Here’s Why Marlon Wayans’ Cancel Culture Slam Went Viral

The mainstream media has taken a side on Cancel Culture, and there’s an easy way to spot it.

Most outlets put the term in scare quotes, suggesting Cancel Culture isn’t real. Or, they’ll preface the phrase with “so called,” also implying it’s a figment of Trump America's imagination.

We know that’s false, and the examples hit us across the cultural landscape on a weekly basis. Plus, poll after poll shows Americans are afraid to speak their minds for fear of the consequences.

And when comedians run afoul of the woke mob, reporters’ tone suggests they shouldn’t have spoken up in the first place.

So when someone speaks the truth about Cancel Culture, we pay attention because we understand the threat it poses to art and the culture at large. And the press, as biased as it is in the 21st century, is forced to share those truths.

Those clicks matter most of all to them.

We saw an early example of this in 2015. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, beloved for his squeaky-clean material, went viral when he shared why he doesn’t play university gigs anymore.

“I don’t play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges. They’re so PC.'” 

Seinfeld added today’s college students call everything racist or sexist without knowing “what the hell they’re talking about.”

If only Seinfeld knew where the woke mind virus, to paraphrase Elon Musk, would go in the coming years.

Now, it’s Marlon Wayans’ turn to go viral.

Wayans, part of the sprawling Wayans comedy clan, spoke with Buzzfeed about his new Netflix project, “The Curse of Bridge Hollow.” The family-friendly film is a departure, of sorts, for Wayans. His earlier work, especially the race-comedy “White Chicks,” is more in line with his comic sensibilities.

That film found him dressing in white face as part of the comic high jinks. The film came up during the Buzzfeed chat, allowing Wayans to weigh-in on why the ribald comedy still matters today.

I don't know what planet we're on, where you think people don't need laughter, and that people need to be censored and canceled. If a joke is gonna get me canceled, thank you for doing me that favor. It's sad that society is in this place where we can't laugh anymore. I ain't listening to this damn generation. I ain't listening to these folks: These scared-ass people, these scared executives. Y'all do what you want to do? Great. I'm still gonna tell my jokes the way I tell them. And if you want to make some money, jump on board. And if not, then I'll find a way to do it myself. 

The story went live Oct. 21, but slowly other outlets started picking up those particular quotes. Now, a Google search on Wayans and Cancel Culture brings up a crush of stories, both from small blogs to major news organizations like Variety.

Why would news outlets circle back to a three-plus-day-old story?

Wayans expressed what many are thinking but are too afraid to say. When did we become so collectively fragile that we can’t take a joke, especially when there’s no ill-intent behind it?

Tell that to Amy Schumer, who got roasted for her 2016 comedy “Snatched” because the film’s villains were people of color. The film is set in a Latin American country, which makes it harder to turn the bad guys into woke-approved straight, white males.

Wayans is hardly the only comic to address Cancel Culture. Previous anti-woke stars like Joe Rogan, Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais, John Cleese, Rob Schneider and Bill Burr have directly addresses the matter.

It's important to note that most of those comic voices are either liberal or center-Left.

What Wayans did, though, is go one step further with his Cancel Culture critique. It’s why the story caught fire on line, and why he may be moved to directly address the subject in the best way possible. Make a new movie that captures that “White Chicks” spirit for an audience ready to laugh again.