So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

I normally love Jon Ronson’s books, but So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed was not a joy to read. Maybe it is the subject matter or maybe because the book unintentionally creates the problem that it seeks to examine. Ronson seems to suggest that the Internet mob’s response is disproportionate to the original problem, but So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed reignites the controversy that started the shaming in the first place and creates the problem that Ronson decries. I would not have known about the majority of these stories if I hadn’t read So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Usually the connection between chapters seems more germane and less random. Also Ronson is acting informally as a judge to what is appropriate and what isn’t, but clearly suggests that he relates to some of the shamed individuals as a fellow writer and Internet personality more than the shamers. He is too close to the subject to write about it clearly unless you’re looking for a subjective point of view.