The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that

The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that

Anne Applebaum
22/09/2025
22/09/2025

The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.

(4 evaluate)
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight.
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that
The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that

When Anne Applebaum declared, “The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms, and the exaggerated claims of those who practice identity politics are a political and cultural problem that will require real bravery to fight,” she spoke with the gravity of one who has studied the rise and fall of nations. Her words are not complaint, but warning: that cancel culture, extremism, and unchecked identity politics are not merely disputes of the moment, but storms that threaten the very balance of free thought and civic life.

She reminds us that freedom is not only imperiled by tyrants in palaces but also by mobs with voices raised in fury. The Internet, once hailed as the marketplace of ideas, has become also a place of judgment without mercy, where reputations are shattered in an instant and nuance is drowned by noise. To withstand such fury is no small task; it requires courage to speak, knowing that the multitude may descend upon you.

The ancients understood this peril. In Athens, Socrates was condemned not by kings but by citizens stirred to rage, condemned for words that unsettled the powerful and the comfortable. His death was a warning that a democracy can devour its own freedom when extremism takes hold of public life. Applebaum’s words echo this timeless truth: that bravery is required not only to resist tyrants, but also to resist the tyranny of the crowd.

History offers sobering proof. During the French Revolution, voices of moderation were silenced by cries of extremity. Writers, thinkers, and journalists who dared to question the reigning fervor were swept to the guillotine. Their fate shows how easily exaggerated claims and radical passions can consume even the noblest causes. Applebaum calls us to vigilance, lest our own societies repeat the same folly under modern banners.

Thus, her teaching is clear: the battle for freedom is not won once and for all. Each generation must find the bravery to defend open thought, to resist both the heavy hand of oppression and the fiery zeal of mobs. Let the children of the future remember: justice is not served by silencing voices, but by listening, reasoning, and standing firm against both fear and fury. For only where courage and truth walk hand in hand can a people remain truly free.

Anne Applebaum
Anne Applebaum

American - Journalist Born: July 25, 1964

With the author

Sometimes the point isn't to make people believe a lie - it's to make people fear the liar.

Anne Applebaum

Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, isolationism was an important, even dominant strand in U.S. politics. After the Second World War, this strand disappeared, smothered by the widespread and bipartisan conviction that the United States needed to stay engaged with the world to prevent future crises.

Anne Applebaum

The hard truth is that Trump was not exceptional. He was just another amoral Western businessman, one of many whom the ex-KGB elite have promoted and sponsored around the world, with the hope that they might eventually be of some political or commercial use.

Anne Applebaum

For hundreds of millions of people, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a great triumph: The moment marked the end of hated dictatorships and the beginning of a better era. But for the KGB officers stationed in Dresden, the political revolutions of 1989 marked the end of their empire and the beginning of an era of humiliation.

Anne Applebaum

Given the right conditions any society can turn against democracy.

Anne Applebaum

Five years after the Chernobyl disaster, in the summer of 1991, the last summer the Soviet Union was still in existence, I visited Ukraine. I trekked out to the 20-mile exclusion zone - it had been cleared of all people after the accident - together with some local environmental activists.

Anne Applebaum

As in nature, so in politics: Every action has a reaction.

Anne Applebaum

Like wealth, or health, political freedom may simply be something that people don't value if they've always had it.

Anne Applebaum

Same category

In politics, guts is all.

Barbara Castle

Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.

Ronald Reagan

Lincoln was a supreme politician. He understood politics because he understood human nature.

Charles A. Beard

Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?

Robert Orben

The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.

Ross Perot

Alliance - in international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.

Ambrose Bierce

I'm not sure I am a politician. I would say that I am still an artist, and I'm trying to use politics as an instrument for change.

Edi Rama

You've never heard me talk about politics all that much, and it's just - I can't think of anybody more dangerous as president than Donald Trump. I can't think of anything worse than with him not having a clue. I mean, could you imagine somebody who doesn't read and doesn't learn trying to deal with the day-to-day changes and challenges of that job?

Mark Cuban
Tocpics Related

Bill Rancic Quotes

Beverley Mitchell Quotes

Faith Quotes

Victor Hugo Quotes

Lori Loughlin Quotes

Harold Pinter Quotes

Nature Quotes

James Russell Lowell Quotes

Notable authors

Peter Levine

David Jason

George Jessel

Tom Cotton

Tim Harford

Rick Owens

Jenny Eclair

Gregory Peck

Have 4 Comment The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that

TVTuong Vi

While I understand Applebaum’s concern about cancel culture and identity politics, it makes me wonder—how much of this is really about differing values, and how much is it about an erosion of civility in public discourse? How do we ensure that voices from all sides can be heard without becoming too polarized? And is there a way to address the underlying issues behind cancel culture without giving in to fear or avoidance?

Reply.
Information sender

MNLe Minh Nhut

Applebaum’s assertion about the problems created by cancel culture and identity politics raises an important question: Is this really a political issue, or are we looking at a broader cultural shift in how people interact and express opinions? What does it mean to be brave in the context of these movements? Can we fight extremism while still respecting people’s right to protest, or does that inevitably lead to censorship and division?

Reply.
Information sender

MDKim Men Doan

I find Applebaum’s perspective on cancel culture and extremism thought-provoking, but I’m not sure I agree with her stance. Is it really 'bravery' to challenge movements that are trying to hold people accountable for harmful behavior? Can we truly fight extremism without addressing the root causes behind it? What role do platforms like social media play in fueling these divisions, and is there a way to approach these issues without further polarizing society?

Reply.
Information sender

NNNga Nguyen

Anne Applebaum’s statement brings up an interesting point about the cultural and political challenges posed by cancel culture, identity politics, and extremism. But does the idea of 'bravery' in fighting these issues mean confronting uncomfortable truths, or does it suggest a need to fight back against what some may see as a necessary form of social accountability? How do we find a balance between standing up for free speech and ensuring that harmful rhetoric is not tolerated?

Reply.
Information sender
Leave the question
Click here to rate
Information sender