It seems the people who complain most loudly about "cancel culture" are the ones who have never had this done to them historically and cannot imagine a life where you're constantly under real threat from social norms defined by others.

In other words, these complainers have never had to endure or think about:

- anti-black housing discrimination (e.g., redlining) - misogynistic sidelining and glass ceilings - anti-Jewish admissions policies at major universities

etc., etc.

Guess what, in all these cases, socially coordinated groups could cause you to lose your job, or not be able to buy a house, or lose your career, etc. It was never fair. Employers in the US could in general terminate you for no cause at all.

It's just that these people who complain about cancel culture now have never had to worry about this stuff before, and it seems like something new and pisses them off.