Is Publicly-Shaming A Miscreant On The Internet The Right Thing To Do?

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@DrDeth

Live in paralysis? :dubious:

No, just stop engaging in mob activity/public shaming vs private citizens, without know all the facts.

I don’t know if you really even wrote that, so I’m afraid I can’t respond to it until I know all the facts.

[Ale]

@octopus

Mob justice is an oxymoron.

It’s virtual lynch mobs, and members of lynch mobs invariably believe they are morally justified on what they do.

Anyone who thinks the consequences of condoning this beheaviour are not that bad has already self-disqualified as having the ability to make a value judgement about the matter.

At least good ole lynch mobs have the benefit of being able to see the amount of damage they cause; online mobs don’t, and the weight of the individual acts of self-righteous pressure they can put on their targets has no limits. On top of that it’s the easiest thing in the world to manufacture outrage by people with agendas or even mentally unbalanced, some even get a high out of commanding hate mobs from the back, the ultimate act of trolling.

[asahi]

I can see both sides of this.

I agree that there’s a backstory to some of these incidents of social media justice and a bad day in someone’s life shouldn’t ruin their careers and finances.

At the same time, the ugly truth about our society is that institutions of criminal justice have, throughout much of this nation’s history, criminalized blackness. When an African American gets the police called on them for engaging in lawful behavior, it reminds them of their status in this country. Moreover, I think we should acknowledge that, even today, interactions between biased and unprofessional police officers and African American citizens can rapidly deteriorate.

[kaylasdad99]

Netflix.
Black Mirror.
Season 3.
Episode 6.
Hated in the Nation.
Discuss.

[Roderick_Femm]

@asahi

I can see both sides of this.

I agree that there’s a backstory to some of these incidents of social media justice and a bad day in someone’s life shouldn’t ruin their careers and finances.

At the same time, the ugly truth about our society is that institutions of criminal justice have, throughout much of this nation’s history, criminalized blackness. When an African American gets the police called on them for engaging in lawful behavior, it reminds them of their status in this country. Moreover, I think we should acknowledge that, even today, interactions between biased and unprofessional police officers and African American citizens can rapidly deteriorate.

I agree with this 100%. I think it’s not only legitimate but necessary to call attention to the behavior, but without going on a witch hunt for the individual. That is (and I realize this is a lot to ask) if I had taken such a video, I would blur the face of the perpetrator before posting it, without trying to hide the ethnicity of any parties involved. I don’t expect this to catch on (for one thing it would require both the desire and ability to manipulate the video, which most people don’t have) but it is, I think, a much better approach than what is happening now.

[DrDeth]

@Roderick_Femm

I agree with this 100%. I think it’s not only legitimate but necessary to call attention to the behavior, but without going on a witch hunt for the individual. That is (and I realize this is a lot to ask) if I had taken such a video, I would blur the face of the perpetrator before posting it, without trying to hide the ethnicity of any parties involved. I don’t expect this to catch on (for one thing it would require both the desire and ability to manipulate the video, which most people don’t have) but it is, I think, a much better approach than what is happening now.

A reasonable compromise.