I ran across this NPR article on public shaming. I thought about Listeater, those drunken frat boys at OU and felt some shame over my initial perverse delight over them getting what they "deserved." Face it, the public ridicule was way more than they deserved. We shouldn't allow a person's worst moments to define them forever. It's time to try to get a handle on this social media phenomenon and as a public learn to say "It looks like you screwed up. You sorry? Been punished appropriately? OK. Let it be a lesson to you and let's move on." Stupid chants from drunken frat boys shouldn't be reason for an ongoing major national media story or reason for long-term public protests.
Good post. My wife and I have talked about what we might have done if we’d had Twitter and Facebook and all this social media when we were in our teens and twenties. We are both pretty sure we would have said and done some dumb regrettable crap if we’d had these kinds of outlets back then.
Yeah, I am glad this social media thing was especially not around when I was a teen or even college age. I am sure I would have said some dumb crap that I would regret or would be embarrassing on some level. Hell, I am an "adult" now and I say some dumb stuff on this forum from time to time!
That was a very good piece. Unfortunately, the Internet has no social conciense or ability to know when enough is enough. I fear for my 3 sons as they grow up in the internet age. Consistently I tell them that they need to be prepared for the fact that anything they do on twitter, facebook, snapchat or other digital medium could be used against them at any point in the future. Do you think that concept is possible to grasp for a 13yr old boy though who can't plan til next week?
Martinez Fischer added an amendment to the budget to report on and off campus insensitive remarks by frats and other campus groups. This coming from a person that used the slur "pendejo gringos" to describe Republicans. Maybe he should report himself as a racist.
Yeah, when I was a kid I remember my mother telling me never write anything in a letter to anyone that you would not want to be read for any reason in a court of law. The same holds true for the Internet and social media. That is what I have told my son's in their 20's for years. Fortunately they have been pretty wise to not use some of those forums where there is more trouble. Seattle is right, whatever you put out there, it could hurt you now or in the future. One problem today is where the bar is set. Maybe I am wrong since I don't Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. but those mediums are jungles filled with people / cyber-bullies saying or posting photos / videos about anyone or anything. So some people, perhaps especially youngsters will say others do it why isn't it alright for me to say those things, post those photos, etc. The large majority of people that use these forums probably do so for positive or good, but there are plenty of people using them for negative or nefarious reasons. One just has to use discretion and be careful what they put out there.
T There are the trolls out there, but Ronson (the writer) said that the real damage is done by people not that different from you and I.
