How one tweet can ruin your life | Jon Ronson

For the longest time Jon Ronson reveled in the fact that Twitter gave a voice to the voiceless ... the social media platform gave us all a chance to speak up and hit back at perceived injustice. But somewhere along the way, things took a turn. In this passionate, eloquent talk, Ronson explains how too often we end up behaving like a baying mob - and that it's time to rethink how we interact with others online.
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[@hyu93]

"She's a witch. Burn her!" "How do you know she is a witch?" "She looks like one!"

[@Ponera-Sama]

What exactly is wrong about being a witch though?

[@douglw123]

Ponera Grimoire kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKPdfpuLlJmgY8k

[@rowandawson9750]

Does she float?

[@jorjeezealien]

She made a bad joke! WITCH

[@Phynellius]

She weighs as much as a duck?

[@M.Free23]

"We want to destroy people, but not feel bad about it."

[@baneofdan]

The Daily Mail's motto.

[@corrigemoijapprends6405]

He literally said this when i read this

[@ytuser4562]

It’s kind of true...

[@mikeallison3537]

YTuser45 it’s not just KIND of true!!

[@Zett76]

Funny, how just today I was willing to destroy a Trump supporter, just to let off some steam... and then I got this one as suggestion. Carl Jung's "shadow" - I've seen mine, today.

[@justachilldude4356]

Heroism is the ultimate form of escapism. Everyone wants to kill a villain, nobody wants to kill a person.

[@zachs7347]

You sound like a pretty chill dude

[@viktorramstrom3744]

@@zachs7347 Yeah, I think he is just a chill dude.

[@hatforacat3977]

Deep

[@rathuman2849]

damn

[@fairy5668]

I remember a tweet abt how everyone is willing to be a 'hero' when a problem arises, but they aren't willing to be a 'carer' to prevent the problem or understand the problem, and I think about it a lot. People want to come to the rescue and get the glory, but they don't want to take the slow, less-publicised routes of responding to issues

[@masterclif]

You don't even need to be the one tweeting. Someone else can tweet something fake about you, and it can destroy a career.

[@3869426384]

EG the lies people blindly spread about PewDiePie. And that was the second attempt. They previously tried and failed using his criminal record. I'm ashamed to say I contributed to the first go round.

[@ItsJustValHere]

3869426384 Wait, criminal record? I watch Felix every day for years now and never heard of that. I'm guessing someone lied about him being a criminal? Tf

[@masterclif]

@@3869426384 PewDiePie's career hasn't been destroyed by a tweet. I find it odd you say that you are ashamed. Is this your phone number for a name?

[@Guess_The_Number]

The risks that come with fame. NO THANKS!

[@masterclif]

@@Guess_The_Number No, that isn't a risk that comes with fame. This kind of thing happens to a lot of people. You just don't notice because it isn't headline news.

[@MrGwarpy]

"The smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless" hit the nail on the head

[@houloudini]

Kieran O'Dwyer the worst part about becoming voiceless is who then is left to question power when they are attempting to control the narrative.

[@chrisboyd3540]

@Kuuryo You kind of undermined your own point with your examples there. Two opposition politicians and a Swedish teenager are NOT "those in power". In fact it's rather telling that the three you mentioned are outspoken opponents of the rich and powerful and the current administration - which practically by definition IS "those in power". The most effective trick that the rich and powerful have played over the past few decades is to muddy the waters on how "the elite" and "the powerful" are defined. Throughout history, the rich have had practically all of the power and have been (and are) the elite, but now they want you to believe that they're actually honest champions of the people, and it's their critics in the media, in hollywood, and in politics that are somehow actually the 'real' power. The fact that so many have fallen for this lie demonstrates how gullible and idiotic most people really are.

[@chrisboyd3540]

@Juicelad And who exactly ARE these "globalist oligarchs" that rule everything in your mind? Huge swathes of the media are controlled by right-wing moguls like Rupert Murdoch. The oligarchs running Gazprom are a direct part of Putin's powerbase (in both senses!). Saudi Aramco, run by the Al Saud royal family is one of the most powerful companies on the planet. Exxon Mobil has more lobbyists than most entire industries have. Each of the companies I mentioned could buy and sell George Soros, that bete noire of the right-wing conspiracists, multiple times over. Saudi Aramco is valued at over $2 trillion, which is 250 times the value of Soros' holdings. Is it somehow Jeff Bezos because Trump has hate tweeted about him? What is this huge globalist conspiracy of oligarchs secretly running everything from the shadows, other than the usual paranoid delusions of right-wing idiots, fanned by those with actual power, because it's a narrative that suits their purposes?

[@dr.elizabethmartin7118]

Kieran, that is what the "controllers" WANT you to believe. The OPPOSITE IS TRUE.

[@Antonio-nt2kf]

That is so stupid

[@riseoftheproles8505]

This video is from 3 years ago and it's so much worse today.

[@rocket_1288]

cancel culture has become a thing

[@cheesewedge]

at least ProJared was able to survive what happened to him, so there is a chance we can change this

[@unstoppablevan9431]

Oops and it's just worst

[@jackchildree1491]

Cheese Wedge ngl projared was still a freak, legal =/= morally sound

[@poopertrooper2567]

jeez

[@AFoxinSpace]

Like fine wine. We still have all our torches and pitchforks, they're just USB- chargeable now.

[@TonioTonius]

what would you charge a pitchfork for?

[@bluezz5002]

@@TonioTonius idk something related to technology

[@philiplathrop9250]

@@bluezz5002 he's saying that it's the same mob mentality, we just have more advanced way of doing things

[@bluezz5002]

Philip Lathrop i know

[@nostrnastr9439]

O My god is the director serie of Star Fox i didn expect found You here

[@khryzzamaekelley2136]

“A world where the smartest way to survive is to be silent.” 6 years later and it’s very true more than ever.

