Published on January 27, 2021
Beating Back Cancel Culture: A Case Study from the Field of Artificial Intelligence
But as the days passed, and it became clear who the real radicals were, something interesting happened. Many of the usually reticent moderates in our community began to speak up, and denounce the unhinged and ruthless tactics applied against me and my supporters. In the end, I suffered no professional consequences (at least not in any formal way). And the cancel crowd’s ringleader even issued a public apology and promised to mend her ways. She is no longer on Twitter, and we’re rid of the most vicious cancel-culture bully in the AI community.
It’s a tale that illustrates a number of useful principles for those seeking to combat cancel culture. These include:
Find your friends.
Pick your battles.
Know what to expect.
Don’t back down.
Don’t let them make it about you.
Hold the moral high ground.
Mock them mercilessly.
Don’t let their narrative outrun yours.
Goad them into overreaching.
Turn their weapons against them.
Use the courts.
Bring administrators around.
Don’t antagonize. Educate.
Get the majority on your side.
https://quillette.com/2021/01/27/beating-back-cancel-culture-a-case-study-from-the-field-of-artificial-intelligence/