Academics are not “cancelled” when receiving constructive criticism: Opinion

In a recent article from Inside Higher Ed, Timothy Verstynen critiques academics who say they have been victims of “cancel culture” simply because they have faced criticism for their beliefs or statements. The author says that academics regularly accept criticism and scrutiny in the form of feedback on writing and research, which makes their research stronger. Though some academics use the term to express concerns about having speaking opportunities taken away, retraction of scientific publications, or not getting a tenure-track position, Verstynen argues that truly being “cancelled” involves more major concerns such as being assaulted, threatened with physical harm, fired, or jailed. Verstynen argues that the violent impact of real cancel culture on academics means that academics who are being constructively critiqued should not say they are being victimized. Inside Higher Ed (Subscription) Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.