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Is 'Cancel Culture' Killing Free Exchange of Ideas?

Dora Mekouar

   Roya Hakakian knowsa thing or two aboutlivingoutside of the mainstream.

   "I understand marginalized communities because wherever I have lived,
   from the beginning of my life until now, I have belonged to at least
   one marginalized community, if not more than one," she says. "I lived
   as a woman in Iran under the Islamic Republic, where women were
   second-class citizens. I also lived there as a Jewish person. Then, I
   have come to the United States, living as an Iranian, which, you know,
   is a banned nation."

   And yet, the author and poet, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, is an
   outspoken critic of"cancel culture,"a practice that portends to create
   safe spaces for marginalized people. "Canceling" someone involves
   withdrawing support for a public figure or company deemedby othersto
   have said or done something considered objectionable or offensive.

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