Cancel Culture vs Free Speech - Centre For Peaceful Solutions

Tom

11 November 2026

This week…

Cancel Culture vs Free Speech

Comedian Tony Hawks Exposes the Real Problem

Why are we so obsessed with passing down wealth, and what is it doing to the society we live in? That was the question at the heart of my latest episode of All Things Conflict, when I sat down with comedian, writer and author Tony Hawks. It turned into one of the most provocative conversations I’ve had on the podcast, taking in free speech, cancel culture and, finally, inheritance.

We started in the minefield of modern comedy. Tony’s case is that intent must matter more than individual words. When we censor comedians over a single trigger word, rather than looking at what they actually meant, we narrow public dialogue. Knee-jerk offence, he argues, only feeds political division, and we talked about what happens when institutions try to ban satire altogether.

One idea has stayed with me since. If our core identity is simply “human being”, then our cultural, national and religious groups become the ways we choose to belong, rather than tribal lines to defend. In the work we do at Peaceful Solutions, that shift from identity to belonging can change how people see the person across the table.

Then the conversation took a turn into wealth and family. Tony challenges the conventional wisdom on parenting and generational wealth, making the case that leaving large inheritances to adult children traps us in a modern caste system. It sustains inequality and can stop younger people discovering their own resilience. So instead of passing on property and capital, Tony is leaving his son a modest, wage-earning role in a charitable trust: the gift of contribution rather than passive privilege.

We also talked about the hidden power of language. Moving away from phrases like “my house” or “my children” can help parents step back, let young adults make the mistakes they need to make, and loosen ego-driven control. And Tony offered a different way to think about giving: seeing wealth as temporary permission to meet the needs around us, rather than something to stockpile out of fear. Whether you agree with him or not, I think you’ll find plenty to reflect on. Listen to the full episode on All Things Conflict, wherever you get your podcasts.

Maria

Key Takeaways

Intent vs. Outrage in Comedy: Censoring comedians over single trigger words rather than examining their underlying intent narrows public dialogue and fuels political backlash.
The Identity vs. Belonging Distinction: Recognizing that our core identity is “human being” allows us to treat cultural, national, and religious groups simply as chosen methods of belonging rather than tribal lines.
The Pitfalls of Inherited Wealth: Passing down property and capital to adult offspring sustains systemic inequality and restricts younger generations from discovering their own resilience.
The Hidden Power of Language: Moving away from possessive phrasing like “my house” or “my children” helps parents step back, let young adults make necessary mistakes, and release ego-driven control.
Re-imagining Giving: True contribution comes from using wealth as temporary permission to meet community needs rather than stockpiling capital out of fear.