Countering cancel culture

In 2026, everybody is afraid of being canceled. Personally, I know what that feels like and it is a terrible feeling. There have been many instances in my life where people have conveniently canceled me right in front of my face and it didn’t matter if I was friend or family. I Never really thought of myself as the type of person who would cancel another due to differences (especially political) since I was always taught that it was better to agree to disagree and, most of all, because relationships are more important.

I am 50 years old and while I think that being canceled hurts, my generation hasn’t really done much to stop the culture that is making the younger generation bear the brunt of it the most. Believe it or not, even in the tech world, the focus has shifted from people to algorithms, with censorship clashing against AI sovereignty.

In real life however, fighting cancel culture is about strategic resilience. For the Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the digital world is a part of their everyday life. The digital world for young people IS real life, so they are hyper vigilant in auditing their thoughts because they are afraid of being PERMANENTLY wrong. Young people are even too afraid of having a bad take on things and making mistakes is disastrous to a point of no return. Young people live in a chronic state of stress and fear that they might accidentally align themselves with someone who has been canceled.

If we young ONCE think we have it hard in the cancel culture world, the young ones have it even harder when the chance of building grit and resilience is not a priority as their primary goal is social belonging and being blocked feels like physical assault.

No one seems to fully understand the impact this has in the classroom and how our children today are learning. Young students in this day and age hesitate playing devil’s advocate and wait for proper consensus before engaging in debates or discussions. Imagine the damage on your critical thinking skills! In effect, young people succumb to social pressure or content that helps them evade the cancel culture and instead abide by certain “norms” as a form of social insurance.

The saddest part of cancel culture is the great fallout among family and friends. Such dynamic has become more fragile in the cancel culture world instead of agreeing to disagree respectfully. The hardest part for young people is when they are told to unfollow someone to avoid being a target. This creates an environment of low trust and extremely high social anxiety.

Imagine that you have a son or daughter who decided to follow Jesus but their peers are totally against it because they see Christianity as something political or non-conforming to their beliefs. What would you do? As a parent, how would you feel if your child was canceled? Christian youth are often labeled as judgmental and non-inclusive, especially when they tell others that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. Cancel culture has no foundation and despite the pressure on young Christians, they are also the very same ones who are discovering the counter cancel culture through their faith, as Christianity gives them a sense of solidarity and purpose.

Perhaps one might say that this counter cancel culture could be true for the young people who are no longer swallowing the narrative on the ICC story as the Gen Z and Millennial support for the probe took a nose dive, according to opinion firm WR Numero. While we can believe this or not, it also appears to me that our Filipino youth, being our next generation of leaders, are also the very same clever folks who are realizing that this issue is no longer about justice but rather a chess game by the elite to neutralize a political rival and perhaps manage succession. At most, this is what is being observed.

It also seems to me that, while the older guys are making the moves, the younger ones are feeling the tension and perhaps this can also explain why they are so anxious – after all, there seems to be no moral reckoning for the millions lost in projects that never existed. Ultimately, correcting the cancel culture is no longer about winning the argument – it is about building resilience, it is about truth vs lies where you can identify what God says about you vs what a bully says. When your life matches your words, the bully loses its grip.

I believe that this is a year where we all must work together to ensure a subculture of high trust in a high-cancel world. For one, as a constituent of Quezon City, I am proud of our leadership who ensures that we are not only able to express our ideas and concerns but, more importantly, are part of a space that makes it safe for us to do so. I am part of Generation X and I believe that we have a unique position here and now, by using our grit to help the digital fragility of Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. As Gen X’ers, our job is to be mentors of resilience and lead the counter-culture regardless of where our political, social or cultural beliefs reside.

Bravery is contagious and when the leader refuses to be bullied, it gives the youth permission to stop being afraid. More importantly, if we are to apply biblical principles to the equation, the Bible tells us that it isn’t about “anything goes” but rather “everyone is invited.” Biblical truth is not about MY truth but about one person and that is Jesus Christ. The Bible’s version of inclusivity is far more expansive than cancel culture simply because it includes people that society wants to throw away. While the world cancels people for their past or their wrong opinions, the Gospel offers a seat at the table to anyone, regardless of their background, status or history. It’s time for leaders to step up to the challenge.