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How to effectively deal with the cancel culture

On Behalf of | Nov 9, 2022 | Internet Defamation |

Attorney Paul Sternberg, an internet defamation attorney out of Houston, TX weighs in on cancel culture and social media.  Cancel culture is the removal or “canceling” of a person, organization, product, or brand due to an issue that a group disapproves of or finds offensive. It is essentially boycotting or withdrawing support for a public figure or company after they have done or said something objectionable. However, it is often performed on social media in the form of shaming or bullying.

Paul Sternberg states that cancel culture tends to involve name calling and other tactics that are designed to cause employers, consumers, and the media to discriminate against an individual on the grounds that the individual’s opinions do not conform to the group that’s seeking to cancel them. It can be achieved by threatening institutions or individuals that if they do not boycott the victim, they will become the subject of similar tactics. It is the fear of being cancelled that sometimes causes people to succumb to the pressure and go along with the cancelling.

Attorney Paul Sternberg explains that to achieve the cancellation the members of the pressure groups tend to attribute thoughts, values, and actions to the victim that the victim doesn’t possess. In many cases, they manipulate the victim’s opinions to fit the narrative of racism, sexism, hate or discrimination that they are trying to achieve by twisting opinions and giving negative and inaccurate meanings to the victim’s views — rendering the posts defamatory.

Paul Sternberg wants to advise people to be careful with the information they read and spread on the internet. Anyone can say whatever they want about another person without proof, and it only takes one person to be angry and convince others to go along with them to destroy someone’s life and cause irreparable damage to their reputation.

Attorney Paul Sternberg jokes that social media is the modern form of the Salem Witch Trials, but he’s not far off. Platforms offer little help when it comes to defamatory posts and a person would be hard pressed to get anything removed without legal assistance. Rumors are nothing new but with the invention of the internet, they can spread like wildfire and ruin lives in the blink of an eye.

So, what should you do if someone posts something defamatory about you? Paul Sternberg says the best way to handle it publicly is by ignoring it completely. Drawing attention to it only fans the flames of those doing the defamation. The next step would be to secure representation and let an expert figure out the best way to address it. Usually, the first part of that process is to send the originator of the post a cease-and-desist letter and go from there. If it continues, it may be appropriate to file a lawsuit. You may report the defamatory posts to the platform, but the report will usually result in inaction. Companies do not like to get involved in personal disputes unless they are forced to.

HIS ARTICLE SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS LEGAL ADVICE.

Attorney Paul Sternberg of Houston, Texas ph. # 713-392-4322 states that the above text is not offered as legal advice but is provided as general information. The information contained within may not be suitable for all individuals or situations. No attorney-client relationship is created or implied by the provision of this information, nor does the aforementioned make any warranties, whether expressed or implied, of any kind.

You can find out more about Paul Sternberg, his practice, and his CLE courses at TheDefamationAttorney.com.

SOURCE: Sternberg Law Firm