One thing I hate so fucking much about people dig up shit to “cancel” people for is that they are never part of the affected demographic. They are not looking for shit someone did wrong 10 years ago because they want to make sure they’re a good person, they’re doing it because they want an excuse to hate them.
The obvious consequence of this, however, is that suddenly an entire demographic is deeply uncomfortable with a creator who once brought them joy.
A thread recently came out about how when Wilbur Soot was 19 he made a lot of very harmful antisemitic jokes. He is now 25 years old. He has talked numerous times about how much he hates the person he was before he was about 22, and how much he’s grown since then. He’s demonstrated this growth too.
The person who published this thread was not jewish and I would assume that the person who gave them the information is not either.
I am jewish. Seeing these screenshots of “jokes” about the genocide of my people fundamentally hurt me. These screenshots do not show his current beliefs or behaviors. It would be impossible to find these jokes if you hadn’t gone actively searching for them. However I still felt betrayed and panicked, no matter how much I knew that Wilbur has changed. I do not know if I can ever watch his content again and find comfort.
This is the problem with digging into peoples past this way. It is never, and never has been, a selfless act nor a form of activism. It is the very opposite. It is the exploitation of marginalized identities to justify your dislike of someone.