Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

3 reviews

jhbandcats's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, and Classism

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Torture, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War

byelingual_kegan's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting