Should public figures who made offensive remarks when they were young be punished later? – Britons tend to believe famous people should be held accountable for offensive remarks if they were 20 or older when they made them – YouGov
Should public figures who made offensive remarks when they were young be punished later? – Britons tend to believe famous people should be held accountable for offensive remarks if they were 20 or older when they made them – YouGov
15 comments
Not at all surprising that straight, white people are less likely to expect someone to be held to account for things that they’ve said.
That’s probably due to most people not remembering how insufferable they were at 18.
When I think back to university and guild organised parties we’d all be perma cancelled just for attending. That wasn’t that long ago (20-25 years).
Generally no I don’t think so, but it does depend.
I think many of the things you seem hear about are when people were students, or in their 20s, and perhaps being a bit edgy and rebellious.
Also many things can be said when debating points, it’s not necessarily their heartfelt conviction. Most importantly a naive youngster can learn about the world and grow up with very different views and values. Society norms and language also evolve, so I’d be wary of lambasting someone for being a product of their time.
You need people to push boundaries and never quite know which way history will turn and view you.
Honestly, Is there anyone who doesn’t look back on some of the stuff they did and said in their teen’s and early 20s and doesn’t cringe?
It’s not about how much time has passed it’s about what that person has done in the intervening time to demonstrate growth/change/remorse/restoration/etc.
They may as well have asked: does time heal all wounds? Britons say no
If I like an actor for his or her acting skills, I really don’t care one bit what they might have tweeted, thought, said or what have you when they were younger. I’m probably never going to have a conversation with them anyway.
Generally I am all in favour of second chances and we all do silly things when we are young, but somebody has made a career out of judging others or are in Government then its a bit more complicated.
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The question is not nearly specific enough for me to give an answer I think I would be happy with in all circumstances.
What exactly is meant by “held accountable”?
Was the remark a genuine expression of detestable opinions or a questionable joke?
Have they already changed their opinion?
Is the remark relevant to any kind of influence the person has?
Commenting as an outsider who visits the UK occasionally…
It should depend on who is holding the offender accountable and if the offense was illegal or just unpopular. Public opinion can be a powerful thing to keep people in check for stupid statements and actions; but when a government steps in for unpopular speech / actions ( vs illegal) its a very dangerous thing…and will nearly always be abused to keep “the order”…as they want it…
Something I’ve really noticed is this push to establish solid immutable ‘rules’ for society that are built from ‘logic’ and applied the same to everyone. But that just isn’t how the world works.
For example people will say ‘you can always separate the art from the artist’ or ‘what this person said 20 years ago has no bearing on today.’ But in reality it’s always going to be a case by case bases and also an individual decision. Sure they might personally be able to do that, apply ‘logic’ to the nuance of social interaction, but I can’t and I don’t think the average person can or wants too.
It depends what’s meant by “accountable”.
Certainly, I think it would reasonable for someone to be expected to apologise for it. People can generally tell whether those apologies are sincere and know whether the person making the apology has genuinely changed or is just paying lip-service.
We’ve all said it done stupid things and an apology costs nothing.
No. Honestly half the shite posted on here and other platforms when people were young goes unanswered.
If they were kids when the comments were made then no, if they were adults then yes
You implied we were less likely to face discrimination or judgement because of who we are are,and trust me it’s not the case.
If they don’t apologise and merely double down then yeah