Introduction
An ostracism tactic known as “cancel culture” or “call-out culture” refers to the process by which someone is forced out of their social or professional circles – whether online, on social media, or in person – without warning. Those who have been subjected to this ostracism are referred to as “cancelled.” In general, it refers to the widespread act of withholding support from a person or brand in order to punish them for hurtful or offensive conduct. Matt Damon, the subject of this paper, is an influencer and celebrity. In this paper, we investigate whether or not this celebrity should be cancelled or penalized in light of cancel culture.
Great Qualities of Matt Damon
Matt Damon is endowed with natural leadership abilities as well as the ability to amass enormous wealth. A natural leader, he excels in all aspects of life, but especially in business and finance, where he contributes to the achievement of the organization’s overall vision, purpose, and long-term objectives (Sullivan). He is well-versed in the material world, and he intuitively understands what it takes to make virtually any enterprise successful. The ability to inspire people to join him in his quest, even when they are incapable of seeing the same things as he does, is something he possesses. As a result, those around Matt Damon require his guidance, inspiration, and encouragement on a consistent basis (Ng 11). A good judge of character, Damon attracts the right people whom he can then prod into action and direct in the direction of his vision.
The Downfall and Cancellation of Matt Damon
A list of celebrities who have had their shows cancelled this year appears in Death to 2021, the new satirical documentary from Netflix, but the film never explains why they were dropped from the show (Haskell). A number of celebrities, including Matt Damon, were included in the satirical Netflix documentary Death to 2021, but the film fails to provide any explanation for any of their alleged transgressions. Death to 2021 is available on Netflix. Following on from Death to 2020, which was released in 2017, this film attempts to document the events of the year in a lighthearted manner, as well as other comedic films. There is a joke in the film about the list being featured at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, but there isn’t much else said about it. ‘Matt Damon came under fire in the middle of the year 2021 for his use of anti-LGBT slurs. According to the actor, he has removed what he calls “the f-slur for a homosexual” from his personal vocabulary as a result of receiving a “treatise” from his daughter in response to a joke he had told that included using the slur. Given that Damon appears to be learning from his mistakes, the negative attention he received was quickly dissipated. However, fans were disappointed to learn that he required such a simple concept to be explained to him in such an aggressive manner before recognizing the significance of his words (Ng 13–37).
Response to the Prompt
After the allegations were made public, Matt Damon stated that he was only joking when he made the statement, “I retire the F-slur!” He later clarified his remarks, stating that he had never used the slur against anyone in particular. In a subsequent statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the “Good Will Hunting” actor stated that he has never used the term “f—-t” in his personal life and that the conversation with his daughter did not represent a personal awakening (Sullivan). The actor stated that he does not use slurs of any kind in his performances. He also stated in his statement that he has learned that eradicating prejudice requires active movement toward justice rather than passive comfort in imagining oneself to be “one of the good guys.” He also stated that, considered in the context of the fact that open hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community is still uncommon, he acknowledged that his statement caused many to assume the worst. I expressed my support for the LGBTQ+ community on his behalf (Shlomo Tommer [shlomotommer@gmail.com]).
Conclusion
The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether Matt Damon’s contract should be terminated or punished in light of the meaning of the term “cancel culture.” According to the paper’s findings, Matt Damon’s appearance was canceled because he used the phrase “F-slur for a homosexual.” which many people interpret as being hostile to the LGBTQ community. However, the newspaper has learned that Matt Damon has stated that people misunderstood his sentiment and that he was only joking when he made the statement, and that he had no intention of causing any harm to anyone, group of people, or community in general. Aside from that, the celeb stated in an accompanying statement that he is committed to supporting the LGBT+ community. Because of all of these facts, this paper concludes that Matt Damon should only be punished, rather than fired entirely from his role. This is because he has taken the time to explain himself, and there is a greater likelihood that what he has explained is correct. This implies that he did not intend to cause harm and that he has no animus toward any particular group of people.
Works Cited
Haskell, Samantha. Cancel Culture: A Qualitative Analysis of the Social Media Practice of Canceling. 2021.
Hirshenson, Janet, et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007.
Ng, E. “Cancel culture, Black cultural practice, and digital activism.” Cancel Culture, 2022, pp. 39-72, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-97374-2_3.
Ng, Eve. “Cancel Culture, Popular Media, and Fandom.” Cancel Culture, 2022, pp. 13-37.
Reich, Alexander. Cancel Culture: How to Thrive in a Society that Has Given Up on Masculinity, Femininity, Sex, Success, Gods, and a Great Life. 2020.
Shlomo Tommer [shlomotommer@gmail.com]. “Matt Damon.” Celebrities Galore – The Spiritual Encyclopaedia of The Famous, www.celebrities-galore.com/celebrities/matt-damon/home/.
Sullivan, Mac. “The Great Wall: Matt Damon, Zhang Yimou, Edward Zwick and… Dragons?” Film Criticism, vol. 41, no. 3, 2017.
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