Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
We need to be careful where we go with this. We've seen that the mob can be pretty hasty when it comes to judging, shaming, and ostracizing people on the flimsiest of evidence or errors of judgement. There's something genuinely odious about social media shaming culture and the ugly impulses it gives free rein to.
And remember, if we tolerate extra-judicial bodies naming, firing, shaming, and excluding people who offend their moral beliefs, it means all kinds of groups with all kinds of different beliefs will exercise that power. You might think anyone accused of sexual harassment should be named, shamed, and fired. Someone else might think the same should be done to anyone who has been to prison. Or worked as a prostitute. Or cheated on a spouse.
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Well yes power can be used wisely or abused, that kind of thing has been going on for forever.
It's just magnified because of the speed of communication these days, so rather than a town wrongly shunning someone because of world of mouth or an article in the local paper or a celebrity because of a Hollywood gossip magazine, a bigger audience hears about it faster.
But it's a power that you can't control or take away. You can make falsely accusing someone a crime, but you can't make believing a false accusation a crime.