Gina Carano Uncanceled Herself

Gina Carano has been uncanceled, and it’s because she chooses to fight back instead of giving up. 

To get to where we are at this point in the story, we need to first explore the context in which she was canceled, and how she managed to come back swinging - and why. 

Cancel culture has long sought to destroy the lives and livelihoods of individuals who have come under the crosshairs of the woke mob. Make no mistake, it’s hard to come back from cancellation, especially when the reasons seem sound. After all, no one wants to work with a Nazi. But what happens when an individual is canceled for holding or expressing views that no one (really, no one) in their right mind would even think to oppose? After all, conservatism and liberalism have enjoyed a tug-of-battle for the soul of Western civilization since the age of Socrates, who was himself killed for his views. 

It’s safe to say that people are not right in the head these days - if they’ve ever been. So being of the “right mind” is something that stands in contrast to contemporary social norms. Common sense is all but obsolete, even if it was nothing more than an ideal.  

Popular opinions - being what they are - change from moment to moment. What was in vogue a decade ago is considered a cancelable offense by an ever-enraged collective of offense-seekers who are always on the prowl for anyone who doesn’t want to play catch-up with shifting social norms.

Gina Carano was canceled for expressing conservative sympathies - views that anyone in their right mind would agree with. After all, she isn’t a Nazi. And in fact, she was condemning fascism in its purest form: the imposition of political views onto those with whom you disagree. It’s something that the so-called liberal left has abandoned in favor of performative virtue.

Carano was canceled for comparing the Left’s treatment of Trump supporters and Republicans to the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews in the 1930s, whose persecution was enabled by the state, and enforced by neighbors - so-called ”Good Germans” - who treated their Jewish neighbors with suspicion, if not outright hostility. 

But where is the lie? 

While the comparison may seem hyperbolic, Carano’s oppressors only prove her point. And further details of the culture within Disney reveals that the actress was forced to sit through a struggle session in which she was berated by allies of the transgender community over her refusal to apologize for tweets mocking forced use of “preferred pronouns.” It was a toxic work environment fostered under the guise of inclusivity and diversity. 

Thousands of members of the woke collective ganged up on Carano to demand her firing then, and certainly after she posted the Instagram meme that ultimately got her canned. They called on Disney to make a statement - just days after the company backed Krystina Arielle, whose remarks on white people prompted anger from the Star Wars fan community. 

“And I was in such a good mood. White People: You do not get to absolve people of racism. You do not get to point out their ‘Growth’ when they say Black lives matter after treating us as if we don’t. You don’t get to accept apologies on our behalf,” wrote Arielle. “That shouldn’t need to be said..”

Arielle’s divisive comments reaped a host of condemnation from fans who followed her for her coverage of the Star Wars universe on her web series, The High Republic Show. Stoking racial tensions was not enough for Disney to back down from her defense, and prompted the billion-dollar company to double down on her remarks, calling the Star Wars community “one of hope and inclusivity.” 

“We do not stand for bullying and racism,” they said. 

And yet bullied Carano they most certainly did. Her crime? Speaking out on behalf of conservatives who are attacked simply for voting for Donald Trump. 

The same company did not deign to speak up on behalf of John Boyega, himself a victim of racist attacks and even the subject of censorship in the Chinese market, where Disney erased his likeness from the cover of its third new Star Wars movie. Hypocrisy abounds in woke capital. 

With Disney’s hypocrisy laid bare, and with conservatives becoming ever more woke to cancel culture, Ben Shapiro and his Daily Wire outfit reached out to Carano and offered her the means to return to public life. And it could not have been without her willingness to fight the good fight. 

“The thought of this happening to anybody else, especially somebody who could not handle this the way I can - no - they don’t get to do that,” said Carano in an interview with Shapiro. “They don’t get to make people feel like that. And if I buckle then little girls and little boys who are not getting any representation - who are not getting a fair shake at growing up right now - if I buckle it makes it okay for these companies who have a history of lying to be lying, and to do this to other people, and they’ve done it to other people - and I’m not going down without a fight.” 

Carano fights because she can, and her willingness to fight is proof that one can be uncancelled if one fights hard enough. Her actions are exemplary and should serve as motivation for anyone who has come under the crushing weight of the mob, providing them with the strength to lift themselves up and rise above. She may not be a Disney princess or a Star Wars heroine, but she’s certainly a champion.

You can follow Ian Miles Cheong on Twitter @stillgray