New York Times writer slams cancel culture, calls for 'emphasizing people’s contributions despite their flaws'

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A New York Times opinion writer wrote a lengthy appeal to end cancel culture on Friday, arguing that society should be "emphasizing people’s contributions despite their flaws," including prominent "historical figures" like Thomas Jefferson.

In his piece, James McWhorter asserted: "We should be able to evaluate various figures, past and present, by noting their indecorous or hateful views and continuing to appreciate, even celebrate, their achievements without making them candidates for cancellation." 

He opened the article by pointing out the disparity in treatment of the mistakes made by people who happen to be "Black and a woman" and others, claiming, "Being Black and a woman seems to discourage the mob, for example." He clarified that he doesn’t believe "that Black women wrongly benefit from some kind of special pleading," but that all people targeted by the cancel culture mob should be treated with the same understanding. 

"It’s that, on the contrary, the forbearance that’s been extended to a number of prominent Black women in recent times should be the norm," he added.

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A statue of former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson is pictured in the council chambers in City Hall after a vote to have it removed in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 19, 2021.  REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

McWhorter provided examples of Black women who have made errors or statements that would have gotten anyone else ostracized in society with the rise of cancel culture, though they get the benefit of the doubt.

"The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Walker has produced writing and made statements that are readily interpreted as antisemitic, and while there have been a few protests and disinvitations and criticism aplenty, no real movement has arisen to demand that her artistic achievements be viewed through this prism," he wrote. 

He then contrasted this treatment with that of "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling, who has been relentlessly hounded by the leftist cancel culture mob, accusing her of discrimination. "Whereas few could imagine similarly gentle treatment of J.K. Rowling for views many interpret as transphobic," McWhorter added.

He mentioned how the mob didn’t tear into Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for her antisemitic comments. "A few weeks after apologizing for her anti-Israel "Benjamins" tweet in 2019, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota got the chance, in the pages of The Washington Post, to clarify her stance on the Israel-Palestinian conflict," he said, adding that she "remains a hero to many on the political left."

McWhorter also mentioned how MSNBC host Joy Reid largely avoided being canceled, even though she wrote "homophobic blog posts in the aughts and her later attempts to explain them away weren’t terribly convincing." Despite all this, McWhorter claimed, "her career as a progressive oracle on prime-time TV remains intact."

To further illustrate his point, he wrote, "Contrast Reid’s situation to the Emmy-winning actress Roseanne Barr being fired from the sitcom she starred in because of a racially demeaning tweet about the former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett." Leaving the judgment up to his audience, he also wrote, "Ponder the stock response of Democratic voters to a white male member of Congress accused of antisemitism."

NY Times writer James McWhorter wonder if "black women" like MSNBC host Joy Reid get a pass from leftist cancel culture mobs, while other like Roseanne Barr get their careers destroyed. ((Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women))

He then asked, "Is there a sense on the left — where it seems the canceling impulse is strongest — that Black women should get more of a pass on transgressions of social justice etiquette because of the double burden of being female and Black?" 

McWhorter claimed he’s "not sure" he has the answer for that, but claimed that the treatment these Black women get should apply to everyone. "I am sure that this measure of forbearance should be the default for public or historical figures." 

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"But most of the time, emphasizing people’s contributions despite their flaws — seeing them in totality and not boiling down their lives to their specific missteps — is just civilized rationality," he argued. He also urged that we treat recently-devalued (on the left) figures such as founding father Thomas Jefferson with the same grace.

"That Thomas Jefferson was an enslaver and thought of Black people as inferior is a sad aspect of his totality, and his hypocrisy on race should be noted. But it doesn’t negate all else he accomplished, including drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that guides and governs our very way of life," he declared.

McWhorter concluded his piece, writing, "we need to extend that basic common sense, that basic ability to make distinctions and see the whole picture, when evaluating trespasses by people of all walks of life and across time."

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NY Times' McWhorter also pointed out how Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., avoided being canceled even though she made antisemitic remarks. He argued that all people threatened with being canceled should receive the gentle treatment from the mob that Omar did. (Photo by Olivier Douliery/ABACAPRESS.COM)