According to New Report, 72% of Americans Believe Cancel Culture Is ‘Out of Control’
By Movieguide® Staff
According to a recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, 72% of Americans believe that “cancel culture” has gone too far.
The report, which followed the controversy around comedian Dave Chappelle, noted asked Americans if they thought cancel culture had “gotten out of control.”
The telephone and online survey also revealed that only 15% of those surveyed disagreed, while 12% said they were unsure.
The data also showed that 75% of Americans believe that protecting the right to free speech is more important than protecting people by censoring “offensive” speech. Only 16% disagreed, according to Rasmussen Reports.
The Rasmussen Reports wrote:
Strong majorities among Americans of every race – 71% of whites, 73% of blacks and 76% of other minorities – think cancel culture has gotten out of control. Similarly, 76% of whites, 73% of blacks and 71% of other minorities believe protecting free speech is more important than protecting people from speech that is offensive.
Slightly more men (75%) than women (70%) think cancel culture is out of control.
While 21% of Americans under 40 believe protecting people from speech that is offensive is more important than protecting free speech, fewer older Americans agree.
Most Americans believe parents are right to be concerned about controversial teaching in public schools, and reject the claim that these are “phony” issues.
The federal Department of Justice is investigating alleged threats against local school officials, but most voters agree that recent parent protests are “clearly protected by the First Amendment.”
Movieguide® recently reported:
Actor Jimmie Walker, best known for his performance in the classic comedy series GOOD TIMES, said that he expects the current “cancel culture” to continue to hurt comedy.
Walker, 74, recently said that it is becoming more common for comedians to lose their entire careers based on one joke.
“I think that comedy is going to be really rough for the next few years,” Walker said.
Walker’s comments come after people are pressuring Netflix to cancel Dave Chappelle’s newest comedy special, in which he reportedly makes several politically incorrect jokes.
“Chappelle is lucky he’s in a great position. I wish him the best of luck. He’s obviously very talented, he’s made a lot of money and that’s going to help him tremendously. That’ll help him get past the cancel culture,” Walker said of the comedy legend. “I’m happy that he’s doing what he’s doing in terms of continuing on. That’s what I’ll say about that.”
Walker continued, “I think we’re at a point that you can’t make jokes about certain things. It’s going to change the whole face of comedy. I’ve said it onstage but you’ll never see another ‘M*A*S*H,’ you’ll never see another ‘Jeffersons,’ you’ll never see another ‘All in the Family.’ Those days are over, ladies and gentlemen, so I guess we’ll have to change up.”
