Hannah Montana once sang, “Everybody makes mistakes, Everybody has those days, Everybody knows what I’m talking about, Everybody get’s that way.” She certainly lived up to this song, yet she’s not the only one who has made mistakes that have gone viral. Bullies and mean girls have been around forever, but technology now gives them a whole new platform for their unjust actions. The simplification of the ability to publicly humiliate anyone has hindered modern day society. People in the west typically condemn shaming, they often associate it with bullying, which some define as an attempt to make people feel worthless merely for being different according to Todd Douglas. He also writes that another downside is that it gives power to people who
One could say public shaming does not hinder modern society, it corrects it through American court systems. As stated by Matt Berman “The practice is called public shaming and it’s the kind of creative punishment that is being ordered by judges around the country.” It is apparent that some people haven’t changed since the days of the puritans. In Cleveland a Judge sentenced Edmond Aviv to spend 5 hours on a busy Sunday in April with a large sign branding him an intolerant bully as reported by Patt Morrison, editor of Los Angeles Times. He also states that prison doesn’t cause the same kind of vivid denunciation that public shaming does. Another example of this irrational punishment would be when a different Cleveland judge gave a woman a choice of jail or stand on a street for two days brandishing a sign that read, “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” This form of punishment must have seemed less threatening to the woman because she chose it over jail time. Little did she know that this story would be up forever due to modern day technology. Matt Berman records another case of this unjust punishment “Richard Dameron, 58, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and forced to wear a sign that read ‘I apologize to officer Simone and all police officers for being an idiot calling 911 threatening to kill you.’” This is a very touchy subject because the 8th amendment bans cruel and unusual
Hester Prynne’s tragic love affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a prime example of this is in The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. She is labeled by her sin with the scarlet “A”.This method of punishment backfires when it literally kills Arthur. Arthur’s secret was kept so easily because they didn’t have the technology that is now available. There was no way of proving that they had done anything from texts or photos. Instead the secret was held between three very intelligent people in spoken dialogue, not a group message or IM that could have cut this story long before it had
Every civilized society makes laws that protect its values, and the society expects every single citizen to obey these laws. Whenever a citizen of a certain society breaks one of these laws, the rulers of the society dish out punishments they dim fit for the kind of crime committed. With this kind of justice system in place, criminals are either locked up in prison cells, whipped, or exiled from the society. In the essay, “Bring Back Flogging”, columnist Jeff Jacoby argues that flogging is much more superior to imprisonment and should be brought back as a method of punishing crime offenders like the Puritans did in the past. He is convinced that the shame associated with flogging would prevent offenders from going into crime professionally. Jacoby believes that whipping criminals has more educational value compared to locking them up in cells and that it saves a lot of money. Throughout the essay Jacoby attempts to build ethos even though it fell apart due to misconceptions. He relied mostly on the use of pathos by appealing to his reader’s emotions and using this as a base ground for his logos.
In the United States, a citizen has rights granted to them under documents such as the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, which gives citizens certain freedoms as long as they obey the law. When someone commits a crime, they are then entitled to aspects such as a speedy trial, a fair jury, an attorney if they wish, and other things, under the sixth amendment. Even if the person is found guilty, as a U.S. citizen they have rights under the eighth amendment which include protection against excessive bail or fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. Since the framers enacted the amendment, the exact definition of cruel and unusual punishment has been difficult to pin down, changing with the times and everyone’s interpretations. Pete Earley’s novel, The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison, depicts the conditions in the United States’ toughest prison, where some prisoner recounts, as well as Earley’s
When one turns on the television today they are made witness to all the crimes that are present in society. It is impossible to sit through thirty-five minutes of news without anger and rage becoming aroused. This is because society is bothered by infinitesimal paraphernalia. Society also believes in human rights and punishment for those who violate such rights. Yet what constitutes humanity? Ever sit there and watch the news and wonder just how far humanity reaches? When is it time to say this is a human rights violation? Every wonder when someone’s morals and ethics begin to effect their ability to do their job? Ever wonder why in every news story the “bad guy” always become caught? Ever wonder how many people on death row might not be guilt? Some of them could have even been used as scapegoats. Yet how does one become a scapegoat? Could someone out there have that much hatred and anger to blame one person for the faults of many? Is the need for blame significant? Does desire lead to more hatred and evil? What does it feel like to be blamed for something that might not be wrong, and to be put on trial knowing that the jury wants to blame someone? In society and in the United States since its founding, there has been a need to place blame. Imagine how the person being blamed would feel. Henry Wirz did not have to image it; he lived through it and died for it. Someone is always to be blamed, even if they were just following orders. Orders which can only go so far until humanity takes effect. Henry Wirz was used as a scapegoat for war crimes committed during the Civil War at Andersonville Prison, however that does not justify his acts or make him an American hero.
According to Jacoby, flogging is faster, cheaper, and a more effective alternative to prison. Many young criminals would be less likely to become career criminals if punished through public embarrassment than through prison. Prison can be a sign of manliness or a “status symbol” (Jacoby 197). He says “prison is a graduate school for criminals”, providing evidence that criminals want to be convicted and be in prison, to strengthen their status (Jacoby 197). Jacoby knows how to properly get his view across to the reader, by saying that ...
In “Bring Back Flogging”, Jeff Jacoby argues why the current criminal justice system in America is not effective or successful. As a solution, he suggests that America should bring back the old fashioned form of punishment once used by the puritans, flogging, as an alternative to imprisonment (198). This article originally appeared in the op-ed section of the Boston Globe newspaper. Therefore, the primary audience of this article is people who want to read arguments about controversial topics and have probably read some of his other articles. His argument that the current criminal justice system is not working is extremely convincing. He appeals to pathos and uses statistics to prove that thesis and to persuade the audience.
