Ms. Kanner ends her piece by asking, “Do we really want to live in a culture like this?” Do you? Overall, do you think online public shaming makes our society better or worse? Why?
Ms. Kanner says that the audience took major offense to the headline, and made many negative comments to the young boy, in which I agree, how could we live in a world like this? Many media sources nowadays show only what will get the peoples attention and create drama. Kanner says Online Shaming is a horrible thing, following this boy with him through his years. Although yes, this is a serious issue in this case, Kanner took this heated example (as it may be considered controversial to release a post like that about skin color and gender) to talk about online shaming. In a way, the ‘simple’ online bullying may be helpful to keep others in check, but nothing to the extent of death threats or personal information leaks. Overall I do agree that this level of shaming and aggression is not okay, but day to day checks similar to teasing or constructive (but maybe sometimes mean) criticism. For example, if I get some possibly mean comments about how I have recently gained weight. This may be a wake up call and help motivate me to get healthier again. Anything as deep as attacking personal character would not be okay.
(Part One) Digital shaming, I believe, is one of the most hurtful and damaging practices online. I am a firm believer in change, and it is very true that people are constantly learning and growing throughout their lifetime. But when they are harassed for something they did years and years ago, it leads me to wonder: why is it relevant now?
My opinion? It isn’t. One mistake or action that some find wrong does not have importance years later. The practice of online shaming can prevent someone to move on and forgive themself. I believe the only way we can grow from instances in the past is to forgive ourselves and use it as a lesson to change for the better. But when there are countless people forcing you to rethink and revisit the memory, it can be especially hard to grow at all. It can be traumatic for the person who had posted it and it can easily ruin someone’s life, which I find to be extremely inadequate to the situation.
I strongly believe that one of the main reasons that people aren’t changing and adapting are because of public shaming. Its been really prominent this year, because I really have not seen much before. This year has been really bad though, I don’t really understand why somebody would sit behind a laptop and say things that can be hurtful to others because of different beliefs or not understanding something. If you need to tell somebody things you should message them privately or tell them in person and be polite about it. I have seen peoples reputation get demolished just because they are different and they get harassed and bullied over it. The teenager in the story is getting harassed just for being “ill-informed.” If people do this to others who received misinformation than nobody will ever change and it is not a good way to get people to change. If you harass and torment the misinformed they will never change and will learn to hate the opposition to their arguments and will cause a strong divide. There is a great divide in the country right now, with both sides growing more and more apart because they cannot learn to get along and stop harassing the other party. If people would privately help others instead of public shaming we would be less divided and people would not be bullied over misinformation.
I am such a firm believer in forgiveness and believing that with growth and age, people change. As a person grows, especially a teenager, and experiences more life experiences that will have major influences on teenagers views in certain ways, it changes their beliefs. To have such strong political views as a teenager and be so forceful about them to others to the point of verbal harassment, is not really okay in my opinion.
I have seen the hate that people receive for just feeling a certain way that is different from others. Their reputation is tarnished, they receive hate speech and get harassed or bullied, but for what? On social media like Tiktok, it is so easy for people to hide behind their screens and make such horrible comments about people's views, especially political. When someone gets "cancelled" because of the way they feel, they might be unable to get into college or get a job in the future. All because of how they felt about a political topic as a, probably, ill-informed teenager. In the article the author stated, "He is currently being shamed for being uninformed, for being a normal teenager." Most teenagers I know are "uninformed," meaning they don't feel the need to pay attention to most politics since none of us can vote yet. Yes, I am 16 years old so I can vote in the 2024 election, but I am still just 16. I am informed about the major stuff. But there is a difference between the two. And honestly, I just want us to all be "normal"teenagers again.
Yes. I can answer this question with a very strong yes. In my opinion, online shaming can be the biggest roadblock to changing or growing up. I haven’t seen a lot of actions like this until this year. This year, I have been on social media a lot more than I have in past years. This was mainly because of my parents wanting to keep me away from social media for as long as possible, but I know they made the right decision. I am now mature enough to realize that some things that are displayed on social media are very immature, and I don’t know if I would’ve known that a year ago.
I think if anyone is going to shame anyone or anything, it needs to be done in person or said to their face. I do not understand how someone could sit behind a screen and say such hurtful things about someone or something. I think that that is the most cowardly move someone could display. Especially when being the person who is receiving the shame through social media, it hurts. If someone has a problem with you, it should be worked out in person, but especially in private. Publicly shaming or defacing someone is such an act of cruelty, that it can be hard to even take it in and realize what is going on.
@Bentley W, Block 2 I agree so much with your comment. The way these people can sit behind their screens and be so negative and hurtful but in person probably wont say a word is just astonishing to me. It is horrific and so cruel the way that people really do probably ruin someone's live just because they think differently.
@Bentley W, Block 2
Part 2
After reading this teenager's story about her personal experience and thoughts with this topic, it is clear that these kinds of actions and thoughts can be detrimental to teenagers' minds. Kids shouldn’t need to question their friendships with people because of something they believe in. Any good friend would support you, even if they disagree or have a different perspective on it.
In the end, these kinds of actions are highly immature and cowardly. No one realizes the effect this has on people’s brains until it actually happens to them. Social media should not be a place to work out issues or publically deface someone.
I don’t necessarily think it stops people from growing as I think that it very much depends on that person’s personality. But I did once say something offensive that I instantly regretted as a young adult and I constantly fear someone may have videoed it and may release it at some point. It’s been the reason for all of my suicide attempts and keeps me from trying to build a career in case I become successful. I know several people who feel the same. I think people underestimate the stress of constantly living in fear that something you once said coming back to haunt you, when it doesn’t reflect who you are now. I don’t really understand the purpose of this type of shaming, as I can’t see how it leads to liberation for the groups affected by the words of the person being shamed. I also think we should be careful about sharing this type of content; whereas the original comment may have hurt 2 or 3 people, when it’s shared online the audience becomes so much bigger and so does the number of people harmed.
I can't believe people actually called out the boy on the cover of the Esquire Magazine for being white. Apparently, whites can be discriminated against, too.
"Does Online Public Shaming Prevent Us From Being Able to Grow and Change"
By: Natalie Proulx
The article described the controversial cover of esquire magazine which was titled, "An American Boy". Esquire's article was about what it is like to be a white, middle class American male in the era of social media. The Times article I just read describes the backlash the Esquire, as well as, the boy on the cover, Ryan Morgan, received. The article only published the perspective of a white American boy which many critics believed did not cover the full scope of all of America's youth. The Times detailed how Ryan Morgan feels in the current political climate, and explains that due to the divisions, he feels that being moderate, and avoiding politics is the only way to go. Ryan Morgan said, "i couldn't say anything without pissing someone off," when speaking of his experience with discussing politics with his peers. Obviously, Esquire was trying to show a perspective from a young, white, middle class American boy, but using the title, "An American Boy" was not the best idea because it left out many different perspectives of today's American society from African American, Latino, Asian, and more American boys.
People CAN change. Because if they didn't our world would not change, or grow;and that just isn't true. I was severely addicted to heroin, drugs of any kind, until something changed. I still dont know what it was exactly but I NEVER think about it ever. I grew up when the internet was first invented in 1991, and I've been able to witness the immense changes from both sides. I believe,to a certain extent, that we allow the internet to affect us as much as we allow it to; and that it is something more of a choice. The internet's inluence can only be as far-reaching as much, or as little as we allow it to go. BUT... if that conscious choice doesn't exist or a person is unable to make such cut-off decisions as to their overall usage of the internet then that is where the issues arise. It's a bit like how you get out of life what you put in, same goes with the internet. If you perpetuate negativity, hate, and inequality we will feel the aftermath by witnessing our young people stuck in a perpetual cycle of inaccuracy, and a world dominated by free speech spoken only with hate.
I think people can change and have seen it. However, a lot people on the internet who get hate, keep doing what they are doing to gain popularity. Even if what they are doing is hateful (the example I had in my head was Roseanne Barr). I think it is fair to judge almost anybody who knows what they are doing, like the example beforehand. However, on average teenagers and children who get made of the Internet, often don't know why it happened. I don't fear being ostracized on that scale, but it is very frustrating sometimes when you realize on certain online sites you are in a very small minority. I think Internet shaming is making our society worse, because it just does not amount to much, but anger and resentment. There are certain individuals that deserve shaming, but there are so many people who get caught up in hate that nothing positive comes out of a complex situation. I wish it really wasn't like this, but I don't really have any solutions.
I think that this is a huge problem in our current age of technology, everywhere you look, you see people being hateful, twitter, instagram and facebook, those are just some of the big ones. Now I believe that people disagreeing about something is actually very healthy for a society, if everyone agreed about everything, nothing would get done, I feel like it could start some kind of dictatorship where no one can do anything about it. That is just the extreme though. But back to disagreeing, people can disagree about a topic, have a civil discussion, hear each others argument and still be friends. This is how you have a healthy discussion. However, that is only a small percent of what is going on in today's climate. I can use an example of my own, I have shown strong support of the president. There should be nothing wrong with that. Some people might not agree with what he believes and or why he odes what he does, I don't agree with everything he does, but I still support him as the leader of the country. Doing this has had many people lash out at me on social media. I have been shamed by 200+ people over a hat. I think that this is extremely unhealthy. They shame me for what I believe, they are just as entitled to an opinion as I am, but a lot of people choose not to give you one. I'm not a racist, I'm not xenophobic. People think that just because I support the president. But people will shame you for stuff you for stuff like that, and it is not okay.
@Paul Desmond I definitely agree. It is natural for humans to disagree and argue, that's how our society works. I do think there is a limit to that, though. Social media. I agree with you when you talk about how unhealthy social media is and how unhealthy it is to just lash out at someone over a social media platform.
@Paul Desmond I agree with what you are saying. Everybody has different opinions and about how you are shamed because of your hat and why that shouldn't happen.
Being a teenager in this modern era isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially with the technology and social media that we have. These platforms can constantly mess with our brains, and make us feel insecure and horrible about ourselves. Online public shaming is a serious problem in our modern world and it is what is making our world more and more toxic. It causes teenagers to feel insecure and shameful about themselves and their body. Instead of stressing over homework average girls and boys stress over a post or even if they should say something online. All these things cause teenagers to experience depression, anxiety, and having suicidal thoughts. Online public shaming stops us from thinking about ourselves and how the other person might feel. In my opinion, online public shaming does prevent us from being able to grow and change. Let us all work hard for a future with kindness, peace, and happiness.
I believe that online public shaming can immensely impact the person who is getting judged in an exceptionally negative way. There are some people who can deal with and ignore others’ comments, avoiding any negative effects upon them which allows them to grow and change. However, in the modern world with adults and children being tremendously influenced by their technology, believing others’ thoughts and opinions are important, even when the people who judge don’t truly know who the person on the other side of the screen is, except for their looks and actions. This is really unfair for the people who are receiving this because their actions must have personal reasons to do them and no one knows about them, so people just judge them unconsciously.
Even though I don’t use social media much, when I do, in every post I see, there must be at least a person writing negative comments to others, spreading hate which leads to drama. It has been shown by statistics that suicide rates have been increased dramatically over the past few decades, due to the influence of social media and other online websites. The worst part about posting something online and it will be there forever, always reminding them. This is making the lives of teenagers and kids difficult, dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety, due to hateful words from strangers online. With so much pressure and things on their back, it is extremely tough to be able to grow and change.