[@johnlime1469]

I thought this came out more like 2 or 3 years ago lol

[@JT-ky7rx]

Oh, this was wildly ahead of it's time. I'd first seen it maybe 5 years ago or something, but it's crazy it's nearly 10 years old now. What's crazy is polling shows the vast majority of Americans loathe all of this and don't agree with the kind of authoritarian, raging mobs campaigning against the latest online "offender", but indeed they keep their heads down - precisely because it's just not worth even the small chance of losing a job. Some people will defend cancel culture by saying "losing a job is no big deal", which is definitely born out of privilege - losing a job or one's livelihood is near tantamount to a death sentence in 21st century America for the bottom half of people, and cancel culture extends far beyond the celebrity sphere at this point, to small business owners, local musicians, etc. It's just a slightly more polite version of old-school mob violence like lynchings, where people are really stopping just short of saying someone might as well die. The thing is, too - people who've been "canceled" have been in many ways assaulted in a major way, which could certainly lead to one's death, as studies show the social ostracization that results from it leads to of course a huge risk of major depression, anxiety, stress, all of which are bad for the body - and no surprise, a many fold increase in the risk of suicide. Before modern technology, being cast out of one's group meant certain death, so we're instinctually wired to fear it.

[@Shrey_Shrek]

lol@@johnlime1469

[@Holphana]

Or you could acknowledge that your position of power makes your voice a target for inequality. Silence isn't good enough. You need to listen too. It's best for the future of our race no matter how much you discriminate against other peoples choices.

[@RayT70]

Those who attacked her said worse things than she did

[@Tjalve70]

They usually do.

[@darrenchen964]

Yup

[@foottoast4235]

@@Tjalve70 If the person attacked is a woman, oh yes

[@rasmusg.o629]

@@foottoast4235 bullshit, as if men docent get hate to, but media sure likes to paint woman having the hardest problems no matter what.

[@desarguesbaptiste5577]

@@rasmusg.o629 It's just that physical insults or sexual insults are more likely to be said. I mean that's my personal experience and it has only few to do with medias.

[@nihilisticpancakeface6553]

man... crowd mentality is scary

[@nihilisticpancakeface6553]

And the people who follow it blindly are equally as stupid as the scare they give off

[@jokuvaan5175]

Jack Mihof. We have a saying in Finland: "In crowd, the stupidity densens/thickens"

[@MGTOWPsyche]

The modern day mob and witch hunts!

[@FullMetalGump]

The downside to democracy

[@morten1]

@@MGTOWPsyche It's very old, not modern. Internet just makes it come out to show

[@anaugustacp]

5 years later and the situation is the same, if not worst

[@estratega5833]

I think it's REALLY worst

[@jackfitzgerald7231]

Its evolving, just backwards

[@abxsmal]

The situation is very worst. Its relaly really worst right now. At this moment of time the situation is worster than worst of worst now

[@amythegay7170]

Chester Shoeberry yeah true

[@lewqitz]

@@abxsmal thaNks to oNly YoU hAVe lEft brain 2 ceLls.

[@dragonsnaps9430]

It just hit me that history sorta does truly repeat itself. I was thinking of the Salem witch trials long ago. Someone started an accusation then everyone turned against that one person and their life was ruined immediately. The people of Salem were basically cancelling people in their own way.

[@LinneAzalea]

The mob mentality is disgusting. I didn’t think so far back as to the witch trials but I was reminded of the nazis

[@eeveemaster8902]

@@LinneAzalea Nazis were not a mob

[@LinneAzalea]

EEVEE MASTER You think millions of millions of Germans just decided to become murderers without the mob mentality? It’s one of the best displays of what terrors mob mentality can lead to

[@gandalfpotter2230]

If your theory is correct how did the witch trials end If that is learned then we will all be saved Theoretically

[@eeveemaster8902]

@@gandalfpotter2230 the witch trials ended because people who got into the church realised it was bullshit and called a stop

[@nobleknight7472]

Unfortunately on social media the accused are guilty until proven innocent.

[@DeoMachina]

Noble Sublett Guilty even after being proven innocent., most of the time..

[@txdmsk]

Noble Sublett Which they sometimes manage to transfer to the real world. Like the Yes-Means-Yes laws.

[@rawstarmusic]

Noble Sublett They are never given the opportunity to prove themselves innocent. It is the evil of our time.

[@Odothuigon]

Noble Sublett What Jon Ronson calls "the democritization of justice" at 0:55 looks to me almost like a lynch mob running on pure emotion. Whether against an individual or corporation, this is not justice; it is a feeding frenzy.

[@rawstarmusic]

Odothuigon Exactly so. A mob without law, and authorization. Primitive mass psychosis gossip acting.

[@KaliTakumi]

Hivemind and Mob Mentality ruins everything, especially social media

[@PauloAndreAzevedoQuirino]

Yet here we are..

[@DrVein]

Kali Takumi damn its usefulness

[@kelleym3448]

Hivemind and Mob Mentality is social media.

[@KaliTakumi]

Kelley M social media sucks man

[@quarkyquasar893]

How it is Hivemind?

[@trippstephens6934]

Social media is a High School platform for eternal teenagers that are finally getting their turn to be the bully.

[@Soul-OnFire]

Mmmmhmmm i agree

[@RNB_lovr]

No cap

[@mihailmilev9909]

Lol

[@xeya3500]

👹👹

[@AntiRiku]

social media is a prime example on why we cant have nice things

[@awkwardcapgun6131]

"This isn't social justice, this is a cathartic alternative" - Megan O'Gieblyn Perfect summary of my feelings and fears.

[@l-3832]

Integrity Telecom How was what they said directed at you whatsoever? They never asked for you to reply in such a rude way, they didn’t aim to make you *specifically* feel bad. There isn’t anything wrong with having confidence in yourself, but your just coming across as cocky. Nobody asked to hear how ‘extremely smart you are’. No offence. This comment turned out way longer than I intended it to be lol.

[@markfoster1520]

Wow...doesn't this thread have something to do with the topic? If there are an extremely intelligent people reading, or just average Joe's...like me (who's extremely smart....come on, we all think so!) Doesn't this tell you that a statement (not even a joke) can just land wrong? How corporations would react so harshly.... I don't even have a Twitter account!? I'd be fired for seemingly nothing!

