This seems like a big question these days, no? The New York Times just attempted to cover it by discussing Lea Michele. I could literally give zero shits about Lea Michele, although Glee definitely had some moments, so I won’t go too deep on that particular “cancellation” and “rebirth.” I may use a pull-quote from that article in a second, however. Here’s what I shall say: whether or not you believe “Cancel Culture” is a prevalent element of overall society, I think you’d probably have to argue that we have a lot of “Take-Quakes” these days, to the point where it feels like everyone has to have a take on everything. That ultimately gets fucking exhausting, and I think many people are exhausted enough just trying to please their boss, live a purposeful life, and get their kids to hockey practice on time. And we wonder about burnout.
But … this whole concept of “redemption” is also central to society in some ways. We love a comeback. Look at Brendan Fraser getting a six-minute standing ovation for The Whale over the weekend at the Venice Film Festival. Look at Travolta in Pulp Fiction. Look at lots of stuff. Athletics, both professional and collegiate, are almost entirely driven by redemption stories. Then you can get into addiction, which I know a thing or two about. Most of the narrative around addiction is redemption-tied, i.e. 12 steps, apologizing to people, finding a…
