If misery loves company, then controversy practically begs for it.
You don’t even have to look that hard to know that’s true.
The controversial death of George Floyd invariably gave way to the “mostly peaceful” riots across the country in 2020. The controversy surrounding all of former first son Hunter Biden’s legal issues begot his father’s even more controversial pardon of him just last year. And even just looking at 2025, the alleged senseless murder of Austin Metcalf by Karmelo Anthony has opened up a controversial bait box worth of worms when it comes to racial grievances.
And 2025 doesn’t appear to be done with the racially charged controversies.
If anything, the entire Anthony-Metcalf controversy — as the above point attests to — has seemingly given way to the Shiloh Hendrix controversy.
As any who have spent any time on conservative social media surely know by now, Hendrix, a Minnesota mother, has gone certifiably viral after a controversial video surfaced in which she seemingly lashed out at a belligerent child (who had been accosting her own kid) at a playground and was filmed saying “n*****” after some prodding by the videographer.
The video, which went viral for obvious reasons, sparked a massive fundraising campaign for Hendrix, who has generated over $750,000 due to death threats being hurled against her family.
Yes, many immediately construed this as some horrible “rewarding” of Hendrix’s behavior and use of a racial slur.
Or, at least that’s what the establishment, like the Anti-Defamation League, would want you to think about the Hendrix situation. According to the ADL, “white supremacists, anti-Semites and racists” are the ones responsible for Hendrix’s newfound wealth.
Do you agree with Matt Walsh?
But as we’ve seen by now, it wouldn’t be a controversy without another lingering right behind it.
This time, the ensuing controversy comes from conservative firebrand and Daily Wire star Matt Walsh, who took the contrarian position that all of this fuss about Hendrix’s fundraising was much ado about nothing and that it was all actually a “net positive” for society.
Controversial take? Obviously.
Astute take? Undoubtedly.
The crux of Walsh’s argument? While the establishment predictably focuses solely on the n-word usage, there’s a broader lesson to this all: Cancel culture is on its death bed, and that’s a great thing for everyone of any ideological persuasion.
“Now, I understand that some people on my side feel — to put it scientifically — ‘icky’ about this whole thing,” Walsh said. “I understand why they feel ‘icky.’ I understand why they don’t want to condone saying racial slurs to children.”
(And to be perfectly clear, it is not OK to hurl racial epithets at children. Hendrix was 100 percent in the wrong for that, though it must be noted again that she was effectively egged on to drop the slur by the videographer of the incident.)
“I don’t want to condone it either,” Walsh noted. “And I don’t. And nobody really does.
“But I think they’re missing the point. I don’t think they understand what’s actually happening here, or why.
“It is, in the end, a net positive that this woman has raised half a million dollars. I’m glad she has. I hope she raises a million.
“I will not be joining with some of my conservative friends and wagging my finger at her donors.”
(Probably worth mentioning that Walsh’s co-worker Ben Shapiro is one such “conservative friend” who has denounced the donations.)
Walsh then noted a couple of factors that make his point easy for him to embrace. He argued that Hendrix does, in fact, need the money, considering the “mostly peaceful” mob coming for her.
The Daily Wire star also slammed anyone trying to make this a “you have free speech, but you’re not free from consequences”-logic when it came to those sorts of death threats levied against Hendrix’s family.
“If losing your livelihood and having your house burned down is a consequence of your speech, then you do not have free speech,” he said.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Walsh noted, “This is the most devastating attack on cancel culture that we have seen, possibly ever.”
And that is, without reservation, a good thing, given the way cancel culture has become a weaponized bogeyman for both the left and right.
Do I wish this “final boss” — as Walsh puts it — of cancel culture hadn’t used the n-word? Of course I do. Honestly, given the way this situation involved a white person and a black person (similar to the Metcalf, who is white, and Anthony, who is black, tragedy), the leftist mob probably would’ve tried to cancel her anyways, with or without a slur being used.
Sure, Hendrix may not have raised the same money (it would be naive to suggest that some bigots didn’t contribute to the cause primarily for the use of the racial slur), but the message would’ve been sent loud and clear nonetheless: You overbearing hall monitors have run your course. Go take your whining and tattle-taling to someone who cares — which is becoming a rapidly thinning crowd.
Cancel culture is starting to flatline in 2025. It’s unfortunate that this is the way that’s been proclaimed to the world, but it’s a worthy proclamation regardless.
And there shouldn’t be anything controversial about that.
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