[@l-3832]

Mark Foster tf are you on about?

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@markfoster1520 lol

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@l-3832 I had to read it multiple times lol but did finally get it

[@BennyOcean]

11:14 "This isn't social justice, it's a cathartic alternative ". That's a great quote and I enjoyed this talk.

[@thegrooviestthing]

Great talk! Love this guy.

[@MetroAndroid]

BennyOcean I particularly liked, "Maybe there's two types of people in the world; those people who favor humans over ideology, and those people who favor ideology over humans."

[@ronanbell]

I actually read that he second he said it by fluke! Really weird coincidence lol!

[@thedoublechip]

A lot of what he said was very quotable. Even the phrase, "artificial high dramas" is descriptive and thought provoking. He's an excellent speaker.

[@robbie2951]

They've termed this cathartic alternative since his speech. It's now known as virtue signalling.

[@blazingfire7517]

“Twitter is a mutual approval machine” It’s pronounced “circle jerk”

[@moabt.frican7163]

@Blazing Fire i prefer the term "jack pack"

[@georgeofhamilton]

I think "mutual approval machine" is a more appropriate term.

[@georgeofhamilton]

@Mai Nyigguh no u

[@georgeofhamilton]

@G Guest Not just admiration; it can be any level of approval. People don't always admire others who agree with them, but they approve of them or their beliefs.

[@georgeofhamilton]

@G Guest I don't like it either.

[@jaydenalonso3284]

This man just explained cancel culture in all its toxicity

[@Niphredyl]

* its

[@SaiyanFromEarth]

Nice likes dude

[@StormWolf01]

The beginning of cancel culture. When i first heard this talk, i was surprised. Now, it's just an everyday occurrence. Evil disguising itself as virtue, destroying people's lives for trivial matters.

[@cuac5869]

Same as witch trials. Just accuse somebody and they will pay the price even if they are not guilty. Is disgusting. I was never more happy to not be a part of Twitter.

[@shiveshsingh3169]

@Plato's Metaphysician It's actually remarkably simple. Just don't go down the dangerous areas! Just like how you tend to avoid shady areas of your town. Don't talk to strangers- Don't add people you don't exactly know to your profile. Don't share everything about your life on the web. Simply treat the internet and particularly social media just like any other 'public' utility, and follow your basic safety protocols. Social media is just like the public bus. Whatever you say (in public) can cause a lot of trouble if taken out of context. Of course it's not a direct analogy, but I hope you get my point. You don't need a social presence to enjoy the internet, just be smart! 👍

[@jamalabdi5404]

Whatever that is trivial to you is not necessarily trivial to others. or is it?!

[@shiveshsingh3169]

@@jamalabdi5404 I am not saying its trivial, but that it's not exactly 'that' different from real life precautions that we usually take, that's all. And yeah, it's gained over experience, not from day 1. So, it will take sometime to get used to, or understand. Not trivial stuff.

[@akiras.3595]

Hm...debatable. If racist comments made on the internet gets rid of racist cops, I really don't see the problem. One less happy trigger racist out there with a gun.

[@joelshewmaker3567]

The combination of hive mind and anonymity can be a truly scary thing, indeed.

[@GoVocaloider]

You got it, man. It truly is.

[@GoVocaloider]

AntVision Just goes to show we're all heroes and we're all villains in many different stories. We're all deeper than just one face or one character. Ahh, humans. All so weird.

[@overthinking8067]

+

[@silkie5953]

Yeah I agree with everybody here.

[@monkeynut000]

Joel Shewmaker *cough* KZbin *cough*

[@4473021]

4 years after this was posted and things have only gotten worse lmao. Literally cancel culture.

[@coolstoryneedsmoredragons4336]

(this reply has been blocked by youtube)

[@ivotenotocensorship5247]

* (This reply has been blocked by KZbin)

[@noobadinsaan369]

Sorry your videos have been demonetized, your channel has been banned from KZbin and there'll be articles written about that one silly mistake u made one time :/ Actually we're not sorry at all!😂😂

[@jennhoff03]

What do you mean to "cancel culture?" I do agree that things are even worse.

[@randomdude9135]

(This reply has been blocked by KZbin)

[@cm_0011]

How ironic that this appears in my feed today, during a time where Twitter has become a toxic waste pit in the midst of all the current issues.

[@borisjankovici662]

Twitter and Facebook are dumb places that serve absolutely no purpose. If you don't have a relationship with someone in real life then you don't have a relationship with them at all. They are not your friends, they are not your family. Stay off Twitter. Stay off Facebook. Nothing good comes from these places. NOTHING. What is bad/racist/immoral/etc. changes EVERY SINGLE DAY. YOU ARE NOT SAFE in your thoughts or expressions!!!

[@sabreman8546]

@@borisjankovici662 I agree that twitter and facebook aren't great places now, and people should definitely distance themselves from them, but I don't exactly agree with your point about online relationships not being real relationships. People you've only met over text can still care about you, and I can vouch for this! One friend of mine has actually been talked out of suicide by an online friend she's never met irl. And just look at all the cases out there where a long-distance relationship that started through a screen bloomed into a full-fledged romance over enough time! Obviously, things like this are an exception, not the norm, but the internet can still be an amazing place for meeting new people, and even making close friends and even close relationships despite distance. Also, you might want to change your wording in that last sentence. I get what you are trying to convey, but as is it just sounds like fear-mongering. Hope I could convince you of something :)

[@borisjankovici662]

@@sabreman8546 I don't discount what your friend and others have experienced, but you said it: They are the exceptions, not the norm. We live by the norm. We live by the favorable odds, we don't go against them. Why are we sacrificing the vast majority for the exceptions? Why are you okay with that? I absolutely do not want to change my last sentence, and I don't know why you would think that now of all times in American history. You may feel comfortable with how you present yourself on the internet today, but it is a guarantee that the rules will change tomorrow.

