Excellent essay!

"We must also not ignore the “culture” portion of cancel culture. Everyone who witnesses events such as these sees and understands what is at stake. Indeed, it has been argued that the focus of the cancelation is not the one in the spotlight but those watching on the sidelines taking note of what’s happening. Those without tenure feel this strongly. “Sure, the full professor survived, but will I?” "

This is an excellent point. Dictators and totalitarian governments have always known that it is sufficient to punish just a few individuals to instill fear in many. Each public execution sends a powerful message to the masses. This is how it works nowdays -- each cancellation has chilling and demoralizing effect.