and ideologies, concepts which we will dive into now.

One prevalent commonplace represented in the podcast is the idea that it is natural, widely accepted, and somewhat unavoidable to drink underage. Even the president of the university at the time seemed to accept this commonplace and good-naturedly shrug at the whole situation, more or less saying it’s a problem within the wider American culture as a whole and he still wants his students to have a “good time”. However, I believe it important to also consider that in light of tragic events and consequences that have occurred since this podcast aired, there have been significant, intentional changes in the drinking culture that have resulted in a less dangerous environment than ten years ago. A similar ideology in the podcast is embodying the notion that because college is such a unique season of life and environment, it is acceptable to do things in those four years or so that a person might not otherwise do at any other point in their life. There is a collective understanding or commonplace that because a person is not yet tied down to a career, but they have more freedom than when they lived at home, there is less responsibility because there are no parents or bosses to directly hold a person accountable. Which is why a college student in the podcast talked about stripping naked and running around; it’s a lot harder to do that when you have a nine-to-five job.

Commonsense decisions don’t just relate to the Penn State nightlife, they can be found in dorms and classrooms too. I’ve noticed in some of my classes that seating for people with disabilities that require a wheelchair or alternative seating typically are at the back of the room. This demonstrates the commonplace that just the act of having provisions for disabled seating is enough, and not that the location and specifics of that seating is equally important, especially if the person would prefer to sit up front closer to the board. Similarly, there is a commonplace assumption made in the dorms regarding the quiet hours. The decision made was that after 8 p.m., quiet hours are enforced, and residents should keep noise levels down in their dorms and hallways. While this is something everyone generally accepts intellectually, it rarely happens and people typically turn a blind eye.

All-in-all, along with over 40,000 students, commonplaces, ideologies, and “commonsense” decisions also find their home at Penn State and are just as much part of the culture as the Nittany lion.