Holding People Accountable Without Destroying Them
The trend and online protests to cancel culture has become one of the controversial aspects of life on the internet, when people do something wrong, especially when it's offensive, people can come together to criticize, expose and withdraw their support from such influencers, public figures or celebrities. While this is also good and brings attention to wrongdoings and a need for accountability, it also raises a question: when does accountability become another form of punishment?
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I believe if a crime is committed by someone, the right authorities should handle it, they are responsible for investigating and following up the crime committed and not the public, they also know the right consequences and punishment to be given to the offender, the offender also gets an opportunity to defend themselves , there should be a fair process while we seek for justice. There's this popular saying that the Internet isn't the courtroom and that's the truth. The Internet is full of people who react to information without facts or even full details about a case and this is why they destroy the reputation of innocent people most times without facts about information. The right authority should investigate the case, hear from the offender and give a final verdict.
This doesn't mean the public has no right to react to the crime or actions of a person, they do have a right to criticize and determine if they want to associate with such an individual or anything connected to the offender. If a public figure is charged with something horrible and incredibly bad, I have the right to decide if I want to decide if I want to promote, or even patronize anything connected to such a public figure, that's my personal decision/choice, but I can't decide their final verdict because I don't have such power.
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Accountability doesn't require embarrassment, threat, humiliation, an attempt to destroy the source of livelihood of a person, their image and reputation. Even after committing a crime, they deserve to be respected , the society can't determine if they should be canceled or not, allow the right authority beside their fate and not drag them falsely, because most times the public spread rumors about a person, ruin their reputation without verification of the news, and even if they are found innocent of whatsoever accusations they have to deal of irreversible damaged reputation and disrespect from people who feel they have an opinion in other people's life.
Also, after facing the legal punishment for their crime, society also should allow them to rebuild a new life and change, because the social consequences should have a limit, everyone must not support them, but it shouldn't be with the aim of destroying their chances of rebuilding a new life for themselves. People learn from their mistakes and redemption is possible, and they deserve a chance to fight for redemption after facing the legal consequences of the crime committed.
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Inasmuch as most wrongdoing can't be easily forgotten, because of the harm some actions cause, it is too much to be ignored by the public, and considering that there is no justice system in most countries, and they can be bought due to corruption, this is why the public feel the need to give social punishment instead of waiting for the law that's not transparent. But if they have gotten the appropriate or proportionate punishment for their crime.
The Internet isn't the court, we should be careful not to turn the Internet into a place where accusations turn to conviction and public anger determines punishment for a crime.
I believe people deserve to be allowed to express their disapproval of a crime and make their own personal choices about whom they truly support, but then due process matters too. While seeking for justice we should seek accountability, and not revenge. And if an offender has genuinely faced the legal and appropriate consequences of their actions/crime and changed, the society should leave room for them to earn another chance and rebuild their life again.