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The Cancel Culture War, is Now, BOTH Sides // Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald | Trusted Newsmaker
The Right’s Cancel Culture War
Cancel culture has long been framed as a tool of the political left, targeting conservative voices in media, academia, and entertainment. But in recent years, the right has increasingly waged its own cancel culture war — one aimed not only at political opponents but also at dissenters within its own ranks. From banning books to blacklisting journalists and silencing educators, the tactics look remarkably similar to the very practices conservatives once denounced .
From Outrage to Enforcement
Conservatives have historically criticized cancel culture as censorship and an assault on free speech. Yet today, right-wing leaders and media figures deploy the same strategies: social shaming, professional blacklisting, and institutional bans. Authors are being pulled from libraries, drag performers are barred from events, and universities face pressure to silence faculty who criticize Republican policies. In practice, the movement is less about protecting free expression and more about controlling the boundaries of acceptable discourse .
Book Bans and Education Battles
One of the clearest fronts in this cancel culture war is the classroom. School districts in states like Florida and Texas have pulled books dealing with race, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues, often at the urging of conservative advocacy groups. Teachers and librarians who resist face harassment or termination. The strategy mirrors the left’s campaigns to de-platform controversial speakers, except now it is aimed at restricting what children can read and learn .
Targeting Dissent Within the Right
Cancel culture from the right does not stop at liberal critics. Republicans who break with party orthodoxy — whether on Donald Trump’s role in January 6th or on foreign policy stances like aid to Ukraine — often find themselves ostracized. Primary challengers are funded against them, their committee assignments stripped, and their careers derailed. In many cases, loyalty to the movement outweighs loyalty to conservative principles, creating an environment where deviation is punished as betrayal .
Weaponizing Media and Influence
Right-wing influencers and media outlets amplify cancel campaigns through online outrage, boycotts, and call-in campaigns to employers. The same conservative commentators who decry leftist cancel culture mobilize digital mobs to punish critics of their movement. This tactic has proven effective in driving advertisers away from dissenting voices or forcing companies to take political sides. The very tools conservatives once condemned are now fully embraced as political weapons .
The Hypocrisy Question
Critics argue that the right’s embrace of cancel culture exposes a deep hypocrisy. Free speech is defended only when it aligns with conservative values; when it threatens those values, censorship is justified. This contradiction has eroded credibility in conservative claims to defend open expression, especially among younger generations who see little difference between left and right when it comes to silencing opponents .
The Broader Impact
The right’s cancel culture war contributes to a wider chilling effect on public discourse. Educators self-censor to avoid controversy, companies remain silent to dodge political boycotts, and journalists steer clear of sensitive topics. Instead of expanding the range of viewpoints in the public sphere, both left and right cancel culture efforts narrow it — leaving fewer spaces for genuine debate. In the long run, this mutual censorship risks creating a society where free expression is celebrated in theory but strangled in practice.
Cancel culture is no longer a phenomenon exclusive to one side of the political spectrum. The right has fully joined the war it once decried, wielding bans, boycotts, and intimidation with the same fervor as its opponents. What began as a critique of liberal overreach has become a mirrored campaign of silencing. In the end, the losers are not just the individuals targeted but the broader principles of open debate and democratic dialogue .
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