Where do you draw the line between accountability and cancel culture? For the case of Gina Carano, it is certainly worth examining. The star of Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian was fired from the cast last week after sharing an Instagram post that appeared to liken the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany to that of different “political views” – allegedly alluding to Republicans – in America today.
Carano has a history of making controversial comments, having previously ridiculed those who wear masks to protect from COVID-19 and promoted the theory that the United States presidential election was fraudulent. Her latest social media outburst saw her complain: “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbours… the government first made their own neighbours hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views”.
It goes without saying that Carano’s recent remarks were tasteless, thoughtless, and entirely deserving of ridicule. Comparing today’s ostracisation of Republicans in parts of Western media to a despotic regime under which six million Jews were systematically tortured and murdered is not only incorrect but extremely lazy. It is on the same level as Twitter keyboard warriors who casually labelled Donald Trump as “literally Hitler” (whatever you think of Trump or Hitler, any understanding of history shows that the two have little in common). While right-wing opinions are certainly rarely voiced in Hollywood, it is unbelievably far removed from reality to compare this to the shocking reality of the Holocaust.
It goes without saying that Carano’s recent remarks were tasteless, thoughtless, and entirely deserving of ridicule. Comparing today’s ostracisation of Republicans in parts of Western media to a despotic regime under which six million Jews were systematically tortured and murdered is not only incorrect but extremely lazy. It is on the same level as Twitter keyboard warriors who casually labelled Donald Trump as “literally Hitler” (whatever you think of Trump or Hitler, any understanding of history shows that the two have little in common). While right-wing opinions are certainly rarely voiced in Hollywood, it is unbelievably far removed from reality to compare this to the shocking reality of the Holocaust.
Nevertheless, an equally true fact is that the consequences of Carano’s actions may outweigh the crime. Lucasfilm was quick to remove the actress from their client list and accuse her of “denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities”. She has also been fired from her agency, UTA. Reports also indicate that the Jedi council have officially condemned her.
Despite what many people may say, cancel culture is entirely real. Plenty of celebrities’ reputations have been irrevocably damaged by a single, poorly thought-out comment. Of course, Carano must learn from her actions. But consider the long-term consequences. Even if she admits her mistake publicly and never again puts a foot wrong, being terminated by UTA may very possibly mean that Carano never gets an acting job again.
As previously stated, the line between accountability and cancellation is difficult to pinpoint. According to The Independent’s Louis Chilton, Carano hasn’t been cancelled; Lucasfilm has merely distanced themselves from her comments. But accusing her of religious denigration is a dubious claim. And the production company are no saints themselves when it comes to antiracism, having once shrunk John Boyega’s face on a Star Wars poster in order to make the film more marketable to China.
Many will, additionally, point out the double standard of Disney, who took no action against producer Jack Morrissey after he tweeted; “#MAGAkids go screaming, hats first, into the woodchipper”. Or, for that matter, Carano’s Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal, who shared a tweet that compared the detention of illegal immigrants to Nazi death camps. If Carano’s unfounded Holocaust relativism merits punishment, then equal treatment must be given to Pascal.
I do not think Carano should have been fired; as a society, we have developed an incredibly unforgiving attitude towards transgressions like hers. The answer to speech that is deemed hateful is and always should be more speech. Moreover, I do not wish to absolve Gina Carano of blame for her comments, but it is meaningless to expose her wrongdoing without applying the same principle to her fellow actors, or calling out Hollywood elites for appeasing a Chinese regime that actually is currently engaging in a form of ethnic genocide.
The greater debate here is not whether what Carano said was wrong, nor is it even about cancel culture – it is true justice, achieved by exposing corruption at all levels. Just as we should acknowledge that Gina Carano’s comments were in error, we should aim for true objectivity when condemning celebrities for their choice of words, and place far greater scrutiny on the questionable ethics of the film industry.
Image Credit: Indiewire