[@sabreman8546]

@@borisjankovici662 Firstly, I want to say thank you for letting this be genuine discourse instead of a shouting match, you so rarely find that on the internet! But now to respond, just because something is an exception right now, doesn't mean it can't become the norm. I agree with you that social media as it is in the current moment is terrible, and I would advise anyone divided on the subject to steer clear, but that doesn't mean it can't become good again. I look at the stories I told you and see them as seeds of hope in an ocean of awfulness, and I want to do everything i can to let them nurture and grow. That's why I want to sacrifice the majority for the exceptions in this case. It's because the majority is terrible, and the exceptions represent everything the the internet has the potential to be. An amazing place where people can talk, understand one-another, forge relationships, and even do what me and you are doing right now; being able to talk things out with one another without biting each others heads off. And yes, I know it will take work, and it might not ever happen. But I like to have hope that people can get along one day, without incidents like Justine Sacco happening again. Hope that the internet can be a place where people can foster empathy, rather than dismiss it.

[@borisjankovici662]

@@sabreman8546 I hope you are right that we will get over the hump to a point where social media is more good than bad. Unfortunately, it is trending toward bad, and I just have little faith in that changing.

[@benhayes5396]

I’m writing this to apologise, 5 years ago I was part of this, although I did not tweet I did share the excitement over her getting fired and what will happen to her. And although recently I have been against how far cancel culture has gone. But the issue is the fact cancel culture became a thing. To all those affected by cancel culture, both in the past and in the future, I am sorry.

[@bellamckinnon8655]

That's pretty brave of you - I hope that more of us, myself included, can learn to mature and look at all perspectives of a situation before making judgements in the future.

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@bellamckinnon8655 very true, I think that'll be good for people on all sides of whatever, if done properly

[@lordeder9148]

I´m happy that you find the courage to say it out loud and that u realized of the mistake you made, all of us make mistakes, that´s why we shouldn´t judge others based on theirs

[@boiledelephant]

Bravo for saying it. I was up to my neck in it until a few years ago too - found myself, one day, being horrendously abusive on social media to people I didn't even know over tiny political differences, and eventually realised I was part of the problem.

[@sheldeon]

PLEASE. THE ANTI-DEFAMATION “LEAGUE” LITERALLY INVENTED ‘CANCEL CULTURE’. GUESS THEY’RE UPSET NOW THAT THEY DON’T CONTROL IT 100% ANYMORE? 🤔🧐

[@jackkirk2282]

"the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless" Introverts: So now you have figured it out

[@nikhiliyengar1510]

I wouldn't say voiceless, more like being selective about what they're saying.

[@kakapofan6542]

@@nikhiliyengar1510 to not have a controversial opinion

[@kakapofan6542]

Or make mistakes in your words

[@galadriel3134]

@Nick At Vancouver Candle Co Ah - but an introvert does not "have to be " voiceless. More like want to be...

[@dawidek4267]

i hate introverts

[@nikolaytimakhov6450]

2019 here. This video aged so well

[@fanOmry]

Far Too Well. It's positively Ageless

[@meganschneider9181]

I agree... so glad this was recommended to me

[@matty_daddy]

Yea cancel culture is absolutely awful...

[@GaminGuy_]

Nikolay Timakhov whats worse is that you’re right

[@randomstuff-qu7sh]

Yeah; I've noticed social media has allowed flash mobs and cancel culture to florish. A large part of it is the platforms that are allowing what is basically digital harassment/bullying profit hansomly. Not much incentive to prevent such horrific conduct when it makes them big bucks. It is pretty difficult to suggest a remedy for the situation though. On the one hand, banning those who go too far would be a help, but on the other, who decides what is too far? Its one of those things that falls in the category of "I can't put it into words, but I know it when I see it", and when it comes to platforms like Twitter, that makes it really hard to spell out a solid standard in their terms of service.

[@like90]

I was once mildly publicly shamed for mentioning that I didn't like a particular newspaper. I was banned for 24 hours. I left twitter after that, I love my job more than my voice. Sad, but true.

[@Brandon-xm4mp]

Damn, whoever did that is a privileged brat who doesn't like it when someone disagrees with them.

[@cuac5869]

@@Brandon-xm4mp think about it. Whole internet is like that. Even in KZbin comments you can see people telling others to f*ck off when they share a different opinion. And people think we are somehow better than we were centuries ago. News flash we are just the same but with technology now.

[@Brandon-xm4mp]

@MisterAMC 117 Exactly, and privileges can be revoked or taken away ( in a normal environment) .

[@KrytenKoro]

Which newspaper, and why?

[@AntiRiku]

@@cuac5869 idk feel like when people gather in like-minded crowds they get way worse

[@clio_7070]

I once saw a video on Instagram of a child playing outside alone. She looked happy. But the people in the comments got upset about the parents for how irresponsible they were. So I wrote that in my neighborhood it is normal for children to play alone on the street or to go to the playground and that the independence of my son is important to me. The reaction was harmless compared to the story of Justine Sacco. Nevertheless it made me sad. People accused me of being a bad mother. Someone commented under all the pictures I'd posted that I didn't deserve to be a mom. I received private messages. For the person who posted the video it must have been a lot worse. But after a few such experiences, I deleted all of my social media accounts.

[@knoweverything9075]

Well most people always jumps into their own conclusions.. Its sad to see them choose to shame each other instead of supporting.. For me.. Social Media is just a place where anyone wants to get some attention/ feeling accepted by some ppl while hurting others in the process.. People cant just think for a brighter side option.. It's really disappointing...

[@gunlovingurls9200]

I made a post about my daughter dropping a curse word. She picked it up when my husband broke his toe on the baby gate. Holy moly was a ripped apart. It’s interesting that you can judge a mom of so little information.

[@IxiaRayne]

Honestly mum groups are one of the most toxic spaces I’ve ever dipped my toe into … ngl

[@caseyalanjones]

That was probably wise. In many ways I think we were better off before social media.

