While it’s generally acknowledged by rational people that “cancel culture” isn’t as harmful as certain people with large platforms have made it out to be, it does appear that social media calls for problematic actions have become the new de facto status quo. Jay-Z raised the issue of whether he sees an end to the current situation in a new interview with the Sunday Times in the UK regarding his latest relationship with Puma: There’s no way.
“You can’t give someone a microphone for 24 hours a day and [have them] not think they have to use it!” he explained. However, he expressed sympathy for younger social media users who may not have the best grasp of the situations they’re being asked to address. “These kids, it’s unbelievable. Imagine having a microphone and you’re asked about social justice questions at 18 years old? It’s like, ‘What? I’m meant to know the answer, and if I don’t answer the correct way, if I don’t say everything right, even if my intentions are right, and I don’t say the same right thing, it’s going to be everywhere.’”
And if his rise had occurred 20 years later, he doesn’t think he’d be as involved on social media. Meanwhile, he shared his thoughts on some of the most hotly discussed social topics on the internet. “As a human race we’re still on basic things,” he said. “We’re still on Stop Asian Hate. We can’t sit and cry over spilled milk, but we do have to acknowledge that there’s milk, right?… it’s very frustrating. Are we here today? No. Are we further than 50 years ago? Yes.”
