You’re being disingenuous. Would you describe any of the examples we’ve discussed so far as criticism? We’ll start simple as you only seem to be able to understand what cancel culture is when the right does it.

Would you describe Colin Kaepernick’s treatment as criticism? Do I “only care about free speech when it’s mine” because I think the things said about him were repugnant? Was losing his livelihood just the cost of a culture where we’re free to criticise each other? Or something worse?

Would you describe Bret Weinstein being surrounded by gangs of screaming students, shouting abuse as he tried to do his job and demanding he be fired as criticism? Would you describe calling women the most vile slurs or threatening their lives and the lives of their children as mere criticism? Is the above behaviour okay if these people manage to survive the onslaught?

You’re not seeing it because you don’t want to see it. You don’t want to acknowledge how ugly this notion of “holding people accountable” has become. At least not when it’s being done by people on “your side” Or who knows, maybe you’re so determined to defend it because you do it yourself.