A podcast host's take on an old tweet made me flip my stance

I was listening to 'The Deep Dive' yesterday and they were talking about that comedian who got dropped from a Netflix special over a 2012 tweet. The host said something like, 'We're judging a 40 year old for something they wrote at 25, as if people don't change.' That hit me because I'd been all for the cancellation, but it made me pause and ask if permanent consequences always fit. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where a single point flipped your view on a case?

4 comments

4 Comments

adams.uma2mo ago

Permanent punishment for old mistakes feels wrong. People grow up, you know? That comedian from ten years ago is probably a different person now. Should a dumb tweet in your twenties ruin your whole career? Where's the line for giving someone a second chance?

the_christopher6d ago

Ten years though? That's like a whole different lifetime for some people. A dumb tweet from 2014 when you were barely out of high school shouldn't follow you around forever like a shadow. I know someone who got fired from their retail job because of something they posted on Tumblr when they were sixteen. It's crazy how we let old posts define someone's entire character now.

hayden_craig952mo ago

It's tough when you realize you've been too quick to judge. Maybe the real test is if they've shown actual growth since then?

jamie_webb672mo ago

Honestly, what gets me is how we only do this for public people. My buddy said some truly awful stuff in college group chats, but he got to apologize in person and move on. Regular folks get that grace all the time.