It depends very much on your mindset, some people might just take it and feel insecure about themselves. However, on the other hand, some people might use it as motivation like as a reason for them to get better so that they can beat whoever criticized them in the first place. It all comes down to how you take it when someone comments something about you. However, there isn’t a reason why you need to be cyberbullying and judging people in the first place; unless you are insecure about yourself and you just want somebody to feel what you’re feeling. It doesn’t benefit you in any way and it certainly doesn’t help the person you are commenting maybe instead of sitting there and judging people; you can go do something productive.
The overall impression of public shaming is nothing that we should be proud of doing. Even as we might think that this does nothing to the victim’s mindsight, it, however, has a major impact on how they view themselves. However, people who tend to have thick skin overcome these hateful comments against them and know better to take it seriously. Usually, they understand how to respect themselves and value their importance so they are not sucked into the dark worm-hole of this mindsight where they have to please everyone. Almost everyone is revolved around Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or any other social media apps; pleasing their viewers. In my experience, my friends take extreme perfect photos to post on their profile so they can capture the attention of their followers. In real life, they somehow still face phases of depression. In my opinion, our own happiness should be achieved by ourselves rather based on other people. Even if the people that are receiving these mean comments overcome or don’t even mind these feedbacks, it still isn’t right to make those comments. Would it change your mind if your words could end the life of someone? There are many people that have thick skin but then again there are lots of people that don’t. They will take your feedback seriously and they will have doubts about themselves which leads to depression, and if that is too overwhelming, suicide will be the last option.
Cyberbullying has a huge impact on our growth and our view of the world, especially young kids and teenagers. Public shaming is a part of cyberbullying. A lot of kids are facing these kinds of problems. In the article, a gay teenager was being discriminated. I think this is totally unacceptable. Everyone has equal rights, regardless of your gender, your nationality, nor your sexuality. If this continues, victims of discrimination may even commit to suicides. I always think that online public shaming is the darkest side of the internet, you can’t prevent it nor stop it. Therefore, we should learn how to protect yourself from the internet, and comprehend that we should not do these things to our peers, either. For instance, I have a friend called Teresa, and she has really strong self-esteem, like literally unbreakable. Or maybe it’s that no one would insult her since she hits people and it hurts. Let’s say Eric (my another good friend) posted an ugly picture of Teresa and commented disrespectful things. Well, to Teresa, she might not care, because she has high self-esteem. It really depends on how strong your self-esteem is. However, cyberbullying is always a serious topic that needs to be discussed. When you are facing a problem, you can always ask adults for help. Overall, I believe it can be prevented if you ignore these comments and focus on loving yourself.
Based on my own opinion and personal preference, I believe that people can change, but only in some circumstances. Teens are still young, and their minds are in the process of maturing and growing to become honorable people in our society. Their minds may not be as developed to advise themselves to do the right thing, such as being responsible on the internet. However, not everything they do should be pitied and easily forgiven. When posting a public shaming message on social media, it is usually because the writer didn't think twice about how it can hurt the reader. As a solution, their disagreements and frustration should be kept to themselves, since their opinion is highly irrelevant. Teens who are inflicting in online public shaming will only know the consequences of their actions if they are the victim of this horrendous act.
The whole idea of people online public shaming each other have changed the way our society works, but at the same time, as we developed. We have also learn how to take what's necessarily in consideration. Growing up in this crazy of a world, I myself have become more aware of what I say online and how it's going to affect people also their view on who am I as a person. In some case, online public shaming can prevent us from being able to grow for a fact, but i know that we all have the capability to change. I was taught to not say mean things because it wouldn’t benefit me any good. In a world full of social medias, I try my best to avoid comments that could be the smallest opportunity for me stoping what I do. Of course constructed opinions from positive people should definitely be taken into consideration even though it wasn’t the best comment you could’ve asked for.
Constructed criticism and public shaming are extremely different. By looking people, we judge the way they do things without even thinking. Us individuals must learn to accept the fact that these people are just not right and not let it affect them personally believe that if you use social media correctly, it strengthens friendships.
I think it depends on the type of person you are, and it also depends on what situation it is. I think education wise it wouldn’t really affect you because most of the learning is done at school, however, I think it can affect the individual hobbies and personal things you do. If you are mentally insecure and you are scared of people judging you. Then it might affect you a lot because people will put you down for what you do, and judge you for what you say. Since they are judging you, you might want to bandwagon to the things that they do so that you don’t get judged and that changes your character. However, if you mentally don’t care about what other people say then it shouldn’t really affect you and how you live your life.
Do you believe people can change? Have your own views or beliefs about something ever changed? If so, what changed and what prompted your transformation?
Personally I would think as someone being able to change as in a teenager or an ordinary person yet if they are a murder, terrorist , human trafficker, drug lord etc its harder for me to think that they would change because they would have thought if over before doing these actions would my answer be no? My views and believes have changed a lot in the way I used to be a kid you would think every thing there parents say is true and use that as my opinion as well now iv changed in the way that I have my right and wrongs and my parents rarely get in the way.
Online public shaming does prevent teenagers from able to grow up and change. Why do teenagers need to cause online public shaming? That is not why social media was created. The purpose of social media is sharing your great life with everyone, and connecting with your family and friend around the world. We always post exciting events of our lives on social media and some times that makes people feel distressed about their own lives. They are jealous and starting to undermine people by putting rude comments on social media to make them feel better.
I used to have a close and popular friend. When she posted something on her Instagram, classmates were envious of her and they commented offensive opinion about her. She was hurt and soon got a depression. I cannot imagine and recognize that serious effects of social media since my friend had a depression. I feel upset when I live in online public shaming society and I don’t know how to help my friend to get over it. Teenagers have no right to post outrageous comments and judge people, we don’t know who they truly are. Public shaming can make people change their view about themselves, they think they’re worse than everyone and not deserving a life. One reminder is social media is always there. You should only post warm comments or give advice to people.
I believe that people can change, grow and improve through constructive criticism. However, I think that constructive criticism and public shaming are drastically different. Constructive criticism is given when a person wants someone else to improve. On the other hand, public shaming is done out of hate or wanting to join the bandwagon. When someone is doing something out of hate, they don’t want to see you improve instead just the opposite they want to exclude you and bring you down. That hurts people, discourages people and prevents people from wanting to improve. When someone improves, they can help improve society as a whole as well. Therefore, saying hurtful things and bringing people down is counterproductive to human society.
Furthermore, public shaming culture also creates an environment where teens are terrified, worried and discouraged to post anything online. Frightened that someone might come after you yelling at you that you are wrong or give disparaging remarks about you. In my opinion, young teens should not always be in fear, have anxiety or have stress online. We should be able to feel comfortable in our own skin.
Do you think it’s fair to judge someone based on his or her thoughts or actions as a teenager? Should adolescents be held to the same standards as adults? Why or why not?
I think it really depends on the subject of his or her thought or action if it was a small thing that now resurfaces people can change over time they can understand they were wrong and believe different things. But on the contrary, if the person did a horrible thing that went unnoticed until now it could be important for people to know. They should be held accountable for these actions. They should be held accountable for their action as whatever kind of age group their ions effect.
I think teens need to be addressed the same way as adults, but only to some extent. I think they should both be told if their thoughts are wrong or if their actions are wrong, but I don’t think that should be the end of it like for adults. When adults are told they're wrong then that’s the end of it, but for kids they should be told why their wrong, and the reason for it. They should also be told what they should think/do, so they know what to do next time.
With this I think adolescents should almost be held to the same standards as adults. They should be expected to think/do the right thing but they should not be expected to be perfect. They should be able to have some leeway rather than just get slammed on what they think they believe in.
If people still public shame over some trivial stuff then I just don’t believe in our society anymore. It’s stupid and needs to stop. I don’t fear being public shamed because If I am then that just means people don’t have anything better to do and just want to start drama. I never really read stuff online because I’m not about to involve myself in online shenanigans. As for stuff I say on the internet I only say stuff to my friends so I’m not gonna worry about that. Even if I do get shamed for what I say then people just can’t take other peoples opinion on situations.
I am currently of the belief that change is not only possible, during our teenage years it is our responsibility to develop our world views and, in that way, change. In this current day and age, I feel as if being a teenager grants one a great disadvantage. In regards to posting online, I try to avoid posting really anything online that could have the smallest possibility of being misconstrued in a negative light. My parents scared me away from posting anything like that, and their argument for that was that future job positions could be jeopardized by an inappropriate post. This, of course, is completely fair and should be the case no matter what age one is, but I feel that not only is one discouraged by that factor, but also by the "digital shaming" that happens. I myself am not very concerned with it, but I could easily see why many would be discouraged. In conclusion, digital shaming is something one should avoid at all costs, and even if we all agree it is wrong and should be punishable, there is no reason to put yourself in a position where you could become a victim, as there will always be hecklers in every comment section online.
the whole idea of cancel culture in today's online society has turned a lot of people against each other. if someone apologizes for something they said that they now realize is wrong, then we shouldn't continue to say "they're cancelled" without acknowledging the fact that they don't think like that anymore. growing up as a teenager in this society I have definitely become more conscious of what I might say online and how this can influence other people's views of me. people definitely change over time, especially if they said something stupid when they were a teenager. people are often digging up old things and saying others are cancelled just for the fun of it without realizing that by doing that, that person is not able to learn and grow from their mistakes and are not given the opportunity to change. while the internet can be a tool used to communicate with others and share ideas, it becomes a bad thing when you're using it for the sole purpose of hating on other people. it's always important to step back and think about the consequences and repercussions of your actions and how they might be seen in the future, no matter what side you're on.
Being a teenager in todays culture is hard. I mean very hard, and it's even harder being a black teenage girl in today's world. Luckily enough I have always been surrounded by a community of people that I feel comfortable sharing my opinions and values with, but when it comes to society at large I feel like I've always got to watch my step and watch what I'm saying so I don't accidentally
offend somebody.
I'm constantly monitoring what I post online so I'm careful not to give too many "unwanted" personal opinions. The reason why I'm so careful is because I'm afraid of people coming after me in comment sections on Twitter or Instagram and telling me how my opinion is wrong or just straight up being rude to me.
In my opinion, that shouldn't be something a 15 year old girl should be worried about.
1
I believe that anyone can change if they are willing to and really do want to change. If someone wants to change then they really have to try. They have to be committed to make a difference in someones life for the better instead of shaming and bullying them. There is no reason to shame someone for no reason. You don't gain anything out of it. All it does is ruins someones day. That one day may not seem like much, but it could affect their whole life and death may creep up. A reason I believe that people can change is because I've seen it happen. From someone I don't know very well, to my closest friends. Digital Shaming needs to stop before it gets any worse.
Online Public Shaming
What is it like to be a teenager in today's culture with online public shaming? Let me tell you. I am a 15 year old girl signed with a modeling agency. I get told daily how I need to lose a couple inches off my hips, or my waist, or my freaking thighs. So you're telling me if I lose some inches off I will be even more beautiful? I have had countless nights screaming into my pillow, telling myself “don't eat” “you don't need it”. My social media has to be “perfect”, I am NOT perfect, nobody is. Being on social media I've seen multiple girls getting dragged down, and then I stop seeing them post pictures. Why? They are afraid that someone who doesn't know them, who is most likely jealous, or just wants to try and make a point will comment on her post. Public shaming wont stop. There will always be those “types” of people. You just need to learn how to handle it. Do not stop posting, block them, tell yourself you are beautiful. Everyone is in there own way, you just gotta find it.
Public shaming isn’t right you should be able to feel comfortable in your own skin and not be ashamed of who you are if you go out and people are looking at you like you have something wrong with you, you don’t it’s that person that has something wrong with them because there parents didn’t raise them to be respectful you should never feel body shamed it’s your body don’t listen to others.
