NewsWire: 6/18/22
- Most Americans are familiar with the term “cancel culture,” according to a new poll. A slight majority also say that this kind of calling out is more likely to be justified than not, but opinions are sharply polarized. (Pew Research Center)
- NH: Just before the pandemic, Bernie Sanders was asked by the NYT editorial board what he thought about "cancel culture." Sanders responded that he hadn't heard the term. Sanders has since informed himself, and in a more recent interview admitted that "he didn't feel comfortable" with the fact that former president Donald Trump (even if he is a "pathological liar") was banned from Twitter.
- The views of many Americans, it seems, are shifting in a direction similar to Bernie's. In 2020, a Pew survey found that only 44% of Americans had heard the phrase "cancel culture" at least a fair amount. Now in 2022, that share has increased to 61%. That's a rise of +17 percentage points in just two years.
- To explore what Americans think about the impact of "cancel culture," Pew asked Americans whether they believe calling out others for potentially offensive content on social media is "holding people accountable for their actions" or "punishing people who didn't deserve it." 51% of US adults say it's holding people accountable, and 45% say the opposite.
- As you may guess, views differ significantly by political leaning. Among Democrats, 65% say this kind of calling out is justified, and 32% disagree. Republicans' responses are a mirror image. 34% say it's justified, and 62% disagree.
- Looking at change over time, however, approval of "canceling" has declined for both parties since 2020. Surprisingly, the decline has been more prominent among Democrats than Republicans (-10PP vs. -5PP). Apparently, even on the Bernie left there is a growing awareness that "cancel culture" may be going too far.
Did You Know?
- Doggone It. More than 23M American households--or nearly 1 in 5--have adopted a pet since the pandemic began, according to the ASPCA. And for much of the past two years, these pets have had the attention of their owners 24/7. As more people return to work and social gatherings in person, their pets--in particular, their dogs--aren’t coping very well. And that means even more money going towards pet care (see “Pet Care Soars”). According to The Wall Street Journal, owners returning home to destroyed furniture and chewed-up shoes are resorting to anti-anxiety medication, spa treatments, and special treats to calm their dogs. Prescriptions for anxiety medications through PetMeds, an online pet pharmacy, jumped +26% between 2019 and 2021. Other owners are enrolling their pets in separation anxiety courses or doggy day care--that is, if they can afford it and make it through the long waiting lists.
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