If you haven't heard about the public drama between James Charles and Tati Westbrook, two beauty YouTubers, you've been living under a rock. I was for a while, but I got caught up because everyone was talking about it.
At first (about two weeks ago), everyone was on Tati's side because she accused James Charles (in a now-deleted video) of being a sexual predator because he hit on straight men. She also accused him of defending his vile behavior because he is a celebrity.
James first made a terrible apology, not really addressing any of Tati's points except the fact that he promoted a vitamin brand that was not Tati's brand (although this, according to Tati, was the least important part of her video).
Last week, shortly after Tati explained why she made a video about him, James Charles released a video called "No More Lies" and basically provided evidence to why she was lying. He admitted that he let the fame go to his head but that everything else wasn't true.
I'm not sure who I believe in this case, but this is not the point of this article. I can't say that she was lying, and I can't say he was lying.
What matters is that everyone quickly jumped back onto James Charles' side after he uploaded his video with evidence. His subscriber count has recovered a lot, and Tati has lost some subscribers. All of a sudden, well, James Charles is no longer canceled.
The word 'canceled' has an interesting connotation on the Internet. Usually, it's used after a celebrity is 'exposed' for being a bad person in the past. James Charles has his fair share of controversies, but people got really invested in this one.
I get it. It's scary to hear that your favorite YouTuber might be a sexual predator. It's scary to hear that you have been lied to. At first, I felt the same way.
We have to be skeptical of everything we hear online. People are quick to hate others because they want to join in on Internet drama. It's the sad truth.
Still, though, why are we so quick to assume? Why can't we make our own decisions based on evidence?
The next time you think about 'canceling' someone, think twice about why. Are you just jumping on the bandwagon? Have you decided anything for yourself?
Cancel culture is what should be #cancelled.