Many of us had held one opinion or beliefs in the past that were somewhat questionable, and other now we've grown past that phase, but then those can resurface back into the mainstream, especially in this internet age, and such opinions can catch up with us and lead to people wanting to punish or judge us for our past beliefs. Is that ideal or the way to go? Should people be judged for the beliefs they held in the past, or should we just let it slide and move on with life at the current moment? In my opinion, I think the actions people can take on such a matter depend on the actual opinions shared, if it had a negative effect on others, and if such a person is genuinely remorseful and becomes a better person.
We must recognize the fact that no one is really a saint, nor do we have a manual on how to live life, so we're bound to make mistakes. I believe should someone have once shared controversial beliefs in the past, before we can take action, by holding them accountable or punishing them, first we must consider some of the following: firstly, if such beliefs or opinions cause real harm to others; another is to ascertain if the person has changed or still carries the same beliefs to date. Also, we must know what we want out of digging up their past: is it so they can apologize and make amends or so we can cancel them with no room for redemption? The response to the above can either make or mar the person in question.
Take, for instance, earlier this year we saw how artist Simi shared her take on rape and what should be done to rapists; she went on to share opinions like castrations and the likes, and some people went to her comment section to talk about how not just men are involved in rapping and what should be done to women who are involved in such too. Rather than address that like a public figure, she went on to rant at the people to shut them up, and this led to people digging up her past and seeing the controversial opinions she shared in the past, some that revolved around her encounter with young boys of around age four. Others are patterning to what she said she'll do to many celebrities if she gets to meet them.
Overall, this past brought up again made people feel like she must have been molesting young boys who were in her mother's day care, and if not for the fact that no one came out to lay a complaint against her, she might have faced the full wrath of the law, because even the state government saw the news and was ready to take actions as they encouraged anyone to come to them if they were her victim due to the things she shared when she was 23. Now, although we must recognize the fact that even though she said those things in the past, she might be joking, and even if she isn't, she's obviously a changed person now, and I think genuinely apologizing like she did shows she's not only remorseful but also a changed person.
So in a nutshell, should people be punished for their past opinions or beliefs? My response is yes and no, and from what I explained above, you'll get to see why I said so. If the opinion caused damage to others in the past and it's a serious issue, then they should face the consequences, but if it's minor and they show remorse and have changed, then we should let it slide and see it as a part of their growing and immaturity phrase.
All photos are mine.