Objectification of women and misogyny is a common trend in song lyrics, but it is often socially accepted and further perpetuated. Finding a song in which the roles are reversed and a woman depicts a man as a sex object is incredibly difficult because when women try to break norms in the music industry, they are often criticized. In “Blah Blah Blah” by Kesha, she reverses the typical gender roles in song lyrics by objectifying men. Kesha has her own struggles within the male-dominated music industry because her producer sexually abused her and trapped her into a record deal. However, Kesha lost her court case, which illuminates gender issues within the music industry and the larger society. In 2010 when Kesha’s songs were popular, people weren’t aware of her battle with her producer. Instead, her lyrics classified her as more of a party figure and people even saw her as “trashy.” This song
Throughout the history of mankind there have been numerous cases in which people were victims of oppression or hate. Among these cases the sole reasoning behind this oppression or hate being based on the perception of others. History has shown that society is responsible for labeling groups of people, generally these labels are misleading.
For instance, in the book to Kill a Mockingbird, or “TKAM” for short, when Miss Stephanie Crawford says “ Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from the Maycomb Tribune… Boo drove scissors into his parents’ legs.. and resumed his activities”(lee 11). Miss Stephanie Crawford had told two children this by the names of Jem and Scout Finch, the main characters in the story. Miss Stephanie Crawford was not at the event that she so claimed was true, therefore she had no idea of who this child really was like, or if he had even done these acts as she so gratefully told.These rumors are never known to be the truth or not, however people still spread them everywhere with no regard for the victims own life.
I come from a small town where friendly shaming was normal among students and teachers. Most students were friends or even related to their teachers. So friendly shaming was common. The problem with this was students who did not have that direct relationship with teachers would feel left out or excluded from the group dynamics. Outside of friendly shaming, we have the type used to influence students. Such as calling out students for misbehaving in class or telling them off for poor work ethic. This itself does help create people who need to reflect on their own personal habits. But, students who are publically called out are more than likely to rebel more to create the same shameful atmosphere the teacher placed on them and make the teacher know the same feeling. The best way if at all to ‘shame’ a student is privately and publicly shaming should be reserved for those students who need to be made an example of. Such as a
In “Bring Back Flogging,” Jeff Jacoby, a journalist, argues why the current criminal justice system in America is not effective or successful. As a solution, he suggests that America should bring back the old fashioned form of punishment, flogging, once used by the Puritans as an alternative to imprisonment (198). This article originally appeared in the op-ed section of the Boston Globe. Therefore, the primary audience of this article is people who want to read arguments about controversial topics and have probably read some of Jacoby’s other articles. His argument that the current criminal justice system is not working is extremely convincing. He appeals to pathos and uses statistics to prove that thesis and to persuade the audience. However, he provides no reason why corporal punishment is the best alternative to imprisonment and never offers any other options. Additionally, he does not make an effort to explain why corporal punishment would be more effective or successful than imprisonment. Thus, in “Bring Back Flogging,” Jeff Jacoby successfully informs his audience of the dangers and problems with imprisonment by using verbal irony, appealing to the emotion of pity, incorporating logical
The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States asserts,” Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted,” (source Cornell). This amendment is being violated in the military today. These victims are being punished for being victims. Many victims are forced to leave the military after their attacks and do not receive proper medical attention. Victims are being cruelly treated for crimes committed against them.
There are people that believe public shaming is the answer for disciplining and proving a point to their children. The truth is, public shaming is not the answer. Humiliating a person in public for various reasons is unethical. Public shaming can lead to self-esteem issues, suicide, and in regards to punishment parents should do so privately.
Not only has this stigma infiltrated a reintroduced prisoner’s professional work life, but also their personal life. “Formerly incarcerated students tell me that they agonize about when to tell a romantic partner about their criminal history, only to find that said partners had already Googled them on the first night that they met.” (Uggen, 144). This contributes to the overwhelming stigma of the public and affects the prisoners who are still currently incarcerated. More and more have citizens of the United States been exposed to publicity and exaggeration of the danger of prisoners. As of late, many rumors and cases of people dressed as clowns that kidnap children and murder them have been surfacing across the nation. It has caused immense
The shaming of offenders has been in existence since the late 18th century. It was a form of corrections that was used to serve justice by offenders who had committed criminal acts. Offenders who had committed crimes against person or property were likely to be handed a sentence of shaming. In lieu of serving a sentence in a cell or incapacitated place, an offender could be sentenced to some degree of public punishment that would attempt to reform the offender and help him see the error of his ways. Popular methods of late 18th century shaming included "the whipping post, the pillory, stocks, branding, banishment, the dunking stool, and the use of the brank." All of these devices were used to demonstrate public shaming of the offender. Common reasons that would incorporate the use of shaming would be "blasphemy, adultery, failure to observe the Sabbath, and a general laziness." All of these punishments were used to help re-instill popular religious beliefs and bring back the good of a person into society. Lo and behold, shaming must have some positive attributes to it because it still exists in the present day. Instead of judges issuing jail/prison sentences, many offenders will receive some form of probation. Of course, this all depends on the seriousness of the crime. Judges tend to use probation on offenders in hopes of bringing them full circle from being a criminal to an integral part of society. Plus, a judge has more discretion in the use of probation as a form of corrections than with incarceration. Just as in any form of corrections, there exists four main goals that are to be achieved in some way, shape, or form. In order for the offender to feel the intended outcomes of shaming, he must experi...
With the modern day fad of being politically correct, stereotyping is seen with a negative view. Oversimplifying people can spawn many different reactions, but many aspects of the world are built upon the foundation of stereotyping. It can not only be a useful thing, but it can also be a very effective way of deciding how to react to someone. While stereotypes may seem rash and uneducated, many of them have been created for a reason.