[@AuntyEsther]

I am so sorry to hear that. You did right. One of the best things about my childhood was the amount of freedom I had to play outside and to come and go as long as I was home in time for tea. I am glad I am not a child now. Children today are kept indoors for the sake of their own "safety" and are driven to and from school (I did a lot of independent thinking when I was allowed to walk home by myself) yet many are now obese at a very early age and will be paying for this with their future health, and longevity will definitely be going down as many will suffer heart disease and other health problems much earlier in life than hitherto. Good health is precious and easily destroyed.

[@redsquirrel9961]

Alternate title: "How you can ruin someone else's life by judging what they say out of context"

[@ailaG]

Yeah and it's REALLY out of context because racists don't even talk like she did in that tweet. All these people really made an effort to take that joke seriously.

[@nootums]

*Several incoherent "Yeah"s in the background.*

[@benjaminwiner6220]

It’s not just context, but without consideration for intentions. She intended the tweet to mock herself and the bubble of white privilege. It could be perhaps looked at as poor taste, not worded right, or she’s just not that funny. But without all of the facts, information. Without context. Without intentions. Taking something at face value, it isn’t good enough and can crush people. People make mistakes. People do things accidentally. People do things intentionally for the greater good, and sometimes things don’t work out. But ultimately, this is a good example of the way people work socially at our worst. Social media causes social disconnect. Social media causes emotional disconnect. We think we’re connected to others when we’re really just plugged into our devices. Electronic connection is not the same as human connection.

[@habitualcrush]

not really out of context, I am not racist or anything, but people go too far when they try and show that the tweet isn't good, firing someone just because of a racist joke is too far I would say, but I guess this is the internet, you get hurt the pain won't stop, all of that just because of a mistake that maybe not just done it. People aren't robots to make every tweet perfect and gain no drama out of it, I know, in this case it was racist and it really hurted some people, but don't go too far, please.

[@gmarefan]

Context is dead, society doesn't care what people's intentions are and what they mean. Society gets to determine what peoples actions mean. Scary world.

[@Alexandra.AI.]

"Grab your torches and pitchforks!" Nothing's changed, except our torches and pitchforks look different now.

[@anaacuna9106]

Indeed. When I was younger, I looked back at horrible situations like the Salem Witch Trials or the case of Alfred Dreyfus (see this Ted talk: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWW1fZmMrbl6fpY :D) and thought, "How could they do this to someone? That ruined their lives! Some it even killed!" and believed that certainly, I could never do that. But nowadays, many people do that, and one of the biggest dangers, I believe, here is not just recognizing the danger of the mob mentality but recognizing it in ourselves as well.

[@ytuser4562]

They look a little more like iPhones and accusations now. But dang, that’s profound

[@LiLiKOiOiOi]

and there's a lot more

[@ar9n]

He's got such a good vocabulary, can tell he's a writer

[@JoaoVitor-qy3ze]

This video should be mandatory for everyone who uses social media

[@GenJotsu]

"If you think you are infallible, you've already fallen."

[@GenJotsu]

Jones W. Lmao, "dum dum?" That's cute. 160 other people were "smart smart" enough to figure it out; maybe one day far into the distant future you will too.

[@GenJotsu]

Jones W. Lmao. Ironic. Keep it up.

[@kaischreurs2488]

no person is infallible you can always fal deeper

[@lex6831]

lmao it wasn't even a bad joke, these people just ruined a funny joke

[@SupachargedGaming]

The problem with this mentality is the cure/treatment is to doubt everything. Everything loses meaning, even meaning itself. If you think yourself fallible you will never rise.

[@blackittysamurai]

Is it just me or did the audience look guilty?

[@laurahamm4744]

They probably don't fully agree with Jon.

[@varovega3269]

We are all guilty

[@SomeRandomGuy-us1yb]

Everyone's been there, especially now with ProJared in hindsight

[@quantumleap4023]

When you feed people the truth, you never know how they'll react.

[@moonboogien8908]

Well, this IS a Ted talk..... So...

[@animugril2166]

This is so humbling, I will never again forget there is a person behind everyone online.

[@globalvillage423]

It is not their job to be a citizens police, shamers should know their place.

[@hddifent7880]

I think the most irritating part about social media is after they are proven to be innocent, the world still accuse of them, denying the truth. Or sometimes when they just stop and move on, no one has ever stop by and apologise. Thus, leaving an unrecoverable wound in their heart.

[@anonplussedhuman5149]

Yes. I’ve suffered so much and almost took my life several times after being wrong canceled for being taken out of context on my larger platform. I think about this a lot. No one apologizes. They just expect you to brush it off and act like it’s fine. I’m not fine. I lost everything.

[@ytharper66]

It’s amazing how unbelievably hateful people fighting “hate speech” can be.

[@jamesrussell2936]

Those "fighting" hate speech are like Mao in the Chinese Cultural Revolution: they are trying to purge the "impure" elements from society anyway they can. The only reason they haven't gone full postal is because they know they'd lose support. People are stupid like that. They do all but what they _really_ want to do. EDIT: Changed "have gone full postal" to "haven't gone full postal".

[@CriticalRoleHighlights]

"Hate speech" in this day and age has become code for "speech hate".

[@HelloMsAnny]

@@Lobos222 LMAO right?

[@F4c2a]

@@Lobos222 ""Why are people attacking me just because I want to put Jews in concentration camps" Yeah totally not hyperbole. Nobody since 1940's has wanted to put jews in a concentration camp. Just another piece of bs you tell yourself to justify your hunt for people who don't agree with you 100%.

[@rocket_1288]

@@F4c2a agreed lol

[@TheStoneSpiral]

This is why I don't use Twitter. It's full of hypocritical monsters.

[@emexdizzy]

And some nice people, too. I know there's a lot of bad things out there, and they make me angry and sad to see, by I remind myself of all the good things people do say as well, and make an effort to be genuinely helpful to help balance out the negative voices.

