By: Nicholas Wilson

In the world of social media, cancel culture is a prominent debate among users of the internet. Merriam Webster defines cancel as to destroy the force, effectiveness, or validity of. Cancel culture is when people remove the support of figures on the basis of their objectionable opinions or actions.

After “getting canceled,” a person is boycotted by many people. A few examples of canceled celebrities of recent include Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Their actions were deemed wrong by a vast number of people, resulting in these celebrities to have reduced number of opportunities in media.

What makes a person susceptible to being canceled? What action is the last straw? When is it alright to give up on giving someone second chances? While all cases vary, some people advocate that making mistakes is a part of being human.

“To an extent, I would have to agree,” Marcus Smith said. “There’s been times in my life where I know people could have given up on me. They could have turned their eye and let me become another man in the jail system.”

Marcus Smith fits the description of a lot of men in America. Smith is a 21-year-old, African-American man. He stands about 5 feet 7 inches tall. Born in Georgia, Smith was raised by both of his parents. He also has a younger brother.

“People often look at my background and think they know me,” Smith said. “I may have been more privileged than some because I did, and still do, have both of my parents in my everyday life. However, I still can make the same mistakes as any other teenager.”

Growing up, Smith was heavily involved in sports. At the age of three, he picked up his first baseball bat. After trying his hand at different positions, Smith soon began to love playing second base. Baseball allowed Smith to meet other kids his age. These kids would grow up with Smith throughout his school life.

Sports are a great way for kids around the world to develop social skills. Also, sports can help with improving social interaction, increasing their confidence, improve their listening skills and overall health. While sports can bring people peers to keep them out of trouble, sports can also bring peers that surround them with troublemakers.

“As I progressed through school, I started to slowly notice small things about my life had changed,” Smith said. “I brushed it off though. To me, I thought it was that change that came with hitting puberty and going to high school.”

Smith began getting into small trouble in school. In middle school, Smith would begin to use marijuana. Eventually, Smith’s grades began to suffer. His parents began to ask themselves questions, but they continued to let Smith play baseball despite their curiosity.

“I think they thought I was just going through a rough patch because of puberty,” Smith joked.

Smith’s usage of marijuana had slowly crept its way onto school grounds. Before school, Smith and his friends would smoke. After school, Smith and his friends would smoke. Smith and his friends, now juniors at Newton High School, were on the radar of the school administration. Administrators knew Smith was able to decide right from wrong. Ultimately, marijuana would soon land Smith in trouble with the law.

“I remember walking out of school at the end of the day,” Smith said. “I saw a K-9 unit around my car. I tried to not walk toward my car, but the police had already been told that my car was in my parking spot.”

The K-9 unit would find marijuana in Smith’s car. At the time, Smith thought the police would just keep the marijuana. However, drugs on school grounds is illegal. Smith had also just turned 18.

Smith was arrested. None of his friends were arrested. All the marijuana that the group planned to smoke was in Smith’s car.

“I remember when my parents came to get me,” Smith said. “The look on their faces said it all. They didn’t need to say anything to me.”

Smith would be suspended for two weeks from school for the incident. Since he was an adult, Smith was placed on probation. Subsequently, Smith changed his friend group afterward.

“I don’t want it to seem like I am blaming them for my faults,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, I decided that these were the people that I wanted to interact with daily. I made that choice! As easy as it was for me to choose to do the act, I could have chosen not to do it.”

The following school year, Smith began to change his work ethic. His grades started to rise, while slowly beginning to show his parents that mistakes were mistakes.

During his senior year, Smith was named captain of the baseball team by his teammates. Batting leadoff, Smith would lead the district in batting average, signifying Smith as one of the best hitters in the district.

“My teammates and coaches knew my true character. They forgave me for my mistakes. They could have said enough is enough,” Smith said.

Upon graduation, Smith had been accepted into Georgia State University. However, Smith did not receive any baseball scholarship offers.

As of May 2019, Smith had earned his associate’s degree. Also, Smith is a part of an organization called, 100 Black Men of Atlanta. The organization provides black men with the opportunity to volunteer in the community.

“I know after my mistakes, some people looked at me differently. I completely understand that.” Smith said. “However, I’m showing that people’s mistakes don’t define who they are.”