https://fee.org/articles/psychologist-explains-the-unhealthy-incentives-behind-cancel-culture/
Jonathan Haidt, author of 'The Righteous Mind,' says one of the marks of an open and civil society is that individuals are not afraid to share opinions.

The things we have said in the past may not have been outrageously offensive, but we have all made comments, or held opinions, we later regret.We are, after all, inherently flawed creatures.
But imagine if one instance of poor judgment or 1 “fringe” opinion stuck with you forever

This is the problem our society is now facing with the prevalence of cancel culture.

Cancel culture has become more widespread over the last several years than anyone could have imagined. When I penned this article on the topic two years ago, I had no idea the problem would escalate to the level it has reached today.

Today, those espousing any opinion that goes against “woke” rhetoric are ridiculed online, fired from their jobs, and some are banned from using popular social media platforms altogether.

Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind, has been an outspoken critic of the cancel culture phenomenon for some time.
"Part of a call-out culture is you get credit based on what someone else said if you 'call it out,'"

he said in a 2018 interview.

This virtue signaling, which is really just a means of proving to society how “good” and “moral” your views are, is only half of the equation, however. Cancel culture is also about personal destruction, which is obvious in Groves’ situation, since Galligan didn’t use this

ammunition against her until the time was ripe for maximum harm.

It(cancel culture) has reached a level of personal vindictiveness, where people go out of their way to find ways the things other people say could be construed as insensitive,” Haidt said.
Slurs & inappropriate comments aside,cancel culture has made people scared to share their

opinions lest they be condemned for thinking “incorrectly” about any given issue.

The Costs Cancel Culture

We now live in an era where people are constantly looking over their shoulders, or computer screens, worried that whatever opinion they post might make them victims of cancel culture.

There is no opportunity to change one’s mind, nor is there room to defend opinions you genuinely believe. And this is a huge problem for any civil society.

"One of the most important [aspects] is that people are not afraid to share their opinions - they're not afraid that they're going to be shamed socially for disagreeing with the dominant opinion," Haidt said.

The odds are high that your opinions about certain issues will change over time. However, some may not, and you shouldn’t live in fear that your beliefs will be met with social condemnation and isolation.

We are no longer given the room to share our opinions today because we are no longer able to disagree with each other respectfully.

To be truly open-minded, you must be able to consider all opinions, instead of condemning any thought contrary to your own. The free exchange of ideas pushes individuals to share unique ideas and allows for opinions to evolve.

Dissent is what makes democracy strong.

Our Constitution has outlasted so many others because the Founders disagreed and debated with each other until they crafted a document that fostered “a more perfect union” than had ever been seen before. We would be wise not to forget the example they set.

Put simply, shaming others doesn’t work. It’s purely punitive, and self-aggrandizing. It also rarely changes a person’s mind and often further radicalizes their beliefs, widening the divide already growing in our country.

Without the ability to speak freely and consider all opinions, civil discourse cannot occur. In its absence, society as we know it will cease to exist and the divides between us will continue to grow.