Reviews tagging 'Racism'

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

11 reviews

jhbandcats's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

For what this book is, it’s excellent, but I kept wanting more. I can’t really articulate what that “more” might be, however. I wanted Jon Ronson in my living room so I could ask him what he thought about the whole US political situation. (Joe Biden announced today he’s dropping out of the race.) Trump has repeatedly been publicly shamed and he’s proud of it - it’s part of his populist allure. Why do some people wither under public shaming and others thrive?

I was reminded of a chapter in Douglas Preston’s collection of non-fiction articles, The Lost Tomb,  about the vitriolic hatred of Amanda Knox. She wasn’t shamed but the tide of rage against her was the same. (She isn’t mentioned in this book.)

Ronson’s premise is that with the internet, public shaming is everywhere and it’s worse than ever because it never goes away. Being literally pilloried ended in the mid-1800s (except in Delaware, it seems). After a few hours, the miscreants would be released, their punishment over, their shame gradually dissipating as they again walked among their disgusted neighbors.. Not so with the internet. 

Ronson interviews shamers, people shamed, and people working in the shame “industry.” People who have been publicly shamed are more likely to be absolutely crushed by it. They feel their lives have been destroyed. This is a very sad book to read as a result. Should someone lose their best job ever because they made a stupid, ill-considered joke on social media? 

It reminded me of the woman who called the cops on the Black birdwatcher in Central Park. People were horrified at her racist behavior that could have had deadly consequences. She was, I felt, appropriately shamed - she lost her job, her dog was taken away, life as she knew it was over. (This book was published before that incident.) But what she had done had a real victim, an actual person. When someone makes a stupid joke on the internet, there is no actual victim. Why then is the anonymous rage so overwhelming? 

So much to think about here. 

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rory_john14's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0


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frankieclc's review against another edition

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3.0


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hellandhogwarts's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0


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vanessa_reads_a_lot's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.0

This is one of the worst books I’ve ever read. 

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literaltrash's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0


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raaaeanne's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.0


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renjamin's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

3.25

This book is an exciting dive into the culture of shame that has developed on internet culture. While informative, you can tell that the author has not been affected by the things the subjects of his book have committed online. The book focuses so intently on the consequences of individuals' actions that it skips over a critical factor that there is a problem with people saying problematic and specifically racist things online confidently, without fear of consequence.  

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kaimju's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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jbellomy's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

2.25


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