The language and spectacle of public cancellation has a long history, but in recent years movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have prompted what's been described as a 'cancellation' or ' cultural boycott ' of celebrities, brands and companies . From its beginnings in African-American subcultures – and following a long tradition of the appropriation of black language by white people – the term 'cancel' and its meanings have been appropriated by predominantly white mainstream media since the mid-to-late 2010s.
The language and spectacle of public cancellation has a long history, but in recent years movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have prompted what's been described as a 'cancellation' or ' cu...