Cancel Culture as Norm‑Setting

Not all public punishments for speech are alike. Rob Henderson and Thomas Chatterton Williams argue 'cancel culture' is defined by outsized penalties used to establish new norms before society has agreed on them, rather than enforcing long‑settled taboos. This distinguishes norm‑war campaigns from routine sanctioning of universally condemned behavior. — A clearer definition helps institutions tell apart coercive norm‑entrepreneurship from legitimate rule enforcement, improving policy on speech, discipline, and due process.