[@TheStoneSpiral]

Siara Hughes Tell that to people who have had their lives ruined by a world wide shaming, sometimes over things that either didn't actually happen or were taken out of context. Twitter has never been able to get their trolls, alt-right or regressives in line with reasonable enforcement of the rules. They recently handed some amount of censoring control to the likes of Anita Sarkeesian. A 'feminist' who used her ideology to cry-bully her way to infamy with lies and social half-truths. She went so far as to demand the UN help her and other feminists silence online bullying.. but only the kind that effects them.. as they regularly and viciously bully anyone who so much as looks at them wrong. Going so far as to attempt to ruin the lives of men and women who dare speak against this new authoritarian left. The reality is a few 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' quotes aren't going to fix the insane clusterfuck that is social media.

[@mrburtbox9446]

Twitter does provide an echo chamber but doesn't all social media? If you exclude yourself from a platform because you might disagree with some of it aren't you just creating your own bubble like these cry bullies do?

[@emexdizzy]

Twitter is just a platform for discourse. People say the same crap in real life that they do on Twitter. It wouldn't make a good deal of sense to stop talking to people in public because some people say thoughtless things. Twits are going to yap their heads off whether or not smart people have something to say, so we might as well say something lest the only things being said are idiotic.

[@DrVein]

TheStoneSpiral I hate social media, similar things to this have happened to me, but as of recently I find it to be excellent for business.

[@XxxX-wx3er]

It’s so ironic how people want to cancel someone for an inappropriate comment when the act of cancelling someone makes them just as cruel as the original poster.

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

As of January 2023, when you google Justine's name today, the very first result is Jon's piece in the New York Times. Bravo!

[@cemttrou2246]

That's great!

[@davidhollyfield5148]

And NEVER use irony, because you are bound to be deliberately misunderstood.

[@IsomerMashups]

It's called "bad faith" interpretation - the opposite of what you're supposed to do if you want people to like and respect you.

[@toriagiro9519]

And it's so easy on the internet.

[@lang8097]

especially in text, people tend to misunderstand it or play dumb to manipulate masses.

[@purplpasta]

If you are afraid of misunderstandings you can put /s at the end of your message

[@LoverOfStuff]

Lang and it’s hard to interpret a sarcastic tone if you’re just looking at words

[@victoriabergmann7454]

This happened to me on Tumblr, only it wasn't because I said something stupid, it was because someone told me I was ugly and wanted everyone else to do the same. The few who tried to stand up for me got attacked too. I went to bed, and woke up to over 800 notifications of people liking or commenting on that person's post, saying that I was ugly and disgusting. When I deleted my twitter account my friends told me that they were posting things like, "The freak deleted their account, I hope they're dead too!" Humanity is disgusting.

[@ProfessorSyndicateFranklai]

The migration of the good people is scarce. As a new platform comes, and the good people settle in, as the majority settles in and the platform becomes popular the trolls come along, and then, you, as the proverbial pioneer, move west, into another frontier town with cheaper rents, and the old cities stay either languishing with trolls, or, if they can manage it, huge metropolitan areas with astronomical rent.

[@howdoi1851]

Michelle Ann this is heartbreaking to read. Please don't let them win. Sending you love.

[@VyshfulThinking]

You are beautiful and i will pray with Universe to send you lots of love and happiness

[@marcello7781]

Tumblr is just a shithole. Don't give up! I wish I could have stood up for you!

[@kwaddell]

I’m so sorry you went through that. :( Hope you’re doing well.

[@gabrielan7694]

this talk is more relevant now than ever

[@mochann1133]

Looking back to everything happened to Justine puts a hole in my stomach. The treatment she received is horrifying, those comments are so vile and inhumane.

[@RainaAstaldo]

And it hasn't gotten any better either...cancel culture is frighteningly ruthless

[@toonster62]

Jon Ronson has such a common sense approach to things. It's like K's quote in Men In Black. "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

[@johnbeauvais3159]

His point about the safest solution is to be voiceless is very spot on. Evey word you type will be used against you so you should give each letter the weight it deserves.

[@jayiu9170]

John Beauvais A professor of mine, one of the greatest professors I've had in college, once told me that he was scared of how society is turning something so great and precious as "social justice" into a weapon and that that was actually the ways of many dictatorships, turning the will of people (or a fake will) into a tool for bullying and destroying lives. The worst thing is that I didn't even analysed what he was saying, the first thing that unconciously popped to my mind was "what a bigot".

[@jimstanley_49]

The thing is, you only get 140 of them. There's no way to include the massive disclaimer to let everybody know you really are a good person and just thought this was funny. Anything you say will be picked apart, not on its merit, but on your inability to provide a complete argument.

[@mike4ty4]

@Jim Stanley: Agreed. Character limits are terrible.

[@MeJustinRichard]

John Beauvais yes, but can you afford not having a voice, not having this tool to reach others?

[@jimstanley_49]

Being voiceless hasn't bothered me much.

[@loftyradish6972]

So true. I keep coming back to this video. I'm a Kpop fan on twitter, and so many times I have been shouted out by fellow fans who are busy trying to ruin someone's life for a miner offence. I was called racist because I said "we are going too far, he said something dumb, it isn't right to make him loose his job." I still listen to Kpop, but I gave up on interacting with other fans. What is ironic is that the largest and most powerful fandom, the BTS ARMY are the ones who do it the most, but BTS literally have a song about the misuse of anger online. "I rage at the anger that is full of malice" is part of the chorus.

[@Everidity]

omg I went through similar things too. I used to be a hardcore ARMY back in 2015-2019, left the fandom cos I was cyberbullied for saying that I liked one song better than the other and BOOM .... they went on my insta, sent death threats, terrorized my other youtube channel etc. They misconstrued what I said and thought that I didn't like 'all their songs equally' wtf. like you said, BTS write lyrics about these things, it's just so sad how ARMYs are the exact opposite. Seems like it isn't fun to be an ARMY anymore, and for my own mental health I chose to unstan cos BTS reminded me of them.

