{"id":1210,"date":"2020-04-23T12:31:31","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T02:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=171553"},"modified":"2020-11-20T21:36:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T21:36:08","slug":"covid19-public-shaming-backlash","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/covid19-public-shaming-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Shame, Shame, Shame"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s been a spike in side-eye.\u00a0 In public encounters, polite nods and smiles have been displaced by wary looks.\u00a0 Occasionally, this is accompanied by a message \u2013 I\u2019ve seen a man told off for handling packaged items in the supermarket without gloves; another chastised for man-spreading along a narrow path, driving another passerby onto the road.\u00a0 A few weeks ago, I saw a family yelled at for picnicking in contravention of public health orders.<\/p>\n

This behavior is part of a trend of COVID-related social shaming \u2013 which is even more prominent online.\u00a0 For the past month, my Twitter feed has been abuzz with photos of crowds being called out for their selfishness in flouting public health advice.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen vibe-y farmers\u2019 markets, packed beaches, crowds rallying<\/a> to have public health restrictions lifted \u2013 all captioned #covidiots<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Public figures are called out personally. Jennifer Lopez was denounced for going to the gym in breach of a stay-at-home order. \u00a0Ivanka Trump was condemned for traveling to New Jersey from Washington to celebrate Passover, contrary to US federal government guidelines advising against discretionary travel.\u00a0 And after informing her 1.3 million followers that she had traveled from New York to the Hamptons only eight days after testing positive for the coronavirus, influencer Arielle Charnas was barraged with angry comments.<\/p>\n

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Arielle Charnas sparks backlash after traveling from New York to the Hamptons only eight days after testing positive for Coronavirus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This form of social surveillance questions whether people are behaving responsibly, in a way that minimizes risk to others at a dangerous time.\u00a0 It finds its logic in the fact that COVID-19 is so contagious.\u00a0 We rely on each other to stem the spread of the virus, so when people act in a way that\u2019s contrary to this objective, it\u2019s understandably riling.<\/p>\n

The instinct to shame others for bad behavior isn\u2019t new. \u00a0It represents a psychological drive to shape undesirable social behavior through negative feedback.\u00a0 Depending on how this is done, it can be useful and effective. \u00a0Lydia Woodyatt<\/a>, a lecturer in psychology at Flinders University, posits that shame is \u2018functional to the extent that it encourages goal-directed behavior and survival.\u2019 \u00a0Human beings are social creatures, who seek belonging and acceptance from peers \u2013 when this is at risk, we may be driven to change our behavior.<\/p>\n

Some of the messages imploring people to stay indoors tap this instinct well \u2013 they impress the gravity of the situation, they are stern and informative, and they appeal to our common humanity.<\/p>\n

But some of the things I\u2019ve seen strike me as the opposite of empathy, in times that call for more empathy than ever.\u00a0 For example, this insane flyer<\/a>, posted outside someone\u2019s home. \u00a0Or a story Poppy Noor shared in an article for the Guardian<\/a>: \u2018Take the case of a friend\u2019s mother, who was recently reported to the police for making too many trips outside. She, in fact, was dropping off supplies to people who were sick and in isolation. Now she might feel less inclined to do so \u2013 but who cares, so long as whoever dobbed her in gets to post on social media about it?\u2019\u00a0 I can\u2019t help but notice that these attempts at monitoring antisocial behavior are themselves quite antisocial<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Social Distancing Flyer, Photography: Amelia Gentleman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When social shaming is executed in this way \u2013 cruelly or disrespectfully or without any attempt at human connection \u2013 it is more likely to isolate and disconnect its target than shape their behavior.\u00a0 Dr Woodyatt muses that, \u2018where public shaming is stigmatizing \u2013 that is, a person\u2019s behavior is discussed in such a way as to make them feel that they are incurably flawed \u2013 this leads to poor outcomes,\u2019 such as prompting disengagement and entrenching the behavior in question.\u00a0 This diagnosis applies to online shaming in particular.\u00a0 Its inability to offer context, connection or reciprocity causes Dr Woodyatt to doubt whether online shaming can ever yield productive results.<\/p>\n

The online strand of social shaming is part of a much broader trend \u2013 one on which call-out culture and the impulse to cancel public figures when they make mistakes may also be plotted. This trend shows an eagerness to pounce upon missteps.\u00a0 It fetishizes authenticity, refusing to believe that anyone should be allowed to contradict themselves or their past behavior.\u00a0 It holds in its heart a tiny, hard kernel of schadenfreude.<\/p>\n

It reflects a desire to impose control.\u00a0 In his 2015 book, \u2018So You\u2019ve Been Publicly Shamed<\/a>,’ John Ronson posits that social shaming via online media is a tool of social control, with those engaging in this behavior seeking to \u2018mercilessly find people’s faults\u2026 [and] defin[e] the boundaries of normality by ruining the lives of those outside it.\u2019<\/p>\n

The psychology of the broader trend of online shaming goes some way toward explaining the more recent spike of pandemic-shaming.\u00a0 Both are driven by a desire to establish control. This instinct makes sense right now, when most of us are plagued with insecurity and uncertainty.\u00a0 In the world we\u2019re living, to feel in control is comforting \u2013 illusory though it may be.\u00a0 It feels good to rage about other people\u2019s selfishness because it puts us back in the driver\u2019s seat for a second.\u00a0 For a second, we\u2019re not helplessly responding to a terrifying situation, which is entirely beyond our power to change.\u00a0 Instead, we are making sense of the world, and attempting to shape it, which feels so revolutionary and so normal at the same time. It\u2019s nice to feel that way right now.<\/p>\n

The problem with this is that calling out undesirable behavior is easy; actually influencing others is hard.\u00a0 COVID-related shaming suffers from the same problem as broader call-out and cancel culture.\u00a0 Even when it\u2019s the right message (stay at home! As much as possible, we should all be doing this right now), it\u2019s unlikely to yield positive results when done in a way that provokes defensiveness or causes its target to disengage.\u00a0 As Loretta Ross writes for the New York Times<\/a>, \u2018call-outs make people fearful of being targeted. People avoid meaningful conversations when hyper-vigilant perfectionists point out apparent mistakes, feeding the cannibalistic maw of the cancel culture.\u2019<\/p>\n

And it misses so much nuance.\u00a0 When someone is called out for their behavior, either online or in real life, it\u2019s usually not possible to know their personal circumstances, or the full story behind their decisions.\u00a0 Maybe this knowledge would provide context for their actions and inspire compassion.\u00a0 A little more compassion would not be a bad thing right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10061,"featured_media":1211,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[38,16],"yoast_head":"\nShame, Shame, Shame - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Instagram backlash and the rise of #covidiots, to real-life finger pointing, social shaming is having a moment. 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