I think that publicly shaming someone whether online or not, does harm the people being judged. Engaging in criticism is probably essential to peoples day to day lives nowadays, being that everyone expresses themselves differently and has their own opinions, leading to judgement and conflict. Yes, I was apart of a social media pile of shame. Someone posted a video on YouTube showing two men harassing a trans woman, calling her derogatory names and making her undress. This video had made me very angry, therefore I left some very "should be left unsaid" comments. Did it help and change the way the person thinks and open their mind? Probably not. Did i do it anyways? Yes, yes i did.
I think people are totally capable of changing. Changing is just a way of life its how we grow and overcome problems anyone and everyone can do it. It is definitely not fair to judge someone on what their actions were when they were younger because in the past is when you were growing, changing. I also don't think that we should hold adolescents to the same standards that we hold adults to. Adolescents are young and experimenting in life I would know because i am one. We are at that point in life where we should hold ourselves up in a safe space where there is netting down to catch us when, not if we mess up. In todays age us teenagers are some of the hot topics that the media covers and the actions we take are quick to catch the eye of the public. Its hard to keep our opinions where everyone seems to be out on our case and ready to pounce on our beliefs. With that said it certainly is scary thinking that our actions could stay with us in the future and potentially ruin our career. I think it is a must that we practice digital sharing, it's our way of connecting to the world. I agree with the author, I think that this sharing could make or break you when it should only be at the least a neutral concept. I think that sharing opens your eyes to a lot more people exposing you to new culture, new ideas, and a great way to learn. I think we do live in a culture like this and at the moment it is toxic to people who are different. With some self control we can make it work.
I do believe that peoples beliefs change over time, with a great example being the many neo-Nazis who have transitioned to a normal lifestyle. My beliefs have changed, including the belief in myself, as I used to think that I was incapable of accomplishing anything worthwhile. With time, I now come to believe that I am capable of accomplishing most of what I set out to do. Regardless of the change that takes place or may take place, one must take into account the previous actions of an individual when making a judgement, regardless of what age they are. Adolescents cannot be held to the same standards as adults as they are still learning how to function properly, and often show an inability to comprehend the consequences of their actions. Oftentimes, when presented with a complex and thought-provoking issue, many (including myself at times) are unwilling to express their opinions out of fear that they will antagonized for their views. This fear is not unjust, as adolescents presented with the challenge of listening to viewpoints they disagree with do not usually apply patience to those situations. I personally believe that growth and change cannot take place in such a pressured environment, as there is no way of learning from people whose only interest is to comment without consideration. Consideration that is missing from a digital world today that often finds itself fighting an internal war on the many issues that we face, which might just be the biggest travesty of all...
I think that people can definitely change, but that doesn’t always mean that the decisions that they made should be excused in certain instances. The thing about adolescents is that when they are developing and growing up, they base many of their view on what adults have to say about things and don’t always have the chance to develop their own views without the intervention of adult viewpoints.
Definitely feel the pressure that has been put on teens through social media. The standard for teens is so high and we always feel like we have to live up to this. I definitely feel like I can’t always express my opinion in fear of shaming at school, online, and in other places. I’d say I’m very open about the topics that I care about and will usually stand up for my point of view, but this doesn’t always happen.
I have felt like “oh I shouldn’t post this because someone will see I and make a big deal out of it,” especially things that are questionable and may affect future things that are important like finding a job.
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Online public shaming is something that I do not have a large amount of experience on. I have social media accounts on most platforms but I rarely post on them. Even when I do post I don't talk about my political views or post things that antagonize anyone. I do not like confrontation in general and for the most part I don't get upset over things if I can avoid making a scene.
I definitely relate to Katie Herzog about it "being better to be moderate" as to avoid arguments because that is how I apply myself when i'm online. The problem is that if everyone shifts their views to be more moderate then nothing will ever change. We need people to put themselves out their and risk their image sat that new ideas can enter society.
Online shaming makes progress much harder because it rarely consists of level headed arguments that help everyone to understand and decide which side they are on. Calling someone "trash" or insulting them in some other way may hurt them but it does not help you. The toxicity you exude just makes your point seem less valid and in no way helps get your argument or point across.
I do not think that anything should change because of your age. As a teenager I believe that I should be held accountable for what i say or do. Being young does not make doing bad things okay. If you post something online you know that people will see it and you should be ready to deal with any backlash, especially if you believe in whatever you said.
Digital Shaming. What is the point of it? What is the point of hate. While no one remembers a world without it, it is not necessary. On every social media platform, there are users who shame others. As a teenager who has never known a world without the internet, I can tell you it is hard to grow up in a world where you have to edit what you say, do and post so that you don't accidentally ruin your reputation. Once something is on social media/online, it never really leaves. Even if you delete what you had once felt confident in, there is always the chance that someone could have taken a screenshot of it. People will post things they fell good about, but then people begin ostracizing them. It becomes a big bandwagon to criticize this person and everything they do. I fell like many people only ostracize others to prevent it happening to themselves. Every time I am about to post something online, I think long and hard about it. I make sure there is nothing controversial. People judge too fast. We make assumptions before knowing the full story. Once those assumptions are made, they are hard change. People act on things to quickly. They don’t think, they just react to the first thing they hear.
People are fully capable of growth. So much of peoples opinions and in formation is shaped by their environment, so when they are able to seek outside sources and opinions they can change and realize they were wrong. However, change doesn't mean you are fully exempt of your actions, no matter what age you are or any other circumstance you still have to be held accountable for your actions (if you're not how else will you learn?). But to counter that point as well, I think internet culture can really take things a step too far. Everybody deserves to be educated and have their opinions respected and have the opportunity to learn and grow.
I believe that people can change. I've watched many people around me change. I myself have changed. My views and beliefs about things have changed before. Sometimes, it's prompted by myself. Other times, by those around me.
I don't think it's fair to judge someone by their thoughts and actions as a teenager. I highly doubt someone will feel the exact same in adulthood as they did when they were a teenager. I don't feel that kids should be held to them same standards as adults.
Being a teenager in today's society and culture is challenging. You have to be very careful with what you say, do, are seen with, and how you present yourself. I always fear that I will be judged for my values and beliefs. I am constantly afraid of being haunted by what I say and do now in the future.
After reading this I feel more aware about digital shaming. I do agree with the author that it prevents teenagers from change and growth.
I do not want to live in a society where I feel that I am constantly being judged for every little thing I do. Online public shaming makes our society worse. It makes people afraid to express themselves. I do not want to revert back to the days where everything was censored. People should be able to feel safe in expressing their passions, beliefs, and values.
This entire situation is actually rather complex because there are aways two sides to any story. It is commonly said that teenagers are young and dumb and are just exploring their values and beliefs, but at what point does that turn from exploration to being disrespectful without having to be held accountable for one's actions. I do believe that people should be held accountable for rude actions as a teenager, because those actions do not go away or change, they are just there, sitting in the past. With this, I also believe that teenagers should not be judged based on their beliefs and morals, just like anyone else in this nation.
I have a hope that no one carries the burden of things that they did when they were younger. I hope that no one gets shamed for what their underdeveloped brain did when they were younger. I am a strong believer that people do change. Also, I personally do not believe that engaging in criticism is an essential part of digital citizenship today. Unfortunately, I do crtitisize people, but I never publically shame people. No one wants to be on the receiving end of criticism or shame, so I encourage people to try and keep their undeveloped opinions to themselves.
I believe that people should not be judge for their actions as a teenager. For as we grow what we think changes and we act different. Though some acts cannot be forgot, for the immense affect they have on someones life. When we are teenagers our brains are still developing. Acts done by teenagers should be held to a point where they can be held up to the law properly.
As Ms. Kanner says, people grow and change a lot during their lifetime. Especially during someones teenage years, thoughts and opinions are often influenced by the people around them. They might not know exactly what they believe, and even if they do, those beliefs are still subject to change. I think there is a difference between criticism (which would be expressing that you don’t agree with someone's actions but should also provide a solution) and public shaming (which is being mean just to be mean). People have the right to have their own opinions and can share them, but attacking a teenager online just isn’t fair. The comments and posts that are used to publicly shame people will follow them for the rest of their lives, even if their character and opinions change. I don’t think we should put anyone through that, especially uninformed teenagers.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Think about all the times you’ve made mistakes, and how you’ve learned from those mistakes. What if you never got the chance to “try, try, again?” If the first time you made a mistake that was the only impression people had of you and you didn’t get the chance to learn and grow? That is what public shaming is doing to us. Since we Iive our lives so publicly, impulsively tweeting and posting whatever comes to our mind, a lot of our mistakes and not-so-proud moments are out there for the world to see—forever. Then our mistakes become the only view people have of us, an out-of-context snapshot that provides an incomplete, biased view of our character. Even if what we say doesn’t go viral, its just a google search of our name away. We don’t get the chance to explain ourselves, to grow and change as a person, or to develop our views and opinions because people will judge us before we’ve had the chance.
Public shaming is also encouraging us to stop respecting the views of people who disagree with us. We are rewarded for attacking people who disagree with us for being “ignorant” or “horrible,” where, in reality, their only fault is disagreeing with us.
I believe people’s opinions can change. Not necessarily the person, but what they believe in. There are so many things we have our own views on and how much a comment can change our view on a specific topic. I do not think it is right for someone to judge someone, especially children, who are still growing and learning, because we still do not know what is appropriate enough to be out in public, versus how we think and speak. I think that adolescents should not be held at the same standards as an adult because we are still growing, learning from our highs and lows in our life. Being a teenager in this time in society right now, is tough because we can be judged for believing in things differently which makes teens fear comments online rather than other things that is considered normal.
When you post something online, what do you get out of it besides hurting someone and yourself in the end. You are the one who chose to post the comment and now everyone will see it and your future may be affected by it. Think about your actions before doing them.
We should not be practicing digital/public shaming EVER! I agree with the author that it prevents us from growing, learning and changing our views on things after we see the whole picture. How does this make us, as a society, come together to help each other? Instead, we are hurting each other and tearing each other apart. We need to think about that and not just the individuals being hurt. We can all be hurt in the end.
As a member of the I Generation or Generation X, we feed off of internet and technology 24/7. Matter of fact, in a research by Pew Research in Spring 2018, 95% of teens had access to a smartphone and 45 % of those teens were constantly on the internet. For teens now and days technology is a lifestyle. It is apart of our everyday lives. We as a society have converted classrooms to digital based and that is an everyday place for an average teen. Now with all that being said, the Internet is essential in life now and it gradually grows. Actually, the internet and cyber bullying have a direct relationship. As one grows so does the other. Cyber Bullying is detrimental to teens mentally. 34% of teens on the internet have been bullied, according to CompariTech. These incidents lead to kids committing suicides like Branda Vela. Branda was an 18 year old girl that was cyber bullied all the way to killing herself. And the bully of cyber bullying is not safe either. Getting caught for cyber bullying can get a teen arrested for it. Being involved in Cyber bullying, bully or victim, will stunt a teens growth mentally. Those comments can make the victim think lowly of themselves and eventually lead them to self-harming themselves. The bully can easily go to jail or get in big trouble for the bullying. In my opinion, online public shaming is pointless and it does keep teens from growing and reaching their full potential. And for people suffering from that remember... someone loves you.
I've never left a hate comment before and never plan to either because it just causing unnecessary pain to the person receiving. I feel as though everyone nowadays gets offended if your opinions don't match theirs. It's easier now than ever to just spread hate and negativity and never receive any sort of consequence or see the expression on the person who just called mean things.