[@loftyradish6972]

@@Everidity I am so sorry they did that to you. I wish I could say I am surprised, but I’m not. They can be so vicious, and about such dumb things. It is so childish to try to force total strangers to love every song equally. Why do they care about how a total stranger listens to and enjoys music? So what you had a favourite song? So what you had a song you didn’t like as much? It doesn’t impact anyone’s life but your own, what right do they have to dictate how you listen to the music you like? That is madness. You were listening to music and talking about music like a normal person and they acted like you kidnapped Namjoon and shaved off his eyebrows. It is just so sad that their unjustifiable behaviour caused you to lose your connection with BTS. BTS mean so much to me, they had been such a huge source of comfort, strength and joy for me over the years and I know they must have been that for you too. That those senselessly cruel armys destroyed your connection with BTS is beyond awful. I hope you have been able to find other artists you can connect with. My sister used to bully me for the books and music I listened to. She would invade my privacy to see what I was listening to and reading, and then she would tease me for liking it until I stopped liking it. At the time, those books and artists were my safe place where I could go to escape our messed up family and a horrible time at school… the continual attack on everything that made me feel safe and happy in an otherwise horrible time was awful and I hate that people have done that to you too. I have been living alone for five years now, but I still hide my bookcase behind my dressmaker’s mannequin because having it exposed makes me feel anxious and vulnerable even when I’m the only one here. I wish people would realise how much damage they do with such senseless, useless cruelty. They don’t achieve anything but hurting us, why can’t they just leave us alone? Fortunately, I have gotten better at telling off my sister when she is being a bully, but it still hurts every time she tries. I really hope you and your loved ones are happy, healthy and safe and that you have a wonderful rest of your week. :)

[@the_musical_zebra5354]

In summary, stay out of social media and you'll be happier

[@7811sparky]

yes, i have a friend in human resources and she says before they hire someone they look at all the social media. so people need to remember do not put anything down there that might get you in trouble later. would you agree?

[@jayit6851]

This needs to go viral

[@bepishead8524]

Trenton Pottruff (and not in the bad way)

[@jayit6851]

ECGamez Heh, indeed.

[@jojobeaums9004]

Trenton Pottruff Omg don't you know viruses are the future of medicine? Shame! xD

[@DrVein]

Trenton Pottruff #sharenotlike

[@alexk1682]

When videos go viral it is viewed by certain types of people. The majority of these people won't have the patience to make it through the first 30 seconds.

[@elenasullivan4522]

People think they’re so funny cussing out people and giving them death threats based on one small mistake. Ruining people’s lives without a second thought, it’s disgusting.

[@heika_206]

@Sairam LP Cyberbullying? Call for help. Or if you wanna use a dirty trick....CLOSE THAT FUCKI*G COMPUTER/SMARTPHONE

[@heika_206]

@Sairam LP Sure thing is if you call "degenerate" someone you don't even know he's not gonna give you anymore help

[@heika_206]

@Sairam LP Dude...are you okay?

[@michac.8283]

@@heika_206 people will still despise you in real life after you close the computer. You need to remember that there's world outside of your device

[@heika_206]

@@michac.8283 That's true. But he needs help...

[@EloTheCurious]

“…we’re going back to a surveillance society where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless. Let’s not do that. Thank you.” That hit so hard. It’s been 7 years, but the deep truth the lessons to be learned here haven’t lost their potency. The wisdom is palpable.

[@losttribe3001]

I made/make mistakes...and so have you. When I think of what society I want to live in, it is one where we ALL recognize we’re flawed humans. If a person learns from their mistakes, then I respect that and don’t think we need to destroy someone’s life.

[@alicethemadrabbit1842]

When it comes to dark humor, especially when a joke doesn't land, it's all about intent. With no history of being an actual racist, and a lot of history of telling bad jokes, you can infer her intention was to be funny... Especially later when she explains it.Any of us could've been in her position. :/

[@awildmoosey]

Very nicely worded, agreed.

[@zeromailss]

Alice the Mad Rabbit sadly most people dont want to reason, just like her everyone shame her for fun, it's really similar to bullying if you think about it there is this girl that is small and or happen to be different skin color than other kid there and or is disabled for example blind or deaf or has anything that can be attacked, then other kid poke her for fun, talking behind her back, prank her and then thing escalate rather quickly to the point where the little girl cant take it anymore and leave school or possibly commit suicide majority rule, most people dont care and just be a spectator, some other feel pity but dont want to get in trouble, some other tried to scold the other kid yet the bullying getting worse instead, the teacher tried to intervene but the kid only act like they behave on the surface and so on, a vicious cycle the bully don't think much and even feel good about it, they think that they are superior and sometimes twisted their view and think that they did the right thing just like how those people on the twitter they feel like those people who they bully deserve it, and the one who get bullied have their live and future destroyed just like that

[@l2ic3]

Unfortunately no one cares about intent these days.

[@rambard5599]

We have hard-coded in our brains that we're actually insignificant, that since there's so many other humans in the world, no one is going to notice us unless we want them to notice us. Even when it comes to KZbin comments, I at least expect that no one who knows me is going to notice me, because I don't want them to. In Justine's case she had a small following of people, she probably thought of them as "her people", those who she considered her anonimous friends, and she knew that they liked her jokes. But she forgot that in Twitter *everyone* can read you, and with just one person that reads you, doesn't know your intentions (or doesn't care) and decides to make a drama out of it, you've suddenly lost all your anonimacy (is that a word?) There's a lot of people who don't feel so secure about themselves, and use scapegoats like Justine, to say to themselves "Hey, I am better than this one person!". They say it out loud, so that by expressing their disgust towards someone that everyone else hates, others will think that they're better. But these people are in such a rush to feel accepted, that they don't pause to think twice.

[@godminnette2]

Not only that, but I believe Justine had written a piece about the very issue in her tweet prior to her tweeting about it, so anyone who knew her work would know she had to be joking. I can't remember exactly, but I recommend Ronson's book, it's on audible and he narrates it: So You've Been Publicly Shamed

[@sandracheeks1811]

I avoid all social media for this very reason. Even leaving comments on KZbin can lead to some amazing responses.

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

Sandra Cheeks This is true. Also, you ARE amazing and I hope you have a wonderful week!

