There was an agitated crowd gathered outside the fence when I arrived at work. Several guys were suggesting an illegal walkout. A well-respected union rep was the only dissenting voice, and no one was listening. I resigned myself to supporting the majority.
After nearly an hour, the decision to refuse to work was official. I went home. When I arrived the next morning, the same firebrands were outside the gate holding everyone back. I was worried about losing more money. Instead, the only requirement was walking inside as a group. I had no problem with unity—at least initially.
In retrospect, the whole thing was stupid. Anyone refusing to work his off day without a legitimate excuse got suspended—everyone knew that. Everyone involved in the walkout lost two days’ pay—the day we refused to work and a punishment day.
Gene, who ignited this protest, planned to be helping another employee with home improvements. If he’d mentioned that, his request would’ve been granted. A week later we learned Gene got his suspension reversed. None of the rest of us did. I wasn’t happy.
As fall turned into winter, I resented more and more having to sit outside in the cold with people I wasn’t close to socially when a warm chair and fresh coffee waited inside the break room. One day I decided I was done with solidarity and walked inside about ten minutes before work time. Almost immediately, people stopped talking to me. No one was rude, offensive, or threatening. I just became invisible. I’d been canceled.
This lasted several weeks, until one of the movement leaders needed help dealing with a customer he’d irritated and dispatch sent me to solve the issue. I solved his issue, admonished him for being rude to a customer, and kept silent about solidarity. Two days later, the guy whose home remodel had started this mess dropped by where I was working. We did discuss solidarity a bit, and I suddenly became visible again. I’m still not sure if that drop-in was accidental or intentional.
I hadn’t thought of this incident much since until recently. Being cancelled is a Thing all of a sudden. Every group with a Twitter account is whining about being canceled for some sinister, illegal, or unpatriotic reason. This single word has become weaponized in the political war raging across our country these days. And the definition of Cancel Culture is widening considerably.
That war is strengthening for several reasons. Politicians have learned to use computer data to identify loyal supporters and those who support the opposition. They have weaponized that information to ostracize those groups. Sadly, this crackhead plan is working ridiculously well.
When news networks began worrying more about ratings and profit than truth, that divide was accelerated. Throw in a heavy dose of social media and you have America 2024.
Snowflakes are everywhere. Outrage over unimportant stuff has taken over our thoughts. Drag queens, transgender people, immigrants, and acronyms like CRT, LGBTQ+, and Antifa are being blamed for American laws and policy that only politicians are responsible for. We’re taking sides for stupidity’s sake.
The main thing really getting canceled is America’s common sense.
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