Morgan Wallen has kept a low profile after video surfaced of him using a racial slur last week. The consequences were swift and severe: in the days that followed the video’s release, Morgan was indefinitely suspended from his record label, dropped by his booking agent, removed from most radio playlists and stripped of ACM Award eligibility for 2021.
Now, his sister is addressing the issue – and cancel culture’s tirade against her brother. In a 7-slide statement on Instagram, Ashlyne Wallen denounced Morgan’s words, but asserted that it came from a place of ignorance, not hate. “I know my brother,” Ashlyne writes. “He is my best friend, and although what he said was completely unacceptable, I know in my heart that it did not come from a place of hate or malicious intent.”
Ashlyne went on to address how Morgan sees the consequences of his words. “The word he used should not be in anyone’s vocabulary,” she says. “I believe that everyone is aware of this, and now, especially my brother.” She also pointed out that much of the criticism directed at her brother is warranted – as long as its goal is to educate, and not condemn.
“There is criticism that he is receiving that is positive and educational – this should continue to happen, as it will help him grow and learn from his mistake,” writes Ashlyne. “He is well aware of his wrongdoing and will be making changes in his life to rectify his actions in any way that he can.”
Ashlyne calls cancel culture “the worst thing that has come out of our digital world,” saying that it “leaves no room for forgivness and growth…leaving no opportunity for individuals who have made mistakes to learn from them. “We are all human, and while you might not make the same mistakes one person did, you will make one in the future or have definitely made one in the past.”
She concluded her statement by asking whether people would rather live in a world with forgiveness, where wrongdoers are “given a chance to grow and learn; or a snowball effect of hate that leaves no room for grace or growth.”