A person's whole future could be affected by online shaming for example in the article the boy Ryan Morgan who was Esquire's cover story could have his whole future career and life affected.
"If in 2020, he chooses to go to college, the Esquire story and the reaction to it will come up during his interview."
Online shaming has so many negative outcomes for the person on the receiving end, but the people who are the ones sending all the hate at the end of the day gain nothing other than making someone's life miserable.
In today’s generation people feel the need to judge people based on who they are and if they are different then others. In the article it states “It’s better to be a moderate, because then you don’t get heat.” Teens today are changing who they are to be like the “cool” or “popular” groups, but do they really want to be like the popular kids? I think that the teens who are trying to change themselves is just so they can get out of the public shaming.
To be a teenager today is hard, scary, and unrealistic at some points. A main problem that alarms teens is when some complete stranger starts shaming you on social media that you have never meet before. This is what hurts teens these days and doesn’t allow them to grow to who they want to be. They are restricted. Being held back by society. It’s wrong.
Change is something that is hard to say or do in today’s word, but I believe that everybody can change if they put there best foot forward and help others.
Teenagers are at a turning point in their lives, and while some may make mistakes, it's necessary to provide a safe environment to do so. Online public shaming cripples this potential safe haven for those growing up. Our society is quick to be judgmental of others, even when we may not know the whole story.
I’ve seen a lot of aftermath when someone who is uninformed speaks their opinion. Backlash usually ensues, either physically, through weird looks or verbal confrontation, or digital, through text messages sent to correct them or harassment online. And as a teenager growing up in a society like this, I agree that it restricts growth in a lot of ways. Ever since seeing hate comments left on videos as an eleven year old, I’ve had a lingering fear of having any social media presence, to avoid confrontation for a post I made or a comment I left. Due to this, I believe some part of my growth has been stunted; I’m often too scared to put myself out in the world because I believe backlash will be inevitable. I’m scared that I will upset someone, somehow. If I'm always worrying about pleasing everyone, when will I ever learn what I believe is right or wrong?
I think change occurs in all of us as teenagers; it's simply necessary to grow. However, we have to have enough respect for each other to allow this growth, and online public shaming does the exact opposite. Like Ms. Kanner says, we are able capable of change; we just need to give each other enough generosity to do so.
I personally do not believe that engaging in criticism is an essential part of digital citizenship today. I think that in every aspect of social media platforms, often times people use it as a resource for drama and gossip. Social media is so personal, and different for every single user. Along with that, this day in age, people are more sensitive than usual; respectfully. But for someone to criticize someone else's choices on social media, I often feel is unnecessary. It is just fuel to the fire.
I do believe that people are capable of change. It is often said that "people don't change", but I disagree with that statement. It is up to the persons willpower and maturity. Do they want to change? Are they just falling back onto old habits because they're afraid of what change feels like?
Overall, I don't like the way social media is transforming these days. No matter how many times people say they are "trying to be more positive", or "only post the good things", there will always be comparison. Everyone is always looking at each other's life, and sometimes you can get so invested to the point where it feels like someone else's life is their own.. People need to stay unique, post what they want to, and mind their own business when it comes to social media. Unless it is physically or verbally harming someone, chill.
I believe that people are capable of change. In our new day and age the new trend seems to be to dig up dirt on people's past and use it against them in the present. I think that your actions when you were young should follow you to adulthood. If you really have changed from those viewpoints, then realizing that you were wrong and apologizing won't be that hard. The problem arises when people fail to learn from their mistakes.
Public shaming has become extremely normalized in our society. A major problem I have recognized is people generalizing entire groups of people based on one person's actions. Along with the growth of social media, it is now easier than ever to hate on people. Nothing will ever change if we continue to attack one another
I do believe people can change, but not all that much. By that, I mean their attitudes may change, but their central ideologies and morals will likely remain the same. This is why people should be judged on their actions as a teenager; actions you take as a teenager show your core values with some critical thinking behind them. This combination, I believe, paints the most clear picture of a person’s true nature and ideology. However, the public shaming of a person’s ideology is wrong. Shaming one’s ideology, while it may change their attitude towards something, won’t change their true feelings. Public shaming forces an artificial change in people who want to avoid being the subject of constant harassment. For example, look at how arguments for Trump’s border wall play out. If you argue for the wall, you’re publicly shamed and called a racist bigot. So, to avoid that outcome, people (specifically teenagers, who are generally more worried about their public image) stay silent. Silence may feel good at the time, but silence doesn’t solve problems. Digital public shaming not only stunts the growth of the teenage mind and ideas, it also stunts the growth of fruitful and equal discourse on emotionally charged issues. Overall, I don’t want to live in a culture where ideas can be moderated through public harassment via social media; regardless of what I agree and disagree with, no one should have to be afraid to share their opinion to the general public.
Teenagers make mistakes and can change their opinions; therefore I don’t think it’s right for any online shaming to take place if someone is going to judge someone else at least correct said opinion not completely tear the person who said it apart. I don’t believe there is any advantage to digital shaming this sound a little like cyber bullying and it may not be same but it can really hurt someone.
I am very confident people can change. In fact, i can think of a few times my opinions changes. Changes usually resulted from information that i was unaware of. Like defending someone, because you like them without knowing what they did, or vice versa. As such, i dont think it’s very fair to judge someone based on their actions as an impulsive teen. So, they shouldn’t be held to the same standards as adults, because they aren't finished growing.
To be a teenager in the modern era is still like being a teenager, you’re awkward, scared, and harassed for doing something different. The key difference is that now complete and total strangers are harassing teens now too, all thanks to the internet. I do fear being shunned for what I believe, as would any human. As such, I do try to be more thoughtful toward others. I worry so much that i might offend someone to the point i may just not talk.
I think shaming someone over the internet that you don't even know is shameful. It is one of the lowest things you can do as a person. I think that the author is correct that it locks people in a sorta of emotional purgatory, unable to grow. There is nothing good that comes from online harassment, not even as a warning, it's just a horrible part of the modern era. As such, I don’t wanna live in a culture where people abuse each other from their own home, because it makes me fear what humanity's fate may be.
In today's society, people would rather judge people, teenagers, based off the views they have versus their character. Automatically, if they differ from theirs, they are the worse people to have lived, and quite frankly that worse on the person who is judging and not the person with differing views. People can change what they believe once finding more out about a topic and becoming more informed. I personally have had my opinion changed on different topics due to me becoming better informed on the subject.
Judging a teenager just because of their age isn’t always the best thing to do for everything. Yes, teenagers can form their own opinions and be informed, but they haven’t had the long life experience as older adults. Obviously that's not the case in everything, but a lot of things, yes. We, as a society, should not be so quick to judge a teen, such as Ryan. I know that I would want to be judge off everything that I have said or believe because that’s not what makes me.
If anyone was grown enough, they shouldn’t result to threatening and cursing that is directed towards a teen. It helps a teenager grow from what they said and either they will keep their opinions or change them but when you shame them, it prevents them from wanting to further their voice. I can see how it can help us be more cautious and thoughtful when saying something, but you need to mess up before learning not to do that again.
Adolescence is a time for us teenagers to be exploring the world around us and developing our worldview, and throughout this process of growing up, I have witnessed the ideologies of my peers and I develop in nuance and maturity. Though many of us are currently content with our worldviews, I know there is still a lot of growing ahead of us. With this knowledge in mind, the idea that people online would permanently and digitally brand my peers for holding undesirable opinions is utterly ludicrous. Digital shaming--or as it is more commonly called “cancel culture”--is not an environment that breeds collaboration and learning. Instead, digital shaming aims to tear people down such as with the prom dress controversy of last year and at its worst, ruin lives like with a fan artist's attempted suicide. Now these controversies are worth having a dialogue over, but the issue lies in the fact that the “cancel culture” environment was not concerned with healthy discussion. Knowing the severity of digital shaming and the potential of teenagers to change, I do not believe it is fair to hold teenager’s online statements to the same level of scrutiny as adults as criticism online has a greater danger of hurting a teenager or promoting dogmatism instead of fostering growth.
I think that with the way that our society is going online shaming is something that we sadly have to deal with. Everything nowadays happens online and through technology. I would argue that there is more online shaming than there is face to face bullying nowadays. It is not needed and I think that no matter what it comes down to everyone should be nice to everyone. Put your differences aside and just be good people. Innocent people will end their life due to online shaming and it is not fair. I think as a population it is a problem that we need to fix and also something that we can learn from. As kids we are told that everything you put on the internet stays on there forever. And that is true. What you say about others online can literally change your life. Look at all the athletes who lost professional contracts for racist tweets that they put out when they were 15! It is not worth it and as a society it is something that we should fix and also something that we can learn from.
While I believe that people should atone for their wrongdoings, this isn’t the way to achieve that goal. The main problem with this approach is the lack of empathy for those involved. We’re simply too eager to punish others. The internet’s almost knee jerk reaction of sending hate mail, death threats, and whatever else makes us no different than the hate and injustice that we’re fighting. We enter with the perception that people who disagree with us are bad people, but as Ms. Kanner’s story shows, there are other factors at play. Kanner grew up in a small, conservative community, and slowly absorbed their viewpoints, without thinking of the overarching consequences. The same could be said for the Esquire kid. In both cases, they are reflections of our society, not themselves. So, why don’t we treat them like it?
I believe that the best way to counteract this problem is to simply work to persuade others rather than persecute them. There’s always a chance that someone could change, like Kanner did, and come to see your point of view. But forcing ideas upon others, even if they’re right, can mar your argument in the eyes of someone else, making all debate pointless. In conclusion, while it may seem that our rage-based internet culture is working to make progress, it might be hurting more than helping.
Lots of teens are afraid of being on the receiving end of the slander that others receive online. Since our generation got a hold of social media, the cyber-bullying has gotten worse, causing many teens to relate to Ryan here: “Last year was really bad.” he tells Esquire. “I couldn’t say anything without pissing someone off.” The different political parties cause a lot of discord between teens/adults online and it especially gets bad around the times of the Presidential campaign. Everyone talks about their opinions and others always feel the need to be negative because they clash with theirs. It's a problem because they aren't being supervised. They can say almost anything they want without getting in trouble, which, if given enough to someone, can cause mental damage.
I think that we should all respect each other no matter the political views. I think that the media and news stations should be more concerned with presenting people with the real facts, instead of just trying to get views. The bias is the media is incredible, as an example the boys life will be forever change because the media attacked him for his different political views. The ways that people's lives have been changed by the media is horrifying. When people especially teenagers are ostracized by the big media, their lives can be ruined. That stuff stays with them forever
The internet is an everyday use for my classmates as well as myself. I see teenagers on their phones as much as possible throughout the day, typing away on their phones or computers about the latest gossip. But as I read more into this article I realized that our society is fractured, our society is fractured behind a glowing screen.
Within this article, I read about a boy named Ryan who was on the cover of the magazine “Esquire”. One comment targetting Ryan by Zara Rahim called out Esquire for ruining the story during Black History Month. "Imagine this same American Boy headline with someone who looks like Trayvon talking about what it’s like to have your mother sit you down to tell you how to stay alive". The article talks of how people directly targeted Ryan by sending him hate mail and threats for being a "White American Boy". In the article the quote “People change, pictures don’t” really shone out to me because it’s the truth of our online society.
People will remember your mistakes, your flaws, but they will never mention your successes or triumphs. I have dealt with online trolls before and it fills my heart with despair when I notice another troll in the comments section. The internet should be a place for newfound information and the growth of learning, not a place for people to feel bad about themselves. Our lives are surrounded by technology, and nothing is going to change until we stop this madness and realize a screen can’t hide someone from getting hurt.
Whatever you post on the internet will always be out there forever. With that being said, it can be quick to assume one’s character based on a post made weeks, months, or years ago online. People have recently had fear of expressing their opinions by blending in with the majority, avoiding any potential conflict. Should the internet be the first thing to look at when determining one's identity?
In the article, Robyn Krayner tells a fear that people could discover on the web; she campaigned for George W. Bush in 2004. Since then her viewpoints have changed, to voting for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She justifies her views with, “in a town (so) tiny you don’t pick your friends based on interests. It’s about who’s around. So when a fervent conservative friend asked if I wanted to campaign for Bush I said of course. The unintended consequences are heartbreaking to hear: “I don’t go to queer spaces anymore. My ex-girlfriend publicly called me out,” and “If I go out and order food, I’ll lie about my name.” Constructive criticism isn’t found online, it’s pure shame and hate.
I don’t understand how people can’t have basic consideration, and don’t question if an online footprint accurately reflect one’s truth. Colleges recruiters and people who use online dating sites have easy to access to everyone’s every post. The internet, even though it's accurate, isn’t always right on an someone. People change not the internet, and I think that’s one thought people should have in mind.
Our generation is so quick to judge each other based off of what we see online or from other sources. I think Ryan’s situation was horrible and I feel bad for him that he had to deal with people judging him and wanting to send him hate mail solely because of his beliefs and the fact that the article about him was posted during black history month. He didn’t deserve to be hated on and judged for his beliefs, because like the article said, he’s just another American boy.
I agree with the author saying that it’s so much easier for our generation to judge each other online or on social media. I also sometimes fear saying certain things because I don’t want to offend someone, but my situation isn’t all that bad because I never say anything that could potentially be offensive on social media. But, its very easy to offend someone in person too.
I think people should be able to express their beliefs about certain things, without being offensive. Unless you’re around people that you know aren’t going to be offended, it’s very hard to do this.
Overall, I believe people should not be judged for their beliefs, but they should also try their very hardest not to be offensive. On the other hand, if someone who isn’t offended by but just doesn’t agree with your beliefs gets upset at you for them, you shouldn’t be ashamed because people are allowed to have different beliefs than each other.
I believe that people can change, because I know that my views on multiple topics have changed over the course of months or years just based on the fact that I have become more knowledgeable on those topics. A large part of changing your views and even developing new ideas come from listening to what other people have to say and communicating your ideas with those people.
When it comes to expressing your opinions online, I don’t think that public shaming has a large impact on your views because many people who spend a lot of time online regularly, know that people are not always serious in communication and it leads to putting less thought into the reactions of what you may read or post.
Often times in today’s society, we judge our peers based on their actions as a result of their compromised morals or beliefs. We are quick to judge someone without taking time to realize their home life or the people that surround them. As we grow up, we find it okay to judge someone because other people do it to. In a study conducted by Psychology Today, they found that 75% of students misjudged someone within the last month. Many students based their misjudgement on the actions of the person and opinions of their friends, without getting to know the person. Our legal guardians influence us more than we realize, however adolescents should not be held to the same standard because we have more people around us during the day that shove their thoughts and beliefs on us. Therefore, we haven’t had a chance to figure out our own thoughts because we constantly have other people’s words impacting us when we don’t realize. It is unfair for us to compare adolescents to the standards of adults because of the countless influences adults don’t face, and we unrightly judge our peers because our society has justified it as a way of life.
Our generation’s teenagers are growing up in an age where we can say whatever we want and get away without feeling bad about it. Before there were so many technological outlets for us to socialize with others, if you had something to say to someone, you said it to theire face. You would have to watch them register what you said and see their reactions. In result of this, you would end up feeling shame and guilt about how you made them feel.
Now that we do not have to come in contact with a person to verbally abuse them, people have gone off the rails with what they do and say over the internet, and just as Kanner says, it is “...arguably the only punishment that does not have a statute of limitations.”
People will not cease to make crude remarks to others online until there is some sort of punish that comes along with it.
The impact that social media is has had on our younger generations is unimaginable, and this impact is steadily growing as social media picks up speed. As it grows, the ability to communicate with others becomes easier, yet it is easier to be made fun of or bullied as well.
The quote,"Do we really want to live in a culture like this? Where no one has the room to grow or change or become a new version of him or herself?" This quote was clearly placed to provoke thoughts about whether or not social media is good or bad or even healthy.
Social media also compensates for a large amount of the free time we sped. Without it, we really could be discovering ourselves, and not worrying about the many other things that the people around us are doing.
Putting your opinions onto the internet is a recipe for disaster. People have no objections to immediately disagree or discredit your opinion even without facts. The event that sparked this controversy was a teenager, Ryan Morgan, who was on the cover of Esquire. He talked about the political climate and how his friend groups were becoming more and more divided. In my life, I have experienced this. Not being able to express my political views in fear of being seen as "The enemy"
The situation with Ryan Morgan is very similar to the event that happened to Nathan Phillips. A young boy who was berated by the media. People were quick to act without knowledge of what happened and also didn't ask either side what happened. I think that this a really scary reality where people are like rabid dogs, jumping onto any scrap of meat they can get a hold of. We need to learn to be more accepting and listen to the arguments of both sides. Otherwise, the political climate will stay like this for a while, and no one wants that.
Criticism is a big part of online culture, and for a very good reason. People will almost always want to say something about everything, and the allure of doing so without giving away your identity is often too strong to resist. Criticism, therefore, is very important, and I believe all people have the right to criticize and to be criticized.
However, I believe that all criticism should be nuanced. Criticism is not criticism without logical reasoning behind it. Otherwise it’s just petty nonsense that devalues your own argument.
Therefore, criticism of someone’s past is not possible without grasping the full context of their actions, and often that context will shine a new light on said actions and provide new understanding.
While we are young, a lot of our political views and opinions come from others. Going into high school, we are just figuring out out identity. We start forming ideas about what we want to happen in our country, and the people around us have a great influence in this. So when people like Robyn Kanner are surrounded by conservative people, they are likely to join in with the crowd. It took 15 years for her to find out who she was, and maybe Ryan Morgan needs this time too.
“He is currently being shamed for being uninformed, for being a normal teenager.” I think people need to understand that he may not know exactly who he is yet or what he wants, and that some of his views are coming from those around him, but this isn’t a terrible thing. He is just being a normal teenager.
People change. That's common knowledge, and a part of life. No one is the exact same as they were years ago. As we grow, we learn. I believe that applies perfectly to Kanner's situation. That can also apply to my life, and many others.
In this day and age of technology, chances are if you use the internet regularly you've come across something political. Whether it be a campaign ad or someone complaining on twitter- its happened to all of us. The internet is something I find myself hating, but at the same time unable to look away from.
Its easy to be hateful to others on the internet and shame them for their opinion simply because there's no personal connection. You don't have to argue to their face, and if you dislike what they're saying you're able to block them and never have to interact with said person again.
Face to face, its different. When Ryan said "I couldnt say anything without pissing someone off.", I related to that. Online there's thousands of users who can see your comment at any time and agree with you, back you up and support you. In a classroom setting though, those anons online become your peers, People you have to come to class and see everyday. Speaking up about what you believe in is harder because you now have to wonder; What will happen if I say something everyone disagrees with? I don't want to lose friends or acquaintances. So maybe Ill just stay quiet and wait for the conversation to pass.
On Robyn Kanner's original article, she ends it strongly with the question "Do we really want to live in a culture like this? Where no one has the room to grow or change or become a new version of him or herself?" I believe she intended on leaving the readers questioning their society, social media, and proper use of the internet.
I have never participated in a group effort of what could be called slander. But I have seen it been done many times. On twitter it happens everyday, the "hot topics" will result in online battles and accusations. Many are degraded, celebrities, strangers, and even friends. People should be given second chances to apologize or at least realize their assumptions. People can change and make mends just like the example in the article.
Social media has impacted our society tremendously over the past few years and is still growing. While it has been a great way to keep in touch with people and gain information, it has also been used to shame and bully people. It has become a tool to bully without being face to face and have no regrets.
Prouix writes, "Digital shaming is arguably the only punishment that does not have a statute of limitations. Do we really want to live in a culture like this? Where no one has the room to grow or change or become a new version of him or herself? I’d like to think that the differences between me in 2019 and me in 2004 is a sign that we all can. The question is whether we can give one another the generosity to do so." In my opinion, I think this is absolutely correct and our growth as humans has been limited.
People are scared to change due to the harsh judgment we put on others. In my opinion, we have digressed as a society. Not in innovations, but as people. We do not magically change, we have to get caught first, which is hard to do.
We live in an age of digging up digital dirt on people. Whether it be James Gunn’s old tweets or Robyn Kanner having campaigned for Bush, we love to condemn people for old things we found. In those cases, it was really just somebody saying things that we might view as bad now, but they changed. In other cases though, such as with Kavanaugh, people may have actually done harmful things in their youth that should stick with them. If we obsess over people’s past then it’s possible they will be afraid to ever express themselves for fear of it coming back to haunt them. I think that people can change, and they can make amends for previous mistakes, but that’s not to say that they always will.
As a liberal teenager growing up in North Carolina, a rather conservative state, I do sometimes worry that people will judge me for my views, but I still don’t try to hide them. I don’t go telling everybody, and I don’t post anything online, but most people that know me also know my political views. I purposefully don’t put anything controversial online because I know it will be permanent, and in case I change as a person later in my life I don’t want to have to worry about that. I think that it’s good for people to know that things they say on the internet can come back for them, but I also think it’s dangerous to have a culture where we immediately condemn people for parts of their past we find.
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In a world where social media and the internet has become a prevalent source of information in younger generations, public shaming has unfortunately become more frequent as well. It has become much simpler to berate others behind a screen. I believe this is the problem, the inability to stop and questions your actions before hitting the little button on your keyboard, blind to the consequences that could occur.
In the article, Prouix writes, "Digital shaming is arguably the only punishment that does not have a statute of limitations. Do we really want to live in a culture like this?" In my opinion, there is nothing more harmful than publicly ridiculing another individual, giving no way for the other to respond or defend themselves. It disallows an individual to learn from their mistakes, having to live with the humiliation at the access to millions of fingertips.
Online, people are quick to jump at other's flaws. Our society finds it easier to publicly discredit another individual, rather than taking time to maturely confront them and point out what they have done wrong. We enjoy turning a blind eye to our own mirroring issues, the satisfying feeling of shifting the blame upon someone else much easier than taking responsibility for ourselves and realizing we are all human.
I believe everyone has the chance to better themselves, but with the constant harassment and negativity on social media, it has made it near impossible.
I have not faced any life-changing discrimination like those in the LGBTQ+ community, or those facing racism. However, there are times where I feel like I'm on the outside looking in during classroom discussions.
“Last year was really bad.” Ryan Morgan tells Esquire. “I couldn’t say anything without pissing someone off.” This statement couldn’t wrap up how I feel any better. Sometimes during classroom discussions about politics, I feel like I can’t state my opinion because it’s controversial. As a society, we look at the extreme sides of political parties and automatically assume that everyone who follows that party is the same way. It's hard to state your beliefs when everything you say could offend another person.
To answer the last questions, I’m always afraid something I say or do will come back to haunt me (like this post). On the contrary, I feel that if I posted it on the internet, I must have felt strongly about it enough to publicly share it.
I believe that online public shaming does have an affect on how we grow and change. Everyone is worried about what other people will think about what they put online, so if they want to try something new, like a new haircut or new makeup look, they feel they are unable to because they will get publicly shamed for it.
