I would like to personally thank the Albuquerque Journal and Dan Piraro, the author of the Bizarro comic, for giving me in yesterday’s paper the perfect opening to this morning’s sermon .
Joell, can you please share the comic please.
Thank you Joell. You can take it down now.
This is how I know I’m getting old. About two months ago, something popped up in my Facebook feed about Cancel Culture and I had to Google it to find out what it means (actually I use Duck Duck Go) . For those of you who still do not know, here is the definition from the Urban Dictionary: “A modern internet phenomenon where a person is ejected from influence or fame by questionable actions.”
In other words, someone does something, or says something, that crosses a line that is considered to be offensive and others call for a boycott of that person. Even if the person recognizes what s/he did was offensive and sincerely apologizes, they remain “cancelled” to many. I am not speaking here of acts that violate the law, but rather, legal acts that are deemed to be offensive. It is the most un-Jewish phenomenon, especially at this time of year.
Let me be clear. I am not saying Cancel Culture is anti-Semitic. I am saying that it violates the Jewish value of תשובה – repentance - as it does not allow for any consideration of sincerely repenting and change in behavior.
This is not a new phenomenon, although with the growth of technology, it has become more pervasive. In the past, Cancel Culture has involved, censorship, not tolerating flip-flopping, and dozens of other supposed sins.
Some examples. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, there were, and still are today, calls to remove various pieces of classical literature because in our times they are culturally insensitive. Often, these works accurately represent the values of their times. Back in the day, as it were, there were calls to remove the works of Mark Twain from my high school’s English curriculum. I remember my friends and I, then seniors in high school, working to keep the books in the curriculum. We believed, and I still do, that learning the values of the past, with an eye on the values of today, can teach us about how far we have come, how far we have yet to go.
Cancel Culture in its multiple forms has been a part of our politics throughout my life. Politicians whose positions have changed with time are vilified and cancelled. In presidential politics, both President Bush’s, Presidents Clinton and Obama, and innumerable candidates, most memorably John Kerry and John McCain, were labeled flip-flopper. I yearn for politicians who are open enough to the thinking of others, that they regularly reevaluate, and even change their positions. Today it is worse. Any politician perceived as being less than ideologically pure, is ostracized, cut off, Culture Cancelled.
If we were to do a true self-reflection during these Days of Awe, could any of us honestly say that we have not said or done anything that could get us cancelled? Of course not.
Cancel Culture eliminates the possibility of Teshuvah, personal or communal, and thus eliminates the need for this Day of Atonement.
The Rabbis recognized that emotional wounds run as deep, if not deeper than physical ones. The Talmud, as well as later Midrash and commentaries are replete with reinterpretations of stories about our Patriarchs and Matriarchs explaining how, contrary to the Biblical text, they did not emotional harm each other. From Sarah laughing at the possibility that Abraham could father a child at age 100, to trying to explain how Joseph really did not tattle on his brothers, the textual acrobatics boggle the mind.
In each of these reinterpretations, one finds the Rabbis leading us on a path to see that Teshuvah is possible, even if, as in the case of Jacob and Esau or Joseph and his brothers, it takes decades.
If, instead of quickly cancelling someone whose words or deeds offend us, we engage with the person and explain the emotional impact upon us, we open the possibility for repentance. We open the possibility of personal and societal growth for all.
Wrapped in our personal pain, we forget that emotions help set societal norms. As soon as we share them, our emotions have a communal impact. Social media allows us to spread our emotional pain around the globe, raising awareness, and increasing the possibility for positive change and growth.
Imagine the society we could build if, instead of using our pain to cancel, we engage with each other, take the time to actually hear each other, and allow room for repentance, change and growth.
That is the message of this Day of Atonement, the call of these Days of Awe. Let us commit to using our pain not to cancel but to recognize the power of repentance and engage to bring positive growth and change to our world.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah
