Sage Scifi 101B — Canceling Cancel Culture

Doing some thinking today about ‘cancel culture’ and cancelling this toxic behavior within our modern civilization by using ‘sage scifi.’ As I’ve said before, science fiction has done a lot to help people think rationally and mindfully about social challenges. ‘Woke culture’ doesn’t really exist in scifi — scifi has always been woke. But now I’m thinking about current events and the hot topic of ‘cancel culture’ and wondering what scifi can teach us about this moment.

Fiction can be a powerful thought exercise as we contemplate where things are, and where they could go if circumstances do not change. Think about the cautionary tales inside the scifi TV shows of the 1960s — Twilight Zone and Star Trek shaped our culture by poking holes in our emotional bubbles. Social change has accomplished much good by poking holes in the emotional bubbles protecting sexual predators, racists, and exploitative economic systems.

But those social changes and their mechanisms exist in emotional bubbles, too. The sad case of Johnny Depp, for example, helps illustrate the importance of getting all the facts before acting. And even if the facts point to toxicity, very few people are human Superfund sites to be walled off for our safety. Sage scifi can be used to poke holes in these emotional bubbles, too.