Cancel Culture Should be Canceled

People, mainly celebrities, in the public eye will make mistakes. Cancel culture seeks to punish these people by removing them from their platform, effectively “canceling” that person and their career. The problem with cancel culture is the severity of the punishment and the mob mentality behind it.

When people make mistakes, the first thing that comes to mind is the consequences that follow. Cancel culture essentially decides those consequences. This need for punishment often drives online communities to permanently end careers, something they see fit for a mistake. This culture ignores the fact that everyone makes mistakes, yet online communities punish celebrities without considering the context of their actions. 

For example, back in 2012, Camila Cabello commented on deleted Tumblr posts using what she describes as “horrible and hurtful language.” She publicly apologized and recognizes that she is not the same person she was when she commented. Cancel culture ignores the fact that those mistakes are not representative of whom she portrays herself now. Instead, Cabello was “canceled” for past actions, leaving her with a tarnished name and racist label.

Even if I see Cabello as a horrible person, cancel culture insists that I join a boycott and ruin her entire future. There is a mob mentality surrounding cancel culture that has the power to end careers in seconds. 

Every individual has the right to say, “I do not support you or your career,” because that is our right. But, cancel culture takes that idea and amplifies it, making it so that no one else can either. It should be up to us, not cancel culture, whom we choose to support.

Consequences lead to change. Change is necessary. But, it is up to the individual to decide whether to support that change.

The Firing of Gina Carano

After hearing the news that Lucasfilms fired ‘The Mandalorian’ actress Gina Carano, I could not help but laugh. When watching season one of the show for the first time, I was blissfully unaware of what Carano was doing on social media. To me, she just played a strong female character who joined the Mandalorian on cool adventures in a galaxy far, far away. It was not until I finished watching the first season that I learned that she mocked pronouns and masks, compared the conditions of the Holocaust to political divides, and other insulting comments. 

Now, I love ‘The Mandalorian’ and was excited about its second season, but every time Carano’s character came on-screen, I could not help but feel discomfort– I just wanted her off my screen. Knowing that the actress was being continuously offensive on social media, I felt like I was doing something wrong by watching her act in the show. I felt as if I could not fully enjoy the show if she was a part of it.

I do not believe in “separating the artist from the art” since that mentality enables people to still have a platform to influence others. Grown adults saying slurs or offensive language of any kind should not be given a platform. People are free to be Republican, Democratic, Liberal, but they have no right to be offensive to others.

Fighting Games Are Awesome

One-on-one fighting games are one of the most well-known genres of video games. Most people know Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Bros. As someone who has invested over 550 hours into Smash Ultimate in the past year, I understand the “pure skill” factor always keeps the games so appealing.

The best thing about fighting games is the near-complete lack of random variables. It can be frustrating in so many different genres when there is so much luck involved in winning or losing. For example, in first-person shooters, you can be the greatest player ever, but you can still quickly lose if your random online teammates have a lower skill level than the other team players. Also, in some strategy games like League of Legends, many different random elements can determine a game’s outcome.

However, even though some minor random elements are present in fighting games, the winner of any game is entirely decided by your and your opponent’s skill levels. Of course, some characters are better than others, but the outcome is almost always fair. You are in total control of whether you win or lose. The losses may seem more devastating for this reason, but the wins also become much more satisfying.

Why is Among Us Dying?

Among Us was one of the biggest games in 2020, blowing up out of nowhere. With popular streamers and personalities such as Pewdiepie, Disguised Toast, and Pokimane playing, many people flocked to Among Us to see what the hype was about. Personally speaking, I found it extremely fun, for a bit. Among Us felt like the perfect game to play with your friends; the air of mystery and suspense added to the enjoyment. Especially with the current quarantine situation, Among Us seemed to be the next huge game. So why is it dying? One reason is the lack of content. If you play Among Us over and over without any sign of new content, it gets boring. Sure the occasional suspense may be fun, but the same map and the same procedure make it more of a chore. This leads to many fans leaving Among Us and finding newer, more entertaining games. Another factor that I found annoying was the absence of players. It is virtually impossible to play a game online as many players leave when they do not get the “impostor.” Getting the impostor means your job is to kill people, which is more fun than just playing crewmate where you need to find the impostor. Oftentimes, people just leave public lobbies, which makes the whole game virtually meaningless. Currently, Among Us is going down the same path Fall Guys went. A game that went viral for a brief period before ultimately dying. How can this be fixed? There are many things Among Us can do in order to bring back players as well as keep the remaining ones there. Adding new game modes could give Among Us a huge boost along with new maps. In conclusion, Among Us is declining rapidly, and if the creators do not take action, it will be another dead game.

CSGO vs. Valorant

In the realm of Esports, first-person tactical shooters are extremely popular and on the rise. In the category, one game has dominated the Esports scene for the longest time: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO). Riot Games, a respected company known for creating the popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game League of Legends, created their take on a tactical shooter, with a game known as Valorant. Many CSGO professionals have switched over to the game, and for good reason: many are saying it will topple the giants in CSGO. 

Valorant is a better game than CSGO, firstly for its visuals and graphics. CSGO’s graphics are old school, sticking to a very dull and monotone theme, which can often be hard on the eye for spotting enemies. Valorant, on the other hand, has bright visuals, which makes the game more exciting. In addition, Valorant is the superior game due to the ability-based gameplay, which relies heavily on team play. Many consider Valorant to be a CSGO and Overwatch hybrid, which is reflected in the variety of agents, each with unique utility, taking away the strict “one-fits-all” mechanics of CSGO. These advantages clearly show Valorant as the better game, which is reflected by the vast success the game has seen in the first year of its release.