A review by thomasgoddard
Outraged: Why Everyone Is Shouting and No One Is Talking by Ashley 'Dotty' Charles
3.0
Tell anyone that you're against online bullying, prejudice and injustice and they'll all agree with you and assume you're talking about the other side. I'm constantly amazed by the human capacity for self-delusion. I've had hour-long discussions with people about some topic or other to see when it'll click that the brainless, vicious and narrow-minded viewpoint is their own. It never does.
Most criticism is the same. It's medicine, but it's such a hard pill to swallow, you'll sooner spit it at someone else's feet. So it is with social media outrage.
There's plenty to be outraged about, but the message of the book is very much one of making sure you're not wasting your energy when you could be using it to promote real change.
Whatever twitter's latest crusade is, maybe think twice before jumping onto the passing bandwagon. Instead, think about legitimate ways to improve the world. And if you can't, shut up and get out of the way to allow credible voices to be heard and positive actions to be taken.
I feel like this book always hedged it's bet. It suggests outrage has its place behind the right cause... But it just comes across as the author making sure there's enough of a foothold left for her to sell a book or two. Maybe I'm top cynical.
My view that outrage is entirely without profit... That's my opinion. You don't have to agree. I just haven't seen an example of outrage working. Passionate desire for justice, yes. But outrage... That's kneejerk. So no.
That's not me saying the book is awful though. It should be required reading before anyone gets a Twitter account. The author has a talent for speaking plainly and with a natural lyricism and flow. Very impressive and I'll be seeking out the articles she's written. The book's virtue is that it isn't a book with an extreme viewpoint. It attempts to be balanced. There's a little slant to it. But all things these days are a little askew.
Most criticism is the same. It's medicine, but it's such a hard pill to swallow, you'll sooner spit it at someone else's feet. So it is with social media outrage.
There's plenty to be outraged about, but the message of the book is very much one of making sure you're not wasting your energy when you could be using it to promote real change.
Whatever twitter's latest crusade is, maybe think twice before jumping onto the passing bandwagon. Instead, think about legitimate ways to improve the world. And if you can't, shut up and get out of the way to allow credible voices to be heard and positive actions to be taken.
I feel like this book always hedged it's bet. It suggests outrage has its place behind the right cause... But it just comes across as the author making sure there's enough of a foothold left for her to sell a book or two. Maybe I'm top cynical.
My view that outrage is entirely without profit... That's my opinion. You don't have to agree. I just haven't seen an example of outrage working. Passionate desire for justice, yes. But outrage... That's kneejerk. So no.
That's not me saying the book is awful though. It should be required reading before anyone gets a Twitter account. The author has a talent for speaking plainly and with a natural lyricism and flow. Very impressive and I'll be seeking out the articles she's written. The book's virtue is that it isn't a book with an extreme viewpoint. It attempts to be balanced. There's a little slant to it. But all things these days are a little askew.