AstroWorld - Gen Z Cancel Culture, Tragedy, and TikTok
Cancel culture or a call-out culture is a modern form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person. Cancel culture usually kicks in when someone does something out of political correctness. Notably, many people claiming to have been "canceled" often remain untouched and continue their careers as before. Cancel culture can become sort of a witch hunt for anyone who goes against public opinion or political correctness.
For Travis Scott and his latest AstroWorld fiasco, cancel culture was enacted because of his lack of regard for human life. During injuries and deaths at a mosh pit at his AtroWorld concert, there were multiple clips of Travis seeing ambulances go through the crowd without stopping his show. I interviewed my friend Charles who was present at AstroWorld and is a part of moshpit culture, to get a better understanding of whether the cancellation of Travis Scott is fair and is permanent. We came to the conclusion that Travis is accountable, but not at the level that cancel culture demands.
It’s normal and expected for there to be injuries during mosh pits, but that this went way too far. “It’s not a moshpit if someone doesn’t get hurt, but no one should be dying at these things.” he said. Once the issues began, Charles was in the moshpit motioning to the security guards and surrounding concertgoers to help. He was lifting people onto his shoulders and attempting to move people who were injured to the outside of the moshpit circle, but no one was following moshpit protocol.
“This is where I will put the blame on the crowd. The girl died from the brain injury, I picked her brother up, but I wasn’t able to pick her up. I start picking people up. They’re all on top of the dude I was trying to save. I pick him up, I get pushed a little, I stumble. I pick him up, I pick another person up, I pick another person up, I pick another person up, I pick another person up, and then the crowd starts hopping again. I got lifted off my feet and moved to a whole different location. And then I couldn’t find the boy again.”
“Honestly it was the most sober concert I ever seen.”
The real issues began because of the combination of not having adequate security and the crowds excitement over Drake and Travis Scott ‘Sicko Mode’. Charles said “Everything at the Drake part of the show felt like survival.” The song is super popular because Drake is dissing Kanye West. Although the injuries really began once Drake was performing, it's easier to focus on Travis because it was his concert and he has a history of inappropriate behavior.
“The HPD chief said he got some issues with the safety standards and he told that to Travis on the day of the show. What the hell is Travis supposed to do about it now, and why are you telling that to Travis and not the operations manager?””
“It’s not a moshpit if someone doesn’t get hurt, but no one should be dying at these things.”
While Travis Scott does have a history of satanism, the Satanism theory wasn’t in our Gen Z peer group but mostly older people pushing that narrative. Social media can take anything small and make it big. I’ve seen dramatized incidents on TikTok of people saying they were stabbing people with needles of LSD, but that didn’t happen. Just like Facebook and Twitter, social media can be used to push a false narrative. It’s important to take everything with a grain of salt and do your own research.
“I don’t think Travis is canceled. I don’t feel Travis deserves to be canceled. Yes artists do have that power. They have the power to incite riots, cause change and move public opinion. I also think they have the power to change things they’re performing at let alone headlining. I also don’t think that Travis was moving in that mindset. I remember looking at Travis on the stage, and feeling like something was off...To me Travis is the one person who probably got the short end of the stick. He’s going to take a lot of [inaudible], but for that same reason he should’ve done his due diligence, I will agree.”
The Takeaway
Travis Scott was responsible for the deaths at AstroWorld, but he shares the blame with the organizers and Drake who performed with him. Travis was singled out mostly because of older folks accusing him of satanism. Cancel culture often blows situations up and makes it a witch hunt, which our generation is catching onto. We don’t believe everything the crowds say.
“We’re the most morally conscious group yet!”
