Cancel Chaos | John Lee | TEDxPittsburgHigh
The speaker argues that social media's amplification of public shame requires finding a functional compromise, recognizing that shaming itself is a natural human process. This balance is demonstrated by citing both the destructive potential of cancel culture and its positive use, such as community efforts leading major companies to donate funds. The core solution is to manage the collective impulse toward outrage by raising awareness of shame's psychological impacts.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker; presenting on the evolution and management of public shaming in modern society.
- The speaker begins with a disclaimer about Kanye West: "I love Kanye West... I just love the music that he creates."
## Theses & Positions
- Public shaming, particularly via cancel culture, exacerbates the idea that an individual is entirely "canceled" and corrupts the abstract ideals an individual may uphold.
- Society incorrectly ties individuals, especially celebrities, to a binary scale of right or wrong, disregarding the space for nuance ("no in between").
- The power used to shame others (social media) is the same power that allows communities to mobilize for positive social progress.
- Humans have always naturally found ways to shame others, dating back to ancient public stonings and even Biblical portrayals of crucifixion.
- The core need is to "learn to compromise our power and control it properly" to prevent detriment to innocent people.
- The true power of social media lies not in its inherent nature, but in the "collection of hundreds or thousands of people all working together to achieve a common goal."
- The solution is not to outlaw shame, but to "find a compromise" and "collectively determine a way to harmonize the good and the bad."
- Extensive humiliation, even if seemingly justified, negatively impacts the individual's subconscious and decision-making.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Cancel Culture:** The contemporary societal phenomenon of public shaming, often fueled by social media.
- **Public Shame:** A "natural human process" used historically for punishment (stonings) and observed today in online discourse.
- **Polar Determination:** The societal tendency to view issues or people as existing only at opposite extremes ("right or wrong," "binary scale").
- **Emotional Detriment:** The negative consequences of constant shaming, which can impact an individual's subconscious and decision-making process.
- **Harmonize:** The necessary process of finding a "good middle ground" between the beneficial and harmful effects of shaming.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Shaming as Control:** Shaming is used by ancient societies and modern actors (including law enforcement) to deter negative behaviors.
- **Social Media Amplification:** The internet provides a "route to perform public shaming... much more frequently and much more potently" than before.
- **Community Mobilization:** Social media allows people to organize for positive outcomes, such as leading major companies to donate funds to charities.
- **Psychological Impact Cycle:** Excessive humiliation creates a cycle where the individual feels pressured to perform, leading to further mistakes.
## Named Entities
- **Kanye West** — Subject of the speaker's opening disclaimer regarding his music versus his persona.
- **Taylor Swift** — Cited in relation to Kanye West's statements, specifically his dislike of her in 2016.
- **John Ronson** — Author whose novel, *So You've Been Publicly Shamed*, explores societal implications of public shame.
- **Lorie Peny** — Author cited for advocating differentiation between outrage and justified behavior.
- **Susie Kim** — Cited regarding the use of shame by law enforcement to deter crime online.
- **Pew Research Center** — Cited regarding Americans demanding perfection from high-prestige individuals.
- **Bakbyr and Tang Gen:** Cited as having research indicating the cyclical nature of guilt's effects.
- **Keon Han:** Cited for research on the effects of shame on the decision-making process.
## Numbers & Data
- **5'8"**: Height dimension used in describing Kanye West.
- **2016**: Year of Kanye West's dislike of Taylor Swift mentioned.
- **2022**: Year referenced regarding the "great cancelling" period.
- **1.3 billion**: Increase in active social media users (from 3.7 billion in 2020 to almost 5 billion in 2024).
- **3.7 billion / 5 billion**: Number of active social media users in 2020 and 2024, respectively.
- **£39,000 or $50,000**: Amounts donated by companies like Ellie Fitness due to community pressure.
## Examples & Cases
- **Kanye West's statements:** Examples include his dislike of Taylor Swift and anti-Semitic comments, which ruined his reputation.
- **Public Shaming in Art:** The discussion centers on the need to "separate the art from the artist."
- **Law Enforcement Usage:** Susie Kim outlines how law enforcement uses online shaming to target and deter criminals from repeating actions.
- **Community Action:** A community banding together to pressure major companies, such as Ellie Fitness, into donating £39,000 or $50,000 to European Charities.
- **The Novel:** *So You've Been Publicly Shamed* (by John Ronson) is used as a case study for social implications.
- **The Analogy:** Comparing the pressure of cancellation to trying "to bring down the entire School District after Miss Rry misgraded your assignment."
## References Cited
- **Keon Han:** Author of research paper on the effects of Shame on the decision-making process.
- **Bakbyr and Tang Gen:** Cited for research showing guilt's effects can impact the environment and people around them.
- **Pew Research Center:** Expressed data regarding Americans demanding perfection from high-prestige people.
- **Christine Ro:** Wrote on the increase in shaming instances with COVID-19, noting the increased stigma among Asian Americans.
- **Lorie Peny:** Writes about differentiating between outrage and Justified Behavior.
- **John Ronson:** Author whose book explores societal implications of public shame.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Social Media/Internet:** The primary modern vehicle for shaming, but also the tool for community mobilization.
- **TikTok (implied/generic)**: The general concept of using thumbs to "ferociously type away a one-ear Yelp reviews."
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Shaming is not *inherently* harmful; the harm comes from the "societal evolution of specific incidents involving shame and the actors behind it themselves."
- The concept of "cancel culture" is criticized for focusing on the effect on the audience rather than the consequences for the individual being targeted.
- The solution cannot be either maintaining the status quo or "outlawing shame completely."
## Methodology
- **Observation of Social Dynamics:** Analyzing the historical, technological, and psychological functions of public shaming.
- **Comparative Analysis:** Comparing ancient methods of punishment (stonings) to modern social media shaming.
- **Expert Review:** Synthesizing research from multiple scholars (Han, Peny, Ro) to form a comprehensive view.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The necessity is to "find a compromise" and "harmonize the good and the bad" inherent in the mechanism of shame.
- Recommendation is to "raise awareness" about the implications of shame, ideally by discussing it in depth.
- The goal is to develop a collective consensus on managing desires and balancing negative impulses against societal benefit.
- The immediate action required is to "find a good middle ground to protect really innocent people while also formulating a sense of justice."
## Implications & Consequences
- The danger of the current societal trend is that the performance of outrage can eclipse the actual ethical damage caused by poor decisions.
- Law enforcement using online shaming has the implication of successfully deterring future crime, potentially keeping streets safe.
- The potential positive outcome is using collective digital power to achieve systemic change, as seen with corporate donations to charities.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I love Kanye West... I just love the music that he creates."*
- *"The source of this constant clarification that we have in our society today is the evolution of public shame and cancel culture."*
- *"What makes that scenario even worse is the perception we have that everyone most notably celebrities is tied to a scale of right or wrong where if you're not right you're wrong and vice versa with no in between."*
- *"The very same power and the very same tool that allows us to cancel others is the one that allows us to band together as entire communities to help progress the world we live in."*
- *"We have to learn to separate the art from the artist."*
- *"The more identity we as a society push onto an individual the more likely the same individual will continue to make mistakes and fall into an endless cycle of corruption."*
- *"The true power of social media... is not the innate nature of social media itself but rather the collection of hundreds or thousands of people all working together to achieve a common goal."*
- *"The answer is social media is not inherently harmful what determines social media is used is not its nature but rather the intentions projected by the users of social media."*
- *"we need to collectively determine a way to harmonize the good and the bad and find a good middle ground to protect really innocent people while also formulating a sense of justice."*