A reply to my query what’s behind the cancel phenomenon
By zevi770 · October 31, 2026
The cancel phenomenon, commonly called cancel culture, is one of the most revealing psychological and social developments of our time.
At its core, it is the attempt to punish, shame, exclude, or socially destroy a person because of something they said, did, or believe, rather than simply disagreeing with them.
I believe there are several forces behind it, and the deepest is the relationship between morality, identity, power, and the human need to belong.
### 1\. The psychological roots
Moral superiority. Human beings naturally want to see themselves as good. Condemning someone perceived as bad can produce a powerful sense of personal righteousness, especially when others applaud.
Tribal belonging. Historically, belonging to a group was essential for survival. Publicly condemning someone whom your group rejects becomes a way of declaring, “I am one of the good people. I belong.”
Fear of exclusion. Once a culture begins punishing people for expressing unpopular opinions, others become afraid to dissent. This creates a spiral of silence in which people may publicly agree with positions they privately question.
Displaced anger. People experiencing frustration, insecurity, or powerlessness can find emotional satisfaction in participating in the public humiliation of someone else.
Black-and-white thinking. Instead of distinguishing between a person’s character, intentions, mistakes, and potential for change, everything becomes binary: good or evil, victim or oppressor, acceptable or unacceptable.
### 2\. Why social media made it so powerful
Social media transformed an ancient human tendency into something unprecedented.
Previously, condemnation generally occurred within a community. Today, a single statement can reach millions, and thousands of strangers can demand consequences.
Platforms also reward emotionally intense reactions. Outrage spreads more readily than careful consideration, and public condemnation can bring attention, approval, and influence.
The result is that the punishment can become vastly greater than the original offense.
### 3\. What research reveals
A 2024 study published in PNAS Nexus found that public condemnation of politically offensive speech often serves as a signal of group loyalty. Interestingly, people who hesitate to initiate criticism may willingly join in once others have started. PMC
A 2025 psychological study also found that moral outrage helped explain people’s willingness to participate in cancelling behavior. Wiley Online Library
However, not all public criticism is unjust. Sometimes people genuinely seek accountability for harmful conduct. Pew Research found substantial disagreement over where accountability ends and excessive punishment begins. Pew Research Center
### 4\. The deeper spiritual question
From the perspective of Torah and Chassidus, I think there is an especially profound distinction.
There is a difference between condemning an action and condemning a human being.
A person may do something terribly wrong, and society may need to protect others and impose consequences. But that does not erase the person’s inherent worth or the possibility of teshuvah.
Cancel culture becomes destructive when it replaces correction with humiliation, justice with revenge, and moral responsibility with permanent rejection.
The Baal Shem Tov’s emphasis on Ahavas Yisroel offers a different model: recognizing the dignity and spiritual value of a person even while rejecting wrongdoing.
### 5\. The central paradox
The desire for justice is potentially noble. But when it becomes intertwined with ego, fear, tribalism, and the pursuit of social approval, it can produce cruelty in the name of compassion.
The real test of a moral society is not merely how strongly it condemns evil, but how wisely it distinguishes evil actions from the human beings who commit them.
And perhaps the deepest question is this:
Do we want to improve people, or do we want to feel superior to them?
That distinction may explain much of the cancel phenomenon.