I agree with Kanner when she says that “the teenager on Esquire’s cover clearly doesn’t have strong political values or ideas; he seems to have adopted those of the people around him, maybe simply because he wants to fit in.” Everyone wants to fit in in high school and do what is right and what they think will make them look the coolest and most popular.
As a society who relies solely on the Internet for opinions and for resources such as news, if we don’t stop bullying people and shaming them for their views online, we will become a society of ignorant people who only care about themselves. I don’t think that anyone would like to be shamed for their views, and I don’t think anyone wants to be ignorant, so we should just let people post what they want to post, and if people don’t like it, they don’t have to believe the same thing.
Being active on the internet is much like walking through a minefield, you never know when you are going to misstep and have your life ruined. The situation with Ryan is tragic and highlights a problem that continues to occur. This reminds me of the issue with Nathan Phillips when people were quick to act before understanding the situation. These situations are wrong because the attackers are often acting this way to push an agenda or to boost themselves.
The issue described in this article with Ryan Morgan was obviously fabricated to be something far separate from what it intended. The Esquire article was never about race, but Rahim brought that factor into it because it is hard to defend against. This is absolutely outlandish and I don't think the reputation of companies and people should be put on trial any time someone finds offense with a mundane issue.
i do think that people ca change because when there younger or a teenager than when there older i think they will be more mature. i have changed because when i was younger like in 4th grade i would mess around and not do my work but no i do my work when i'm told and i am more quiet. this passage was interesting because to me i liked how the person stood up and told there story.
this is a hard question but i believe that people that have been around that place and have not been transgender but later on they do become trans it might be just a little hard to get hate mail or death threats from people you do not even know but it will be fine because if you do not care about what other people will say than you should be fine
I do think that people can change because it is up to the person . And no I don't really think that it is fair to judge someones actions when they are a teenager because when we are teens we are still trying to figure out who we are as a person, and our standards should not be the same as adults because are still learning what is wrong and what is right. And I don't really think that I have been judged online but I do fear of being judged my believes because this is a whole new type of generation. And I online shaming is not cool because as my family taught me, everyone has different beliefs and people can think what you want and I don't think it is OK for people to judge you like that.
I believe that people can change because there are many people that change there gender and them change back. The teenager had a secret that was embarrassing and he wanted to let himself out with a campaign of George W. Bush. Yes people can change for the better or for the worse. People age and grow throughout years and can start to think differently of what they want in the future. People meet people everyday and they can learn many things and that can change the way they look at things and how they believe.
After reading the Article, "Does Online Public Shaming Prevent Us From Being Able to Grow and Change?" I believe that people have the ability to change and that they can have different insights on many topics and that even if you are viewed as something you can always change that because you have the ability to do so. I have known many people who have been not the nicest and then after a lot of revising and thinking about themselves and what they can improve on they were able to be nice and prove that they could change. Also, that means that you are able and have full control of changing what you identify as or what political view you have or your actions in the past versus now. This article made me realize that even if people don't like your change or that your not changing it's always okay because you are who you are and you can always have a better way to improve yourself in the best possible ways.
In our society, especially in an age when everyone is disagreeing on every possible topic, it is nearly impossible to say something without offending someone. Kanner highlights this point, pointing out that Ryan Morgan stated that he was independent purely to avoid offending people. This is a problem.
To be honest, I don't care about political stance, but people need to toughen up. You don't have to start whining about everything someone says just because you don't agree. Different opinions are part of what makes us stronger as a nation. You can have your own ideas, but let other people have theirs without demonizing them for disagreeing.
Lastly, Kanner mentions that often, white, middle-class males are shamed for being on the front of a magazine or anything like that. Why isn't it a person of color? Also, she discusses how they are often discredited, as people say "how would you know, you're white," or things of that manner. Does this mean that just because one is not a minority, they can't have a different opinion on the topic? Let's be real, who is really being racist in those situations?
Yet again, this is just another attempt to silence those with an opposing opinion, weakening ourselves and our country as a whole. I don't care about political stance, have your opinion and let others have theirs. Sure, you can debate and try to change other's opinions. That is how our nation was built. But don't try to make them seem evil just because you don't agree.
You don't need to judge people just by their actions. Your still a kid and you don't need to listen to what others want to say about you. You still have time to change and do want you want to in your life. It is your life so do what you want. Not what others want to say about you.
I think online shaming definitely makes it hard for other people to see that you have changed. Everyone is capable of change though. I do not see a problem with sharing your opinion on any subject as long as you aren't doing it to put people down directly. I think being sure of what you post isn't trying to hurt someone that you will have no problem with any backlash. If you are hurtful though and you didn't intend to that then you could apologize to make sure that doesn't ever impact you in a negative way .
This is a topic that a lot of people have trouble with accepting. And then there are the people that want things to be this way. They don't want to change who they are just because some people don't agree with them. I personally don't have problems with people who change their genders or if they like the same gender. But a lot of other people do. Soon everybody is gonna have to learn how to deal with it because you can't always get what you want.
I don't think it does but it can hurt you in the long run. Like if you are running for political office and a comment you made 10 years is saw it can hurt your campaign. It's also not cool you need to put yourself in their shoes and see how you would feel if it happened to you.
With today’s reliance on technology, it is inevitable people will use the internet for things other than spreading positivity. Cyber bullying has been a relevant issue that I have witnessed first hand, and I have seen the effects of this on my friends and peers. As teenagers, most young men and women are still trying to figure out who they are, and what they believe in. The fact that people shame others for things they said or believed as an adolescent is wrong, and this needs to stop.
As people grow older, their opinions change and they may not believe the things they once did, as teenagers. As the author of the article states, “To see me now — a trans woman living in Brooklyn, with “Infinite Jest” on my nightstand and ‘This Is America’ on repeat — it’s hard to imagine me campaigning for Mr. Bush and Dick Cheney. But growing up, it could not have been a more natural choice.” This quote shows how one can drastically change in the span of a few years. I do believe that people change, and they should not be held accountable for the actions they took as young men and women.
The views I now have will most likely change in the future, maybe even in the next few years. I hope that my future peers and friends will not judge me for the things I believed as a teenager. The actions taken against Ryan Morgan are unacceptable, and we all need to realize that people do change.
I don't think that online shaming is OK. Its a very horrible way to get your point across. I believe that you should be able to have a calm conversation about it. And if it bothers some one so much you should just leave it alone.
i think that online public shaming prevents us from being our self and able to grow and change. You should be able what you want and other people can say what they want without hate. yes you should just watch what you say if you do say something bad yes that is your problem. if you say a good opinion about something that is okay and if you get hate from that is not okay. if you are getting hate from anyone you should probably not worry about if or report it to someone.
I believe that people can change for the better or for the worse. I believe that because i have changed. I use to be that girl that follows her friends (in 6th grade) and now I am my own person. I changed because my old friends got into skipping classes and I followed, and I didn't want to be that person anymore so I told them off, and found a new set of friends. Then I moved schools and now i'm here.
online public shaming does prevent us from growing as a person. all your live your going to be remembered by the things you do in the past. stuff online doesn't go away somewhere there is something. like in the reading the person couldn't use her real name in public because of what she said years past. things you do online stick with you. think before you press the send button.
Some people believe others can change, others don't. Personally i don't think they can. Many people want to change but they find it very very challenging and want to give up. People can change their appearance but not their personality. If a person wants me to change i wont do it. I will say deal with it or you can go somewhere else because its my personality and they cant change that. Although I think that people cant change right away i think they can change over time, maybe in a span of two to four years.
We should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. Supporting a certain political group at a time and then changing your belief doesn't invalidate you as a person. Whether they fully understand the gruesome history behind the word, they know that what they are saying is bad, yet they continue to say it.
public shaming does and always will happen, there isnt a way to stop it we can filter comments and block the bad ones but it wont stop. if it were possible to stop shaming i would love that but for now there isn't and i think it sucks but we as people need to learn to deal with it just like we have done with everything else in history, we evolve and learn to deal with things and even use them to our advantage which is what we need to do. If humans can learn how to make fire and use electricity to make a screen show us a picture i think we can learn to deal with a little shaming. Public shaming wouldn't be so bad if we didn't share our political opinions, or our beliefs so publicly its not like anyone really needs to know anyway.
What is it like being a teenager in today's culture. Being a teenager over all is hard but when it comes to posting things on line is even more hard. For someone that is not very used to posting a lot it is so hard when you post something you are scared
about all the judgement in the comments. There are many people that are worried about what they post the first thought that comes into ind am i going to get judged . After reading the article and hearing the authors reason it makes me think that you can be online and people when still shame you.
My opinion is that no one should be judged off there actions as a teenager. Because people change really quickly, plus teenagers are maturing and there personality are changing so there gonna make stupid decisions. Also everyone makes mistakes especially when there a kid and your better off making a mistake when your a kid then when your an adult, because there is bigger consequences when you an adult.
i believe people can change. but i also believe that people don't change drastically enough to change their political views completely. if someone is running for office and more closely follows his or her views about what is right or wrong, then they may vote for them, even if they are not one of their political party. people do not really have views on their party, they have morals and views on justice. these can change with age and experience. when your views change, so do your morals and your beliefs.
I think that it's OK if someone wants to change it's not that big a deal. People hate on someone because they don't want to get hated on first. Take gossip for an example kids will say something to make sure they aren't getting hated on. If this ever happened to someone you know try to help them out. People who go online to be mean are people who won't have a happy life
I have very interesting thought on this article. Although i'm not homosexual nor do i really care if people are because its there decision and they have the right to be what they want. But if you are going to be posting about jokes on homosexuality or posting that you are. Don't be surprised when it comes back to potentially ruin your career. I heard of this story where Kevin hart was going to be the host for the Grammy's. Then someone went way back in his twitter account and found a joke that he posted neirly 10 years ago and because of that he was no longer aloud t attend or host the Grammy's. And it was all because of that little comment on someone that was gay. So in conclusion you should always think before you do.
In my opinion i think it is hard to change but it is possible. i think it is messed up that people would shame other people about what they look like. social media is messed up sometimes about that topic.i dont get how people would shame people about there image even though they dont know there true pesonality
I believe that constructed criticism is the main way that individuals improve in their life. However, if one is not asking for guidance in criticism it is not someone else's place to judge them. However, if our society people judge others unconsciously. By looking at other people, we judge the way look and act without even thinking. Although we may not say it out loud our mind still allows us to think in our head. I believe that for an individual to grow in the world one must understand that online not everyone is nice and happy. There will always be people who are rude and say mean things for no reason. Individuals must learn to accept this and not let it affect them. However, what you say online will always come back to you one day so it is important for individuals to watch what they say out in the world because it will always be there.
Teenagers are not oblivious and blind. They know their actions, and infantilizing and pitying them to avoid addressing their genuinely problematic actions is part of the problem. Not checking these actions in formative years paves the way for them to do the same as adults. While public shaming and dogpiling is extreme, you can't brush over bad things by saying "he was just a kid." Being a kid doesn't change that you have to check and change problematic behavior.
I do not think it is fair to digitally shame the boy in the photo. Most teenagers are shaped by the social views around them, and in ten to twenty years when he graduates high school and begins to separate himself from his community, he might have a completely different view. It is okay to express one's opinions, especially towards the magazine who chose to showcase him and publish this interview, because they are a company, but this boy is just a teenager and teenagers are known for making mistakes. I think it was a poor choice for the magazine to publish this interview at this time.
I believe people can change the ways in which they think and the actions in which they take part in. We are socialized from youth on how to be and what to do, but as we become more aware of the world around us, sometimes people change to believe something else than what they were brought up to think.
