Sharon Stone Says Cancel Culture Is The Stupidest Thing She’s Ever Seen

Social media has made the world a more reactive place than ever before, and all it takes is 280 characters or less to have cancel culture sharpening its pitchforks. The days of online debate and discussion are over, with most of the news reduced to soundbites that spread across the internet like wildfire, to the extent that barely a day goes by anymore without someone being threatened with cancellation.

Things have gotten to the stage where fictional superhero Tony Stark was the subject of an online campaign, with #TonyIsOverParty trending in the wake of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealing that the erstwhile Iron Man didn’t pay any of the Avengers for their efforts in saving the world. It’s a ridiculous notion from top to bottom, but it’s also just the tip of the cancel culture iceberg.

Sharon Stone has now chimed in to call it the stupidest thing she’s ever seen happen, and she’s in a better position than most to pass judgement. After all, the actress recently revealed that she’d been duped into Basic Instinct‘s most infamous scene, and faced some serious harassment from the producers. These days, those sort of allegations would ignite the fury of a social media army, but the actress says she’d much rather have a conversation than go on the attack.

“I think cancel culture is the stupidest thing I have ever seen happen. I think when people say things that they feel and mean, and it’s offensive to you, it’s a brilliant opportunity for everyone to learn and grow and understand each other. We all come from different ages, different cultures, different backgrounds, different things, and have had different experiences, different traumas, different upbringings, different parents, different religious backgrounds, different everything. People should give others an opportunity to discuss things before you wipe out their entire person over a statement or a comment or a misunderstanding. Stop being so small. People have done so much more than one sentence.”

In the long run, cancel culture never really amounts to anything other than a mild inconvenience for the target. Gina Carano’s detractors may have claimed her dismissal from The Mandalorian as a victory, but it had nothing to with them and was a decision made at a boardroom level by Disney. Throwing fuel onto the flames only turned it into a hot-button issue, rather than the actual reason for her getting fired.