So You've Been Publicly Shamed
author of The Psychopath Test, a captivating and brilliant exploration of one of our world's most overlooked forces. For the past three years, Jon Ronson has been immersing himself in the world of modern-day public shaming-meeting famous shamees, shamers, and bystanders who have been impacted. This is the perfect time for a modern-day Scarlet Letter-a radically empathetic book about public shaming, and about shaming as a form of social control. It has become such a big part of our lives it has begun to feel weird and empty when there isn't anyone to be furious about. Whole careers are being ruined by one mistake. A transgression is revealed. Our collective outrage at it has the force of a hurricane. Then we all quickly forget about it and move on to the next one, and it doesn't cross our minds to wonder if the shamed person is okay or in ruins. What's it doing to them? What's it doing to us? Ronson's book is a powerful, funny, unique, and very humane dispatch from the frontline, in the escalating war on human nature and its flaws"-- "For the past three years, Jon Ronson has been immersing himself in the world of modern-day public shaming--meeting famous shamees, shamers, and bystanders who have been impacted. This is the perfect time for a modern-day Scarlet Letter--a radically empathetic book about public shaming, and about shaming as a form of social control.
Stats for nerds
21recommend
47mentions
42people
2015–2026years
47% recommend53% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I've seen the internet mob in action many times. I'm sympathetic to the operator not outing themself, especially given how far this story spread. A hundred thousand angry strangers with pitchforks isn't the accountability we're looking for.
I found the book So You've Been Publicly Shamed enlightening on this topic.
- Jon Ronson has written several incredible books that all qualify as Gonzo Journalism. The only one I didn't like very much was the one about the adult film industry.
The Psychopath Test So You've Been Publicly Shamed Them: Adventures with Extremists
All great books and even better audiobooks that you'll like I think.
- Jon Ronson's (audio)book "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" is a starting point. https://www.amazon.com/So-Youve-Been-Publicly-Shamed/dp/1594...
For the attention-starved, here's the TED version: https://www.ted.com/talks/jon_ronson_when_online_shaming_goe...
Everyone is different; both in situation and tolerance for / ability to recover from trauma:
- find a project that you're deeply passionate about and throw yourself into it
- recruit a good therapist
- don't skip exercise; lap swimming (Google AfterShokz Xtrainerz) is an excellent way to calm your mind and keep your heart ticking
- don't let anyone convince you that the dumbest 0.01% of your life precludes you from finding meaning, belonging to a community or being loved
- Neither was fired for work performance. I think anything else is a distracting justification, not a reason.
James Damore was fired by a mob who boldly proclaimed "I didn't read his manifesto. I didn't have to".
None of these firings were for honest reasons, but all just to appease the mob. A mob who at least in the last case didn't bother to even find out what he said.
There are many more examples. I could list them on and on, but I'm surprised you've only heard of the two.
There was the lady who appeared to scream in a cemetery
If those two are truly the only ones you can think of then I'd recommend you google this a bit better, and to read "So you've been publicly shamed".
Hell, a year ago you'd be kicked off the internet (social media platforms) as a racist (wat?) for saying the lab leak theory was plausible.
And of course then there's the chilling effect.
- > Our failure to have a serious discussion about defining “cancel culture” encourages this.
Can we please just define it so we can move on as a society? I'm equally tired of this game where snarky writers try to pretend it doesn't exist. The first amendment doesn't protect against secret blacklists or mobs but we can still agree they are "bad things" and could agree on at least some new set of common courtesy.
All sorts of examples come to mind of unfair public shaming spectacles against largely undeserving targets:
John Roderick losing all sorts of shows and bookings for the "bean dad" episode: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/viral/bean-dad-john-rode...
"So You've Been Publicly Shamed" is full of examples. Here's an excerpt where the offender and the offendee where BOTH fired in retributions: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/news/a7933/exclusive-extr...
A recounting of a former blogger who ended up on a secret industry blacklist: https://miketunison.substack.com/p/fun-with-drew-magary
And it's not just a far off issue, this kind of stuff is happening in my area! To normal people! https://pdx.eater.com/2017/5/22/15677760/portland-kooks-burr...
- This subject was written about as well by the esteemed Jon Ronson, in "So you've been publicly shamed". Reading it today may sound quaint, but it's also interesting to know that he also wrote about Alex Jones several years before 2016.