I do think people can change and even if that means it takes 5 years, I think its possible. As an adolescent first of all, I believe that we shouldn't be held at the same standards as adults to a certain extent. For example, someone may have an extremely strong belief that may be unethical or not moral that you may agree with, but that could very well change over time. That individual could be socialized by his/her parents and you may not realize it. However, I do believe adolescents should be held at the same standards if they were to express a severely radical or strong opinionated belief. I think that people can change over time especially teenagers and the teen in this article can definitely change his beliefs.
This is a difficult question to answer because it's not as simple as "yes, people can always change" or "no, people can never change." Although we all change and grow throughout our lives (whether for better or for worse), some things remain relatively constant. And biases are difficult to overcome. For example, virtually everyone by the time they are a teenager understands that the n-word is a derogatory word. Whether they fully understand the gruesome history behind the word, they know that what they are saying is bad, yet they continue to say it. Do these biases just instantly fade? I don't think so, but the best way to undo biases is through education, not through public shaming. I recognize how it's easier to slip into anger, which I have done many times, but education and love and hope is more likely to be effective.
I believe people develop their own set of values and morals because of past experience - positive or negative. I don't think people should be judged as the things they did as teenagers but, unfortunately, because of the age of media in which we are growing up, it will be difficult to hide the mistakes of our past and I think there will always be people who will have a hard time seeing past particularly alarming events in one's past.
My parents' generation does not have internet or social media tracing their movements from the age of 13 to present day, tracking all the embarrassing photos, stupid comments, or insensitive post they have ever made. It does not mean they didn't say or act on similar bad choices, but those bad choices don't follow them around. They are not haunted by the ignorant or cruel words of a 13-year old that no longer reflects their character or morals anymore. People change and so do their opinions, so the standards that they are held to should not be held constant for their entire lives.
Change is very difficult for someone to do, but I believe it's definitely possible. For some who choose to change their views on something, whether it be on politics, religion, etc., they may be required to let go of some previous views that they've held onto for a long time (maybe since childhood). On the other hand, it's not fair to use that as an excuse to forget previous decisions that they've made. It's important to stay aware of one's privilege and how that may affect other groups.
"Call out culture" has become more prevalent on social media, with people deeming an action of a celebrity, or anyone with a platform, of problematic actions or words. Although I'm glad that we have become more aware and willing to call out racism, sexism, etc., sometimes "calling out" has become more toxic and more of a competition.
Is it fair to critique Esquire's cover and choice of stories? Yes. But I don't think critiques towards Ryan Morgan should have been the focus of this conversation. The issues I hear people raise about the cover are mainly about why Esquire did not feature a black person during Black History Month, especially considering the lack of representation in media. We should focus more on raising criticism towards Esquire, a platform that can amplify silenced voices, rather Morgan's personal story.
People do change, but public shaming has devolved from productivity to pinning the blame on one person.
I do believe that people can change, not only a little but drastically from when they are a teenager to when they are adult. It is unfair of us to make judgments of someone when they are a teenager and stick to these judgments when they are adults. In a world with the internet, it makes it harder and harder for us to allow a change in our opinion about someone when they are in the public eye. If we look up a name in Google, we are to find articles that are written about them not only now, but in years past about their past. These articles are never edited facilitating the tendency to dwell on someone's past. I do believe that people change, but the internet does not allow us to find that change in people.
I cannot say that all teenagers shouldn't be judged or criticized by there actions and opinions. Although people can change, we cannot excuse harmful behavior or opinions at any age. This being said, when reading the article it was clear to me where I stood. Being a teenager, I can't imagine that my political beliefs will stay the same as I mature through adulthood and beyond. For this reason, I empathize with Ryan Morgan. None of his opinions or actions were directly harmful or would have him persecuted by the law, he cannot be shamed and the rest of his life be ruined for just stating his opinion.
I believe people can change, but I think it is important to recognize our actions as teenagers and do better than we did in the past. The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25 so when we are young we are unable to make decisions in the best way. We shouldn't base our opinions on people on their actions when they were younger, but that does not excuse those actions.
People are too quick to judge others. We like to take out our anger and frustration on people who we cannot see. We like to call people out and fight with them when we cannot see the consequences of that.
my opinion is that none should be judged off there actions as a teenager. because people change really quick. also everyone makes mistakes especially when there a kid and your better off making a mistake when your a kid then when your an adult. on the internet if someone finds out about that your gay or something like that you will be harassed a lot but in public its different they really wont say it to they will only say it on social media because there not scared of making a comment. and yes you should watch what you say online because if your constantly getting made fun its your probably not going to grow.
I don't think it is fair to be judged or judge people based on how they think or how they do things with their life. People should be more considerate and not only think about themselves sometimes. People like to think that judging someone because of their race or gender or how they feel about something but it isn't. It's not cool it's not funny an any way. it is just wrong. teenage girls post pictures on social media and they accidentally show some skin and they are called rude names because of it. Some girls and boys wear things that they like and feel comfortable wearing it. And people call them terrible things just because of what they find comfortable. Men and Woman fat shame people because they think that it is their job to make someone feel bad about themselves because of something that they usually cant control. And they even do it to their own kids sometimes just because they don't like walking around places and having their kid be "too fat" for their liking. That's all I have to say about that.
People can change if they want to. When people shame people for changing they don't know the whole reason why they wanted to change. People if they change shouldn't be ashamed of themselves because they are who they want to be. People have one life and they should spend it how they want to spend it and people who shame other people never know if that will happen to them. People make mistakes and if they do don't be ashamed because everybody had made a mistake once in there life. If people do things that make them ashamed it doesn't help when someone else points it out.
@Jenna2019
I full on agree with you because the person changing can do whatever they want and they can be whoever they want to be. And you're right, it's definitely okay to make mistakes because they make you a better person and can teach us valuable lessons
Do you really want to live in a culture like this?
No, I don't really want to live in this culture. I believe online shame isn't okay. It's not okay to hate on others for their beliefs or their wants, if somebody is different people tend to hate, but what they don't realize is hate is taken differently by people. Some take it and empower themselves, but lots don't and if it gets to serious some gets to the point were people try and kill themselves. Online shaming isn't okay because if those haters get mean comments they go crazy, but apparently it's okay for them to do it. Online makes our society a horrible place to be in, you can't post anything without feeling "Will they make fun of me for this?". Online shaming creates problems at such an early time and affects people self esteem. So no I don't want to live in a this horrible society today.
I think it is fair to judge someone based on their thoughts or actions as a teenager. I also think adolescents should be held to the same standards as adults because they are five or less years from becoming 18, or 8 years from becoming 21, which by then I would consider an adult. My brother is 16 and already learning to drive, and by my standards he is almost an adult. I personally think he would be held to the same standards as an adult. This is considering the fact that as a driver he is expected to know the rules of the road. So when it comes to most things I would think that adolescents would be held at those standards.
@Clayton i think this is a good way to look at it. people should be able to think before you do so if you do something dumb that was your choice and that's what your known for.
Being young and having social media is a big responsibility. Once you do something you can't make it disappear. It basically stays there forever. Although people do enjoy social media and I can see why. But public shaming is not something we should be doing. that's not what it's made for. We just have turned it into that.
@Brianna23
I agree that public shaming is 100% completely wrong and that you can learn off of your actions bad or not. And even if people did or didn't post something bad there are always ways to change yourself in the best way possible.
I do believe anyone can change even if it seems really hard to. Many people have changed and they have changed in a lot of aspects. I do believe you should watch out on what you post or comment on your social media. You could post something that could affect you for a long time and screw up your reputation which I'm your nobody wants. I guess having social media does affect a lot of people since many people think they are something they are not just because a lot of people tell them things on social media which I've seen a lot of people go with. Social Media is a very important and good part of people life but its also a bad one at the same time for others.
In my belief I think that people can change. People who change have a specific reason why they change their features and mind. Everyone has once in their life change their way of thinking the way they use to when they were in Middle school, High School, or College. Everyone has maybe once in their life time made a mistake that they regret or a decision/choice that will forever follow them. I know this for a fact because I have had family that has made a mistake and learned the consequences from it, now they've become a better person from it. They've grown to be a better person, but people don't understand that everyone makes mistakes and just forget about it. But people should not be like that, they should know that one mistake can make them a better person. That's what I think.
I believe that this article of what a lot kids are age should read over because it is not only talking about cyber bullying it is talking about certain topics like homosexuals, transgender people and what political view you have which is topics that are relevant in the 21st century. Words are very powerful especially over social media but I believe that the pressures do not prevent us from being able to grow and change but rather causing people to change themselves for others pleasure. For example, Ryan Morgan was may have been the subject of the news and instead of the press who released it, people went after Ryan to go and hurt him. Not that I would know anything about going through the transgender transition but it is definitely a difficult process in accepting who they are as a person; they do not need people to be harassing them over social media just because of what they had to go through to feel comfortable in their own body. In the end I believe that hurting people over social media will cause people to feel ashamed of themselves which is not what our society should be doing, we should be building each other up.
As a very average teenager i believe that it is very not fair to judge people for their thoughts and actions as a teenager. We often say without thinking and simply think what our peers think. We go with what everyone else is doing and that is why often times a lot of teens make bad decisions. We feel like we should do what everyone else is doing without even realizing the pressure is there. Teenagers raised and shaped to be followers not leaders and it is not fair to judge someone as a teenager because they merely just follow what they were raised to, which is often very one sided and biased to where they are. For example Ryan Morgan grew up in a place where he never had to experience racial discrimination so he most likely never had to make very strong opinions on it or anything else that did not effect him.
my opinion is that people should do what they want. Because no one should really care what others think but some people should really think what they are going to say before the hurt someone its not fair to hurt others because later there will be consequences and then that person will also get hurt. if its and article that you don't think is interesting then don't read it and read something else.its hard being young because you can't really do anything about anything.
Do you believe people can change? I do believe people can change if you give them time. Do you think its fair to judge someone? I don't think its fair to judge someone with out knowing what they have been through. I think they should be held by the same standards has an adult so when they get older they know how to act. So they are used to it when the time comes.
@Aidan23 this is good if you say something dumb online you should be given the chance to change. if you can show that you were just young and dumb and you are older now you should be able to change
i have a very strong opinion about this and i hope someone can see it. i think at a young age you should not openly discuss your political opinions. you might change your views a few years latter. but i do not think you should publicly shame anyone it can ruin peoples life. overall you shouldn't shame people because of something they did when they were young.
though my opinion might not be seen or heard from the public, i do have great thought of this article. i do believe that you do have to take great caution of what you say or do on social media because people will eat you up as if you have no feelings. though i'm not homosexual or care much if people are but if the internet finds out it will be like a haunted house in a small town, everyone knows and has heard about it. We as people like to think that technology has made communication better, but is that the case?
@ZaneRiches2019 I like what you said about the haunted house that was a cool.
@ZaneRiches2019 yes you should be able to share you opinion to who ever you want. you just cant send hate that would that would disrespect them.
silverton 30 i don't think it is fair to judge someone based on their actions as a teenager. people make terrible choices in their teenage minds and those thoughts and choices will change as their minds fully develop. their actions may be a mimic of their parents own thoughts and will one day change to their own beliefs. a teenager should be free to have their own beliefs but their parents are going to be pushing their beliefs on to their kids and not giving freedom to choose it themselves
As a very average teenager i believe that it is very unfair to judge someone for their thoughts and actions as a teenager. We often say without thinking and simply think what our peers think. We go with what everyone else is doing and that is why often times a lot of teens make bad decisions. We are pressured to do what everyone else is doing without even realizing the pressure is there. Teenagers raised and shaped to be followers not leaders and it is unfair to judge someone as a teenager because they merely just follow what they were raised to, which is often very one sided and biased to where they are. For example Ryan Morgan grew up in a place where he never had to experience racial discrimination so he most likely never had to develop very strong opinions on it or anything else that did not effect him.
