So You Have Been Public Shamed Summary

Musicians of the 1960s and 1970s heavily integrated culture and controversial subjects into their music, surrounded by a constantly developing social landscape. Their moving lyrics and political undertones provide a strong insight into the time. Artists communicated the voices of ordinary, powerless people and conveyed the angst felt. Music did not appeal to the masses but acted as an outcry, begging for social change while offering comfort to those who felt its direct effects. As musicians shifted away from controversial topics, people looked towards comedians to fill the void of representation in the media and literature. However, common people have grown in influence from increasing online communication, overshadowing the power of the most

Comics censored by social media platforms unveil a disturbing case of herd mentality and the self-harm inflicted by certain activists. Comedians, like the musicians of the 60s and 70s, serve a crucial role in society, but current activists and ‘social warriors,’ compounded with the surge of ‘mobs’ on social media, restrict their ability to perform and comfort society. Before the term ‘cancel culture’ existed, Jon Ronson wrote his book ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ which outlines the tendency of groups to exhibit feral and hypocritical behavior otherwise not present. Ronson criticizes people’s willingness to knowingly misrepresent a victim’s true intentions just to derive a sense of pleasure, destroying their livelihoods in the process. Justine Sacco unfortunately experienced this spectacle after she jokingly tweeted, “Going to Africa”. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” poking fun at white privilege and the ignorance surrounding the

These lyrics do not contain any cultural significance and disgrace the legendary performers of our past. Today, artists focus on their reputation and net worth rather than the substance of their music. Humorists take the responsibility of representing the people, because we all know the politicians can’t, but suddenly boundaries appear everywhere with certain topics completely off limits. Some argue that comedians have limitations and making people laugh should be their only concern. Yes, comedians make people laugh, but no influential figure remains once all the comedians disappear. Nobody wants to touch politics with a ten-foot pole. In an interview with comedian Russell Peters, he declared, “You can’t erase the past, all you can do is learn from it, because if you cancel it, erase it, it’s just going to repeat itself.” The American constitution prevents the government from censoring its citizens, but the founding fathers failed to predict that we would turn against each other. Blinded by their ‘good intentions,’ these activists violate our civil rights.