Public humiliation (shaming)
Public humiliation, also known as shaming, is a practice that involves publicly exposing an individual's crime or social infraction with the intention of degrading or humiliating them before a crowd, either in person or through digital platforms. This method of punishment has a long history and has been used across cultures as a means to address wrongdoing, enforce social norms, and deter future offenses. Historically, public humiliations could involve physical penalties or ritualistic displays, such as processions and public trials, while today, many instances occur online, leveraging social media's vast reach to shame individuals instantly and broadly.
The emotional consequences of public humiliation can be severe, potentially leading to long-lasting effects such as anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Cultural nuances influence the impact of such punishments; in some societies, the stigma may extend beyond the individual to their family or community for generations. While public shaming can serve as a tool for accountability—especially against powerful figures—critics argue that it often lacks due process and can have devastating personal repercussions. As social media continues to shape the landscape of public discourse, the line between necessary accountability and harmful shaming remains a topic of debate among scholars and the public alike.
Public humiliation (shaming)
Public humiliation is the announcement of a crime or social infraction in a way intended to degrade or humiliate an offender in front of (physically or, in the modern world, digitally) a large number of peers and even strangers to inflict maximum judgment. This form of punishment often has a negative effect on the offender’s public image and social standing. At times, public humiliation includes physical punishment while at other times, it is restricted to a verbal or visual display. In some cases, public humiliations aim to punish an offender such as an individual, family, group, or even an entire nation. Other acts of public humiliation are used to set an example to prevent further offenses or display the power of the punisher. While historic public humiliations occurred in person, contemporary public humiliations largely take place online.
Brief History
Public humiliation has been used as a punishment and deterrent for many different crimes and violations of social norms. This form of degradation aims to cause embarrassment, shame, or guilt for the victim. While the actual event causing a public humiliation may last only a few moments, the emotional effects can last for a lifetime and may manifest in severe depression and anxiety; in some extreme cases, public humiliation has led to suicide. While in some cultures public humiliation is intended to affect only the individual, in other cultures, the effects can extend for generations as children are held accountable or in low esteem for crimes committed by their parents or grandparents.
In medieval Poland (1100–1500s), rebels could expect to be publicly humiliated through a rite of submission to the monarchy, including kneeling or laying on the ground before members of the monarchy and asking for forgiveness for a rebellion or other act of disobedience. This public act, which humiliated the rebel and showed submission to the monarch, was designed to ensure that the court and general public understood that the rebellion had come to an end and that rebellion leaders acknowledged the monarchy’s power.
In Edo Japan (1603–1867), punishments could include a public procession. Sometimes this procession was made to announce a particular crime and the convict was released after the procession. Other times, the procession was made en route to an execution. Floggings and public labor were also forms of public humiliation employed. Since being a respected member of a community was important to the social structure of Edo Japan, public humiliation was seen as a severe punishment.
In England during the 1700s, public humiliation was common, and many towns had specific locations where public humiliations, which aimed to both punish criminals and prevent and deter future crimes, could occur. These public humiliations were also used to indicate that a specific person could not be trusted or did not adhere to community morality. To garner the largest deterrent effect, not all crimes were publicly punished. Instead, judges paid special attention to selecting prisoners and locations that would gather the largest crowds. This intentional damage to an individual’s reputation required that a crowd gathered to watch the humiliation, remember who had been publicly humiliated, and spread information about why the punishment had occurred. One such method of humiliation involved being locked inside a pillory, a device constructed from two planks of wood with holes designed so that the criminal’s head and hands could be locked between the wood boards, resulting in an uncomfortable posture and an inability to escape from jeering crowds.
One of the most common reasons for receiving a public humiliation sentence was for committing adultery or participating in other forms of extramarital affairs. The public nature of this punishment was particularly shameful as it took a private act and made it publicly known, punishing the individuals who participated in the adultery as well as sending a message to other potential adulterers that they too may suffer the same fate. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850) imagines the way that Puritans might have used public humiliation to punish adultery as the main character, Hester Prynne, is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her dress, marking her as an adulterer for everyone to see.
Public Humiliation Today
The ability to broadcast images and text through the Internet has resulted in changing methods of public humiliation. In modern society, it is possible to publicly humiliate or shame anyone (including high-profile figures) in any part of the world at any time simply by posting a message or image on a social media site, blog, or other online venue shared with millions around the world. Additionally, while traditional public humiliation may have lasted for a few days, online humiliation leaves a lasting digital record.
As such, schools have begun to change the ways that they share information about students and have created new guidelines regarding how students can be represented and depicted online. Schools have also turned increasing attention to school bullies who use internet accessibility to achieve the greatest impact in publicly shaming their victims. Some parents, however, have taken a controversial approach, using social media to upload videos and images in an attempt to compel their children to act appropriately and prevent future infractions through public humiliation.
Public humiliation has also become common among people who do not know one another, as individuals can upload or repost instances of appalling behavior onto social media instantly and, sometimes, anonymously to express opinions, set examples, or deliver perceived justice. While some of these postings may address genuine social infractions, some scholars and analysts worry that the effects of long-term public humiliation far outweigh the offense. Individuals have had to abandon their social media presences, have lost their jobs, and have distanced themselves from friends and family due to public shaming online. Jon Ronson’s 2015 book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed indicates that those who are punished through online public humiliations have few protections, and their shaming is longer lasting because it is permanently accessible online; oftentimes their crimes or infractions are not judged in the courts, meaning that those who are punished may not have actually committed the transgressions for which they are accused. Some scholars, have questioned whether online shaming is always negative and posit that it can be used to hold politicians, corporations, and other powerful public figures accountable if done in a positive social context.
Bibliography
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