So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Books | Computers / Internet / Social Media
3.7
(973)
Jon Ronson
Now a New York Times bestseller and from the author of The Psychopath Test, a captivating and brilliant exploration of one of our world's most underappreciated forces: shame. 'It's about the terror, isn't it?' 'The terror of what?' I said. 'The terror of being found out.' For the past three years, Jon Ronson has travelled the world meeting recipients of high-profile public shamings. The shamed are people like us - people who, say, made a joke on social media that came out badly, or made a mistake at work. Once their transgression is revealed, collective outrage circles with the force of a hurricane and the next thing they know they're being torn apart by an angry mob, jeered at, demonized, sometimes even fired from their job. A great renaissance of public shaming is sweeping our land. Justice has been democratized. The silent majority are getting a voice. But what are we doing with our voice? We are mercilessly finding people's faults. We are defining the boundaries of normality by ruining the lives of those outside it. We are using shame as a form of social control. Simultaneously powerful and hilarious in the way only Jon Ronson can be, So You've Been Publicly Shamed is a deeply honest book about modern life, full of eye-opening truths about the escalating war on human flaws - and the very scary part we all play in it.
Psychology
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Jon Ronson
Pages
290
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2015
ISBN
1594487138 9781594487132
Community ReviewsSee all
"I’m a big Jon Ronson fan and this book is particularly interesting in today’s world of cancel culture."
Meredith Lavergne
"This book is incredibly fascinating. I’m always recommending this book!"
Katie L.
"Jon Ronson is the man."
Gerhard Jason Geick
"4/5 ⭐️ This was such an interesting book! It was so fascinating (if also depressing and fear inducing) to hear first hand accounts of different people who experienced or were a part of the system of public shaming. This book forced me to think more deeply about this topic from a different perspective than I had previously. I thought the author was incredibly talented, and I am definitely interested in reading more by him in the future. However, even though I had a great reading experience with this book, I did have some issues with it. The writing style of the book was compelling and an interesting mix of research on the topic (ranging from more academic theoretical implications to personal case studies/interviews, to more absurd approaches) while also detailing the author’s journey on the topic. While all interesting, it was sometimes hard for me to get a read on the book - whether it was trying to be informative about a serious topic or a more humorous individual exploration. I think it might have been more effective (for me personally) if it had been in podcast or video essay format. I also saw another person talk about how they wished this book had delved a little deeper into the sometimes good applications of public shame (which I do agree with). However, considering the fact that this book was written so long ago in terms of internet years, I thought it held up really well. Again, I thought this book captured such unique perspectives and did a great job of increasing my interest in this topic."
E T
Emma Tang
"I haven't decided whether Jon Ronson's gonzo, faux-naïf style of journalism works for me yet. But he does a good job of humanizing his subjects, even those who are pretty polarizing or despicable. This was an intriguing read regardless. I do kinda wish he'd gone more into the misogyny inherent in many public shaming campaigns - I'm not one to bring up or assume sexist intent all the time, and I get frustrated when women such as Adria Richards characterize valid criticism of their behavior as misogynistic, but I think it's absolutely apparent that there are patriarchal double standards that can't be ignored or brushed away when it comes to public shaming."
Aileen Donahue
