Cancel culture has now canceled six Dr. Seuss books because someone somewhere was offended. Mr. Potato head was canceled because of gender identity and a group of people was offended. Elmer Fudd, Pepe Lepeu, Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and so many American institutions are being canceled. The irony while all this is being done in the name of our keiki, today’s music and entertainment industries are filled with obscenities and references to rape, murder, drugs, and fornication- and yet nothing has been canceled.
Some are talking of canceling our forefathers of this great country, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and other historic leaders. Prayer has been canceled in our public schools, yet is allowed in our prisons. Even our national anthem has been canceled at many sporting events. Many are in favor of canceling ‘God’ out of the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Why hasn’t the “woke police” canceled Hollywood and the entertainment industry which is filled with pornography, foul language and violence, or canceled the killing of babies, (abortions) yet cartoon characters and children’s books are being canceled. What’s next, your bible?
Cancel culture, the ‘woke police’, and now Kaua‘i’s own Chief of police for telling an ethnic joke. I never personally met Chief Todd Raybuck, however every time I pass his squad car or see him riding his bike on the multi-use trail with his family he waves or gives a friendly head nod. He seems very approachable.
People on Kaua‘i tell ethnic jokes, it’s part of the culture, comedian Frank Delima makes a living out of ethnic jokes. The Podagee (sic) joke is part of Hawaii culture, even told by many Portuguese people themselves in a self-deprecating manner. How many times do white people hear the haole derogative/ explicative as a joke here in Hawaii? There was a time we could laugh at the stereotypes of others as well as laugh at ourselves. This whole PC thing makes people take things way too seriously.
The Chief told an ethnic joke, to be precise a Japanese joke, he publicly apologized in a sincere manner. Is this reason for a man who appears to be overwhelmingly popular and liked by the community at large and outstanding at his job to resign or be fired?
Chief Raybuck from my observations is good for the island, to cancel him, would be 100 steps backward and only show we are following in the footsteps of the mainland cancel culture that is helping to destroy our great country. Nobody on these islands likes to believe we are following the mainland, we believe we stand alone, let’s take a positive stand for the Chief!
Cancel culture is scary because one day you are the one canceling and the next day you are the cancelee. (sic)
Say the wrong thing to a group of people, on Facebook or any social media platform, not only current or from the past and it can haunt you forever. Even if you said something in jest, as a joke 10 years ago when the times were different, some enemy of yours can bring it up in the present and ruin your life, especially in those interim years if you’ve become successful, famous, or even infamous.
Social media and comment sections of periodicals have become the downfall of society. The commenters are mostly trolls of the likes of chimpanzees throwing feces at one another. The commenters as the chimpanzees are experiencing stresses and agitations, which can cause them to react in fanatical ways with unkind and damaging words.
Chief Raybuck deserves a second chance. Please do not let cancel culture, the ‘woke police’ and stressed-out commenters get the best of our community, we are better than this.
There is a meme circulating social media that says it all. There is a photo of the cleaning solution, “Spic and Span,” it says, I feel a name change coming.
If God can forgive us, we can forgive the Chief. ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” John8:7
•••
James “Kimo” Rosen lives in Kapaa with his dog and blogs as a hobby at www.dakinetalk.blogspot.com
