Public Shaming of Teens- Good idea? (1 Viewer)

[Farb]

How Teens Are Using Anonymous Google Docs—And Enlisting A YouTube Star—To Out Allegedly Racist Classmates

A moment of reckoning is occuring, out view of most adults, among the country's teenagers and college students as America grapples with its renewed conversation about race.

www.forbes.com

At a time in America when offensive statues and executives alike are toppling, a similar reckoning is occurring, out of view of most adults, among the country’s teenagers and college students. These teens and young adults are using anonymous crowdsourced Google documents like the one Carbajal assembled, anonymous Twitter feeds and sometimes their own public Twitter accounts to “out” their peers for making allegedly racist comments. It’s hard to know how many lists of this type exist, but Forbes, using basic keyword searches this week on Twitter—racist, google doc and high school—found Carbajal’s and at least two others containing more than four dozen names of people from schools throughout America.

I think this is a terrible idea. I know public shaming is all the rage these days, but is this a just a sanctioned form of bullying?

 

[Ayo]

on the other hand, as someone who enjoys post-structuralism, I'm all for the dismantling of the assumptions of intent and precision behind language

 

[V Chip]

If I say they are “virtue signaling” to other Trump supporters, it takes away from them that they might actually hold those opinions and that they might be sincere in their beliefs.

They aren't virtue signaling -- they are vice signaling.

 

[dtc]

I think it is mainly virtue signaling.


I don't think we need a law either or to make this illegal. I think the adults in this country need to start being the adults and acting like the adults.

So, if my daughter was to say post some video that showed a white kid making racially disparaging remarks to another kid then I should step in and tell her it's wrong and she should not expose the racist kid because he's only a kid?

 

[dtc]

LOL! Good on your for admitting it!

I think most of us here, at least the ones responding do not think this is a great idea for teenagers. Now we just can't agree on the best way to end it. I agree with @coldseat (that is rare!) that there probably isn't a reasonable way to end it besides talking with you and yours and explain not to post stupid things online because it lives forever and also understand that sometimes people, especially teenagers, are just stupid and stupid does not always equal evil.

Having now thought about this and read a couple of these posts, I think there's no way we're going to stop it. I don't think it's right to do it and I don't want my kid to do it, but if she did there's no way I'd be really mad about it and I might tell her not to and it's wrong, but never be too upset.

And, ultimately, the ones who are doing this are going to cause the ones who are making the racist statements to be an example to others and very likely stop many, many others from making a similar mistake.

I honestly think this "problem" is going to fix itself. The ones getting exposed are going to be screwed, but the point will be made and others will hopefully learn quick they'd better change or keep it to themselves. If they ignore the lesson, then they get what they get.

 

[Farb]

So, if my daughter was to say post some video that showed a white kid making racially disparaging remarks to another kid then I should step in and tell her it's wrong and she should not expose the racist kid because he's only a kid?

That's up to you as a parent but I will tell you what I would hope to do if I was made aware of that exact same situation above by my 13 year old son. I would tell my son instead of posting the video online to 'shame' or 'teach the kid a lesson', to approach the ahole kid (who probably has some crappy parent or lack their of) and explain why that is a problem. At least give the kid a chance to learn from a mistake and not have something out there that lives for forever that might in a very real sense follow him around for the rest of his life.

 

[Ayo]

just to add some context around the 'politicization' by right wing punditry - this was on one particularly odious right-wing figure, Matt Walsh's twitter page (think Ben Shapiro, but worse, which is Charlie Kirk, but worse):

Now, I'm not saying that was the intent behind the posting of this thread, because i don't think it was, but illustrating where and in what context I have seen it. And I haven't seen anyone on social media use it as an inroad to talk about bullying, but rather re-frame it as an attack on right wingers and how it's unfair

Just so you understood where my initial response was coming from

 

[Farb]

just to add some context around the 'politicization' by right wing punditry - this was on one particularly odious right-wing figure, Matt Walsh's twitter page (think Ben Shapiro, but worse, which is Charlie Kirk, but worse):

Now, I'm not saying that was the intent behind the posting of this thread, because i don't think it was, but illustrating where and in what context I have seen it. And I haven't seen anyone on social media use it as an inroad to talk about bullying, but rather re-frame it as an attack on right wingers and how it's unfair

Just so you understood where my initial response was coming from

I got it. This morning I actually heard this being discussed on a podcast I listen too (think not worse but definitely right leaning) and I thought of this thread. Maybe I am so smart I am ahead of the right leaning talking heads? LOL. I very well could have over heard it somewhere else, but still not sure how the issue becomes 'right vs. left' when both groups on here tend to agree that it might not be the best idea.