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New Database Tracks Canceled People

Somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, an anonymous researcher has launched a website that tracks people who have been “canceled” for exercising their right to free speech. Appropriately named “CanceledPeople.org,” the database already has 195 entries, with many recognizable names including James Damore, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Jordan Peterson, Charles Murray, Megyn Kelly, Nicholas & Erik Christakis, Bret Weinstein, Chris Mathews, Roseanne Barr, Gina Carano, Roger Pielke Jr., and, of course, Donald Trump.

Notable among those listed are people who are not merely victims of the so-called Left, but also the Right. For example, the first name on the list is Junia Joplin, a Baptist Minister who was fired after she came out to her congregation as a transgender woman during a sermon. This indifference to who is being canceled (and who is doing the canceling) is a welcome attempt at nonpartisanship, although the majority of the listings are people victimized by the Left.

On their About page, the site creators explain what they look for when considering who to add to their database. They write:

“The canceled person has been targeted for behavior that falls within the boundaries of “reasonable expression” (see more on this below). The “offense” may not be recent, and it may not even be their own action.

The canceled person has lost their job or position (this includes forced resignations). Their future professional opportunities have been limited. If they are self-employed, they have suffered financial losses from a boycott or sabotage of their company.

The canceled person has faced a coordinated effort to silence them. The effort seeks to render their person or their ideas unfit to discuss.

The canceled person has faced a coordinated effort to shame them and destroy their reputation. The effort seeks to damage their self-worth and will likely target their personal or professional relationships.”

A strength of this well sourced, no frills database – they don’t even have a logo! – is the “Offense” column, where a lengthy explanation of exactly what happened is provided. Reading these explanations will trigger recollections in many cases where the event gathered national or international publicity for a time, but the name of the person canceled was forgotten.

Whoever is responsible for this database wants to remain unknown, but we salute their efforts and hope they will continue their excellent work. They have created a valuable resource for anyone seeking to more thoroughly understand cancel culture. And needless to say, there have already been far, far more instances of cancelation than the 195 high profile events captured so far in this database, and multiples more cases where people have been intimidated into silence.

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