So than in what instance should a piece of media be censored or cancelled because someone somewhere didn't like it?
If you mean "fired by their employer", then I'd say it's a valid reason to let someone go if they say something deeply inflammatory, for which every case would need to be investigated individually. The responsibility for which would be on the
employer, not unconnected people tweeting about it.
You agree that these critiques and complains go too far, so where would you draw the line? At what point would you tell someone, "Okay just don't watch/buy whatever this is."
Everybody has their own line, of course, that will lead them to complain.
Piers Morgan on ITV, who claimed that Meghan Markle was lying about the racism she's faced, and about her mental health issues. That elicited 40,000 complaints to Ofcom. I'd say that's a perfectly valid reason to complain, and I'm happy he's fucked off the show.
Rihanna & Christina Aguilera performing in scanty outfits on the X-Factor. That elicited ~3,000 complaints. In that case I think the complainants were in the wrong, and I'm glad nothing was done about it. Obviously the complainants still have the right to criticise, and me disagreeing with their criticism doesn't mean I think they should all shut up. They can voice what they want.
Because we are censoring Dr. Seuss books now. And if we are willing to go that far, then what stops people from tearing anything apart to find something offensive about it. Let's ban old Westerns for cultural appropriation while we're at it.
Soon nobody will be able to tell stories at all because any possible drama might offend someone.
I want people to be able to tell their stories. I also want people to be able to criticise them.
Companies and public figures have always received criticism, since the inception of art. And sometimes, if they think what they're doing is pissing too many people off, they'll alter what they're doing, without being forced to do so. This has also happened from the very beginning.
The difference now is that some people have manufactured a culture war around defending art from "woke" criticisms. As if those criticisms have some great power, or as if they're somehow new or uniquely dangerous.