CANCELING
Cancel Culture
BY ENGAGING IN THOUGHTFUL DIALOGUE , WE CAN APPEAL TO NON-HUNTERS AND UNDERMINE THE VIRTUE-SIGNALING MOB THAT CONTINUES TO HUNT SPORTSMEN .
By Todd Adkins , Vice President , Government Affairs
Each of us plays a critical role in protecting the future of hunting , fishing and trapping in America . While this has always been the case , it is especially true today because of how connected our society has become . In times past , we might pass around a photo of a big buck to family and friends directly , but today we are more likely to share that same photo with an extended online community . And this is where social media can have long-range community-level consequences — both good and bad — for all of us . Enter “ cancel culture .” The phenomenon of cancel culture has been around for years but is becoming more pronounced as social media platforms continue to grow in popularity , influence media coverage and impact our daily lives . At its core , what I am describing is when social media is weaponized to attack individuals because of who they are , what they have done or , most often , what they believe in . Instead of merely disagreeing , however , those who embrace cancel culture attacks try to destroy a person and his or her standing in society . Such attacks attempt to “ cancel ” the target , quite literally .
If this toxic online bullying were kept at the individual level , then each of us could make our own decision on whether to participate . Unfortunately , the reach of social media is vast and because of this , these attacks can be seen by subscribers numbering in the hundreds of millions . Hundreds of millions who are unlikely to understand the finer details of effective fish and wildlife management or the billions of dollars sportsmen and -women have contributed to conservation over the decades . In short , your average social media user does not have the information necessary to make an educated decision one way or the other on our issues .
ADOBE STOCK ( 2 )
28 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG