According to The News & Observer’s Luke Decock, N.C. State radio announcer Gary Hahn has been banned indefinitely after making a reference to “illegal immigration” in Texas on Friday.
While calling the Wolfpack’s 16-12 loss against Maryland in the Mayo Bowl on Friday, Hahn updated listeners about the Sun Bowl, which was also taking place at the time, by saying “down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.”
He wasn’t wrong. If anything, he spoke the truth but no one cares for the unfiltered truth anymore.
That was it. That was all it took for the touchy left to cancel this man’s seasoned career.
Kyle Winchester, the Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager, later confirmed the broadcaster’s indefinite suspension in a statement to The News & Observer. Annabelle Myers, the associate athletics director for communications at the school, also confirmed the punishment in a statement to NBC’s local affiliate.
Cancel culture has been around for a while, but it’s only recently that it’s become so toxic. It’s become a trend where people are publicly shamed, cancelled, or even blacklisted for saying something that goes against liberal opinion.
The problem with cancel culture is that it often goes too far. People who make mistakes or say something that goes against popular opinion can find themselves being attacked and shamed on social media. There’s no room for nuance or debate, and instead, people are being judged by a few words taken out of context and used against them.
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Here's what got NCSU announcer Gary Hahn immediately and indefinitely suspended after today's broadcast: pic.twitter.com/4qkyQ1jzT2
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) December 30, 2022
The problem is that cancel culture has become so toxic that people are afraid to speak their minds for fear of being canceled. People who are in the public eye, such as celebrities, politicians, and journalists, can be particularly at risk of being canceled if they say something that goes against popular opinion.
The best way to combat cancel culture is through dialogue and open debate. People should be allowed to express themselves without fear of being canceled. Unfortunately, those days seem to be long in the past.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.