The Culture of the Canceled

October 15, 2022 1 min read

by Joshua T. Katz

On Monday, May 23, 2022, I went to bed around 11 p.m. and slept more soundly than I had in nearly two years. My easy rest may seem surprising. That day, Princeton University had fired me. . . . Visibly ruining the life of one person pretty much guarantees that hundreds more will be reluctant to stick their head above the parapet. . . . What is the greatest gift of cancellation? . . . The canceled are blessed with the knowledge of who their friends are.

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