xQc Rages About Fake Cancel Culture
Popular streamer xQc made some bold claims about cancel culture in a recent stream, including promises to viewers that he would never engage with it. In fact, he doesn't even acknowledge its existence.
During a May 3 stream, xQc found a Reddit post that linked to a reaction video from a fellow streamer, Sodapoppin. In that video, Sodapoppin discussed a May 2 post from another streamer, DisguisedToast, in which he responded to allegations of problematic behavior. After briefly viewing Sodapoppin's reaction to DisguisedToast's lengthy explanation, xQc said, "Guys, I've said this before and I will say it again, okay? You're never going to have me do some stupid s*** like this."
A statement indicating xQc's disinterest in responding to outside influences on his content tracks with his brand as a controversial streamer. In fact, xQc has had his fair share of shady moments, in-game cheating, and bans. However, he did add an interesting assessment of the situation.
xQc explained, "You're not going to f***ing manipulate me like a puppet, like ... be this, do that for me, or whatever, okay? Because canceling isn't real. You're not going to f***ing cancel me, okay, unless you de-platform me literally, and unless I can't go live, and I can't tweet, and I can't post videos, I'm not canceled."
xQc calls out the difference between cancel culture and de-platforming
xQc's distinction between cancel culture and being de-platformed is meaningful, even if they may seem like two sides of the same coin. Being canceled is generally understood as a social action taken to minimize a public figure's ability to reach their audience by encouraging others to stop engaging with their content.
De-platforming, on the other hand, refers to an action taken by a service provider, such as Twitch, Twitter, or YouTube, which bans a user and removes their ability to utilize that channel as a way to reach followers. An example of de-platforming would be when Twitch banned Donald Trump's account.
The streamer elaborated further on the distinction, stating, "I don't know why people have to react to this. They don't have to. Cancel culture isn't even real. Nobody is getting canceled." xQc's point, it seems, is that responding to backlash by issuing a statement, as DisguisedToast did, may give validation to a controversy that might be better left alone.