As a left-leaning journalist who spends substantial time online, I must confess that I find it increasingly difficult to take a side in the seemingly endless "woke wars." On one hand, few people are more annoying than those forever aggrieved over the mostly mythical "cancel culture." That obsession is certainly not limited to the right: Fear of "cancellation" has sunk its claws into legions of people who otherwise might view themselves as progressives. "Cancel culture" trolls like Bari Weiss make money not just off conservatives who refuse to own the label, but stalwart Democrats who never get tired of cancellation horror stories, most of which are false, or at least highly exaggerated.
Almost invariably, the supposed threat to "free speech" turns out to be little more than a boss discouraging a middle-aged white librarian from making a "rap video" about orientation. Or students complaining that limp cafeteria pulled pork is not actually "banh mi." The epitome of this, of course, comes in the form of J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk and Dave Chappelle imagining themselves as the 21st-century equivalent of Rosa Luxemburg because people tell them that it's gross to be transphobic.