@Thomas your right sometime us as teens don't really think before we act we just do things with out thought.
@Thomas you should have the right to say your opinion and not get hate for what you say. if you do that is on the person that is sending hate not yours.
I believe that people can change but it can be really hard. Social media can really tear down someones self esteem to where they don't want to change and they want to be like everyone else. For me changing the way i dressed or changing something isn't that hard but ,when it comes to the people i am around it can really affect how i act. I feel that the world is teaching you to not love yourself as much and dumb yourself down to the point where you cant do it anymore.
@Eva30 I so agree with this. You put all the things i tried to say into the right words because I'm pretty sure I didn't do it right.
Where we grow up can construct our thinking into what was "normal" in the society you grew up in. Considering that Ryan Morgan grew up in all white area, his values were probably shaped around the idea that there is nothing that can be done about the unfair treatment of minorities. Because where he grew up, he probably learned that racial discrimination was not a big deal, and where he lived nothing or no one were against his color. I believe that this outlook can change with experience and education. Before bashing someone online, we have to consider the circumstances they have been raised in. We need to think how they were treated, what they were taught, what they weren't taught. This does not mean we excuse them if they perpetuate hatred, we just need to keep multiple perspectives in mind.
I believe many people can change. We all change sometime in our life, and it can be for the better or for worst. We all make mistakes, but we soon learn from them , and get over them. Some peers like to take notice to our mistakes through social media, basically shaming that person for their wrong doing. When people do that, it hurts the person of the topic really bad. My friend has dealt with this hurt and I don't think it's okay. Even though it's human nature, we need to learn to love each other, and accept all our mistakes. Some need to learn not to hurt others for their mistakes. We all need to learn how to stick together, and not stray away. Doing such a thing can lead to more hurt, disbelief, and trust issues.
Self love, and self care is best. And we all need to love each other even if we do wrong. It's human nature, we all make mistakes. And every time we do something wrong we cannot take it to social media, and make that person feel worse. It just doesn't do any good to our society for the future, nor will it ever.
I don't think its fair to judge people based on their thoughts or actions as a teenager. This is because people might act or think like they want other people to see them but maybe they are different once their not around friends or people around them. I believe people can change, if they want to. If people say their going to change but don't want to then they might not, but if people want to change they will. Over the time people can change their way of viewing the way of life and their opinions. Later on they head on with their life.
I don't think it is fair to judge someone because of what they believe. I have friends that support things I don't and do things that I don't, but I never judge people on their thoughts or their believes. I have had conversations on what others believes, involving religion or politics. I think its unfair to judge someone on an opinion, and hold it against them. Because their opinions can change over time and people can look back and not know why they had that thought or believe or opinion on what they did, in the past.
I dont think it is fair to judge someone from there actions and opinions from when they are a teenager. when you get older your thoughts can change you can become a whole different person. and when you are older your brain is more developed and you think better and think before you post something or do something. when your a teenager there is lots of pressure like with school and sports that some people make the wrong actions. your choices when you are a teenager should not define your future.
I do believe people can change. But I am too young to really have an opinion on these types of things. I've seen people change and turn theme selves around on there beliefs.
In my opinion, I personally think that it is not okay to judge someone based on his/her thoughts, opinions, and actions. My reasoning behind this is because teenagers are still children and they haven't reached full maturity to take judgement on their thoughts or opinions which may have them act out in certain way that shouldn't be judged. Also, adolescents should not be held to the same standards as adults because adults and children are very different and have a very different mind set on the world and how it's going to be shaped. So for adolescents and adults being put on the same expectation bar is just wrong.
I dont think its fair to judge someone on actions or thoughts as a teenager. when you're a teenager your brain is not fully developed. you might make dumb choices and not fully understand. there is a lot of pressure for what you say and do and that might make someone do something they wouldn't do when they got older. people can also change a lot from when there a teenager because there is many years between from when you are an adult.
In are day and age the social media platforms have taken up a majority of our lives in good and bad ways. Personally I have been apart of shaming and I think that if someone is going to shame someone off of what their first look is at their profile is shallow. Anything someone posts onto social media is not going to describe fully who they are and what they are like.
also as soon as you post or comment something onto the internet it is there FOREVER, so if your going to send something you should not have to contemplate if it is a good choice or a bad choice. People in this world have become suicidal due to the actions they had taken on social media and the actions that others have taken on social media directed to them. When you delete something it's not gone forever as some believe it will always be there no matter what.
@Macy23 *our
No I think public shaming wont prevent us from growing or changing. I think it will just inform us teenagers about whats going on in the country. Not knowing whats happening could effect us and could lead us to doing something were not supposed to. It could effect us if we were the ones being shamed but growing up and seeing things like that could not change us.
everyone is different. everyone has different perspectives on the world and shaming them for their likes or dislikes and their beliefs isn't right. but yes, i do think people can change. if you take time to think about it, you wouldn't want to be judged or shamed on your opinions would you? so why should it be any different for other people. i think once people see that they'll change.
Online public shaming prevents us from being able to grow as a community. Being publicly shamed is humiliating and can stop people from what their doing and they stop growing. People in general are constantly changing whether that is for the better or the worst, there is a high chance everyone on this planet's past self has said/done something their present self would never. People change over time, we have all done something before that we wouldn't do now.
As a teenager, I believe that the practice of digital shaming is mostly nothing but destructive. People in general are constantly changing whether that is for the better or the worst, there is a high chance everyone on this planet's past self has said/done something their present self would never.
It is within human nature to mess up and there is no better way to change and better yourself than by making those mistakes. It upsets me how certain people can hold themselves on a high horse online and bring into the light a dark part of someone's past and have that ruin them.
People will always remember the one bad thing even when in comparison to 100 good things. This reminds me of many public figures on YouTube, in Hollywood, etc. who's names are forever tarnished when something inappropriate they have said or done years ago is brought up.
The article shares the story of Ryan Morgan, a 17 year old boy, on the cover of the latest issue of Esquire whose very presence in the magazine sparked so much hatred online. This hurts my heart because it could very well be me or one of my friends on that cover or suffering through the resentment of people who have never even met you.
We live in a society where people especially teens online have to be watching their every step because as Morgan said, " I couldn't say anything without pissing someone off." For a teenager, who is trying their best to figure out who they are and hardly know anything about the world, that is just unfair.
Of course people can change their beliefs. Our beliefs are not inherent in our being. You are not born with your beliefs, they grow from your environment and from your experiences. As people accumulate more experiences and live in different environments they will grow or regress.
People change more than anything else. We're an extremely sensitive organism, but more that any other living thing on earth, we are extremely easy to be influenced, so change is inevitable for everyone. There is no question that judging an adult in his mid twenties for things he said during an interview 5-10 years ago would be very close-minded. I'm also confused as to what big sins he committed. All he said was, like myself, politics have become a huge topic, especially amongst teens. The fact that he states the obvious shouldn't cause him to receive nearly as much heat as he did. "Public shaming" may be necessary for things that deserve it.
I believe people can change and oftentimes teenagers are incredibly secluded in their community, but I think they have the ability to change once they are exposed to more information and meet more people.
The main person that I thought about while reading this was Kavanaugh. He almost didn't get the supreme court justice position because of sexually assaulting a woman when he was in highschool. Honestly, I think that things like that should be brought up and considered when evaluating someone who is potentially going to be a leader in our country. Giving someone that much power would make it pertinent to look into their past. I won't go into my opinion on him becoming a supreme court justice, but I do agree with the extensive research and background checks that went into him being hired for the job. It's important to consider someone's past, but deciding whether or not it's important is our decision.
I, being a teenager currently, do not want everything I do now to effect my entire life. However, I believe that, although there should be some leniency when it comes to actions and behaviors taken during one's teenage years, not all can be forgiven. Although people can and do change, ones beliefs as an adult are based on their childhood and teenage years. Also, Esquire should have waited to publish that article, that was just not smart to ruin that kids life. Not Cool.
A great majority of our beliefs come from those we are raised by and the community we live in growing up. Considering that Ryan Morgan grew up in a predominantly white area, his values were probably shaped around the construct that there is nothing that can be done about the unfair treatment of minorities. Since he most likely hasn't faced adversity or problems because of his race, he can easily deny that there aren't any racial issues in the place he lives and can generalize this to the whole country. I believe that this outlook can change with experience and education. Before bashing someone online, we have to consider the circumstances they have been raised in. This does not mean we excuse them if they perpetuate hatred, we just need to keep multiple perspectives in mind.
There is a huge difference between holding someone accountable for their actions and shaming them. If your end goal is to make someone more aware, in the long run, explaining instead of screaming will help them understand and learn. Screaming may also make them angry, salty, or fearful, silencing them and causing them to associate bad emotions with a good message. HOWEVER, this does NOT excuse people's lack of knowledge. How someone reacts is very indicative of their willingness to change or not change, but they still need to accept that they may have been wrong or may have hurt someone before. Instead of focusing on whether someone is "innocent" or not, the focus needs to be on productive education, not on bashing someone. Anger can be justified, but rudeness can not.
Often, waking up to an issue can come through a very explosive moment or realization. As teenagers gaining more responsibility and awareness, it's important to give them room to grow but also be strict on what they learn. Emphasis on critical thinking and listening diverse opinions is key. Don't freeze people in time for views they may not hold anymore, but DO hold them accountable for their present actions and beliefs.
I know for a fact people can change, but if often takes a catalyst. 4 years ago I was ignorant. Not exactly bigoted, but ignorant nonetheless, but then I realized I was gay and began to seek a community. That community happened to grasp beyond my own identity, and because I have a passion for research, I was able to become a better person by exploring my own identity. I also don't think this is an adolescent/adult issue. It's never to late to change, but again change requires a catalyst. Negative judgement and shame further isolate people and may simply make them defensive, whereas in my experience appealing to empathy and simply holding people accountable can spark great change. There is however an exception. Many bigoted people do feel like they are targeted for their views, as seen in the backlash to "political correctness", because they fail to understand that they're not being targeted but rather engaged. We need to teach the difference between targeting someone and reacting to someone, because reaction is an integral part of holding people accountable, and if a person sees attempts to hold their behavior accountable as an attack on their character and beliefs, then effective communication will never occur.
I believe that all people have the capability of changing and growing to become better people. My views and beliefs have changed just within the past 5 years because of my own personal experiences, hearing others' experiences, and my education. I don't think it's very fair to judge someone based on their actions as a teenager if they've changed who they are in the present. Adolescents should not be held to the same standards as adults because they are in the most critical phase of growth and finding their identity. However, teenagers can definitely be guided in the right direction, which would help them grow as people. I am definitely more careful about what I post online because I know that it could offend or upset other people, which I don't want to do. I think if people were kinder online in their critiques, then the teenager who posted something would be able to learn from it. However, usually the shaming is a complete bash of the person which could deter them from ever sharing again. This doesn't help them learn anything; it just hurts them and makes them fearful. Kinder critiques and proper guidance for people would help them learn and change to become better people.
We should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. Supporting a certain political group at a time and then changing your belief doesn't invalidate you as a person. You are allowed to learn. Your past does not define you, but it complicates so much of what has happened recently. You are your past if you continue to show that you have changed from a clear mistake.