Canceled Teen's Story Reveals Major Holes in Social Fabric

It's a truly tough time to be a teen, and schools can't seem to help
By Mike L. Ford,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2022 5:40 PM CDT
Canceled Teen's Story Reveals Major Holes in Social Fabric
   (Getty - Moore Media)

Whatever one thinks of the term "cancel culture" and how it may be used by various politicians and pundits, one thing is certain: it’s very real for many teenagers, and both the causes and effects seem both baffling and inevitable. Elizabeth Weil explores the topic for the Cut with the story of a “canceled teen” named “Diego.” It’s something of an epic tale that goes way beyond any one person or town; it is rife with ironies and revelations about sexual assault, school administration, mental health, social media, racism, bullying, the power of mob justice, and a society ill-equipped to help either victims or those wrongly accused. Diego never denied that he "really f—d up." He got drunk at a summer party and showed some other boys a nude photo of his girlfriend, but he’s really a minor player in the broader social phenomenon.

Weil also writes about the social climate after kids returned to in-person schooling after 18 months of pandemic lockdown. Within weeks, students were "streaming into the glass-fronted administrative offices asking school staff to intervene in their relationships with one another, saying they felt unsafe." Victims found little meaningful justice or support in the adult world, so they organized. Posters went up demanding that administrators "get abusers off campus," there were walkouts, and someone wrote a list of names on a wall. Unstoppable social forces soon took hold. By the end of the school year, everyone paid a price, some far steeper than others, but there was no healing and no justice. Read the whole story here. (More cancel culture stories.)

Stories to sink your teeth into.
Get our roundup of longform stories every Saturday.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X