What is the Anti Cancel Culture League?

As a sworn enemy of cancel culture, I am here to inform you that the Anti Cancel Culture League (ACCL) is something I just made up 5 minutes ago. But if it was real, here’s what it would be and why I support it…

First, let’s start off with some real talk. I would absolutely be cancelled based on some of the things I’ve done in my past. No questions, no notes, full cancel. I truly believe that every single human I’ve ever known would be cancelled if the history of their life was fully on display. If you think you are the exception, you are in denial.

Second, I absolutely believe that people should be held accountable for their actions. There is a positive purpose to cancel culture and to what (I believe) it is trying to accomplish. I freaking love humans, I want to live in a more equitable and inclusive society and I’m all for experiments on how we move in that direction.

But. Cancel culture ain’t it.

At its absolute best, we are holding people accountable for their mistakes, which again is a good thing and something I support.

Cancel culture is incredibly problematic though. It’s a form of control. It creates fear. It causes people to be inauthentic. And that’s just the minor stuff. More significantly, It’s increasing polarization. It’s not addressing the root causes. It’s more interested in burning down than finding solutions. It’s inciting violence, causing harm and destroying lives.

If the ACCL did actually exist, it would look towards education and awareness. It would strive for dialogue and discussion. Instead of digging for a reason to cancel someone, we’d seek to understand and connect.

Maybe cancel culture is exactly what we need right now. I hope not, but maybe. It’s easy for me to oppose cancel culture as a white male who would definitely be cancelled. And almost certainly the ACCL isn’t the answer.

If I had a magic wand to wave in this regard, I’d greatly prefer the approach where we take on nuance and compassion over scorched earth. Look towards love and connection over destruction. But maybe that’s my eternal optimist showing again.

How does leadership become contagious?

I went to dinner last night with a few dear friends. It’s the type of dinner I hope to still be having 30 years from now: inspiring, though-provoking, good food, great conversation and even better people.

Something happened that I wasn’t expecting though.

One guy had a career year and got a massive promotion. That wasn’t surprising and is well deserved.

What caught me off guard was how much him being on fire and aligned with his vision impacted me. I don’t work with him, his promotion doesn’t directly impact me, and yet I felt lit up and more connected to my own vision.

It’s no wonder that every manager who reports to him was recognized by the company for their performance this year. That shit is contagious. I caught that from eating delicious meat at the same table as him, so I can imagine how his team feels on the daily.

When leadership is done right, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle where each individual is inspired to step up in their own leadership. This doesn’t happen overnight, and yet it can very quickly ripple through an entire organization. When you see these leaders in action, you realize that they are worth their weight in gold.

How history got ruined?

History was my favorite subject in high school. I absolutely loved it. Humans have been doing cool shit for centuries.

And we’ve also done some terrible things that we just don’t talk about.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History was an eye opener. The Dollop also helped shattered the illusion. The opening of The Watchmen and having to google the Tulsa Massacre left me in disbelief for a few weeks.

I’ve gone through all sorts of emotions around this historical discovery process. I was super frustrated for a while, sad, angry, depressed, confused, and resentful.

When I accepted that most of what I know about history comes from stories that contains some range of truth, it helped me zoom out and take a broader perspective. Maybe Thanksgiving wasn’t such a heart warming gathering and President Lincoln wasn’t so perfect. In other news, Santa Claus might not be real.

The ruining of history has opened up something much more powerful. I’m still just as fascinated as ever with the stories of humans from all of recorded history, but now I treat them more as fiction than truth and I’m able to enjoy it again.

What happens if I’m not perfect?

What happens if I’m not perfect?

Nothing.

Nothing happens if I’m not perfect. Obviously. Because I’m not perfect.

I missed a day of publishing for the first time since I committed to writing every day again.

Woke up this morning. Realized it. Felt sad and disappointed. Then remembered how truly special yesterday was.

I will remember the highlights of yesterday far longer than I’ll remember not publishing a post, and I’m perfectly ok with that.

Where do I even begin?

When there’s a giant backlog of things grabbing for attention, it can be easy to get swept up in it. Overwhelm, distraction, procrastination, frustration all might creep in.

It’s important to figure out how you are best equipped to get into action. The answer is not the same for everyone, and it took me a while to realize that.

For some people, like myself, it’s best to spend some effort bringing structure. Put a plan in place. Prioritize. Organize. And then it becomes so much easier to execute.

Other people do best when they just jump right in. Action first. And when they get moving, it all falls into place for them.

And still other people, completely insane folks, they have to feel into it. They rely on their perception to guide the way. I joke about the craziness to this approach because it is so foreign to me, but I know some incredibly successful people who navigate the world this way.

As with almost all things, there’s nuance to it. There are different ways operate, and the key is to know what best serves you in these situations.