Cate Blanchett Offers Her Thoughts On “Cancel Culture”

There used to be a time whenever someone would do something stupid people would jokingly say “Yeah, they’re canceled” and the new rule was that we no longer entertained their nonsense. Now with the advent of the term “cancel culture” anyone can become canceled for reasons far less severe than being a symbol of sexual harassment. So now everyone has an opinion about who gets canceled and why, which means the term has officially been downgraded from something relevant to something that needs to be, ironically, canceled. And since we haven’t had an intellectual dissertation on the subject yet, Cate Blanchett is here to school us on why cancel culture has become a dangerous way of life for everyone.

With the Oscars ready to bore us into slap-free submission in less than a month, Cate, whose leading role in the film Tár snagged her a Best Actress nomination, is doing the awards show shake and shimmy by answering a multitude of questions. Since the film deals with elements of both cancel culture and the #MeToo movement, Cate was asked a few questions about how easy it’s become to be canceled in today’s society. But she feels the most passionate about people who get canceled for things from the past since if we don’t learn from those moments we are doomed to repeat them. CNN reports:

The actress, who has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance as a female composer/conductor accused of sexual abuse in the film “Tár,” said in an interview with the Radio Times that its important to have a “healthy critique” of historical works of art, regardless of the artist.

“If you don’t read older books that are slightly offensive because of what they say in a historical context, then you will never grapple with the minds of the time [and] we are destined to repeat that stuff,” she said.

“Look at Picasso. You can only imagine what went on in, outside and around his studio,” Blanchett went on to say. “But do you look at Guernica and say that is one of the greatest works of art ever? Yes, it’s a fact. It’s important to have a healthy critique.”

Cate, I don’t think you fully got the memo on the topic, so I’m grading your answer with an F-. And honestly, she should be glad we weren’t canceling folks back when she threw on that dusty Shaggy from Scooby-Doo wig to portray Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. But seriously, Cate is bold for taking aim at “cancel culture” because it’s another opportunity for someone to remind her that she named her son Roman after Roman Polanski.

Pic: INSTARImages