[@xiphocostal]

Supernova

[@kirin1230]

Yup, I only use KZbin. Admittedly, I do sometimes get into drama in KZbin comments, but that's why I don't use my real name.

[@gilligan80]

This is social media

[@JonathanHilierChannel]

I like your sentiment... But this is on a KZbin comment section 😂😂😂

[@conradjones4149]

This should be mandatory watching whenever somebody makes a twitter account.

[@alyssafoster4765]

Yes but it might convince people to uninstall the app 😂

[@plutoskis1661]

No

[@Shrimp_Insurance]

@@alyssafoster4765 One can only hope

[@NJGuy1973]

No, whenever someone makes a twitter account, they just need to hear three words: You'll Be Sorry.

[@juliea2864]

And social media has only gotten worse. We will destroy ourselves this way.

[@donnamariedavidson5065]

Only if we allow it....

[@Rainaman-]

@@donnamariedavidson5065 indeed. If you don't want to play that game, you don't have to

[@captiankirkgames4385]

Made us lose forgiveness

[@AntiRiku]

@@Rainaman- easier said than done as they can make you a part of it even if you're not

[@Elwingish]

this is excellent- I'm a female diagnosed with Asperger's. And my main fundamental fear is the many times I misjudge my words- and get judged for it, with life- changing consequences. I shy away from social networks, of course. I shy away from most social interaction. When one poorly put together line of words, in a misjudge attempt to be popular, can taken out of context this far, what can one do? I think I will just be silent from now on. I prefer not to be word-raped.

[@Astryca]

Haha, getting my words scrambled by others is one of the worst thing i know, even if they effect me positively or negatively. But still i keep talking, because i think it's worse to be silenced, than being misunderstood.

[@emexdizzy]

I'm also on the autistic spectrum, and I know how it feels to become frustrated when you don't know what to say and afraid you might say the wrong thing. What's helped me is to study people objectively. I may not naturally relate to people well, but the psychology of human interaction is just another science, and conversational skills are like any other ability. They can be learned. So don't give up. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you can feel confidant stepping outside your comfort zone and do the things you long to do.

[@Toukan1]

It's really hard to say something considered entirely appropriate on the internet and now it's just easier not to get too involved, mostly on controversial subjects. I suppose the only way to try and debate those is to use anonymous accounts =/

[@bruh3457]

Velouria Lemur You should try making friends on skype, discord, etc. And making sure that you take 5 minutes (maybe not to that extent) on every message and get a thesaurus. On skype and discord, you can take as much time as you want making a message, and in many communities they won't mind the time it takes you to respond.

[@TheBangooman]

Say what you want, just stay anonymous. People get linched cause they dox themselves. Yeah, it shouldn't happen, but our species is disgusting like that, and so one must adapt. People without asperger or autism still don't know what to say in many situations and they just pretend they do, pretty much like any asperger puts the mask to not be judged, the only difference is that the internatl anxiety of the interaction is far stronger when you're an aspie.

[@laust-b33ch1ldd7]

this man is scolding all of us and we deserve it

[@pinksalt1057]

Fallen on deaf ears

[@Flowerman-yt8zp]

@@pinksalt1057 if he got thru to one person, he did his job

[@pinksalt1057]

@@Flowerman-yt8zp Generally agree but in this case what I meant was we have to have a Ted on how to have a moral compass

[@Flowerman-yt8zp]

@@pinksalt1057 i think we all have them...they just need some calibration...the people doing the shaming think they're coming from a good place, and they are in some regard...but this TED is pointing out that it's gone way beyond the mark

[@pinksalt1057]

@@Flowerman-yt8zp I agree with pointing out wrongly informed people but the internet is the interhunt, so yes way too far.

[@RyanAustinDean]

“We were like toddlers crawling toward a gun.” Holy cow, that’s accurate.

[@globalvillage423]

People are so primitive and shallow, so that is good description.

[@kiwichan5242]

Everyone stuck in the whole "cancel culture" should watch this video.

[@TheChowitzer]

"Our desire to be seen as compassionate is what led us to commit this profoundly uncompassionate act." Very well said.

[@DanRinehart]

Getting a very strong Black Mirror vibe from this talk. Powerful stuff.

[@alicethemadrabbit1842]

Right??

[@weaponofmassconstruction1940]

I don't have to worry, I'm a 4.6

[@Neko3031]

I was thinking more of Hated in the Nation (s3e6)

[@arnaudnicolas2782]

+Goldmeteora thanks for the spoiler. was going to watch this episode tonight....

[@RMarsupial]

Charlie Brooker has said that S03E06 was inspired by this book (So You've Been Publicly Shamed).

[@kmccain4942]

Person: Gets famous and successful A racist social media post they made 10 years ago: _I'm about to ruin this mans hole career_

[@gentlehoovy5555]

I had been guilty of this a couple of times, but then i was on the recieving end of a much smaller version of what is talked about here. I have and will never do it again, i cannot stress how awful it is to have hundreds of people hating you, and can’t imagine how having tens of thousands of people like that must feel. I don’t have a Twitter account for a reason.

[@SpadesNeil]

So glad I never joined Twitter.

[@donnamariedavidson5065]

Me too

[@Soul-OnFire]

Me too but only cause it confused me cause im old apparently 😂

[@Username-1939t9]

distancing yourself from the politics and drama of twitter is really not that hard. I actively been using twitter for about half a year and it's really not as bad as people say it is. just only follow art accounts and you should be golden. there is so much beautiful animation and art on twitter people are missing out on.

[@karinefonte516]

@@Username-1939t9 Wait until politics get there! Right now anti-racists have been attacking and shaming the *knitting* foruns for not bending the knee or whatever they should be doing with their needles...

[@Username-1939t9]

@@karinefonte516 that would be actually hilarious and i would pay to see that, but unfortunately, unless you actually care about politics on twitter, your not going to see much

[@ThZuao]

"Democratisation of justice" you say? Hey, we had it a while back too! It was called "witch hunt".

[@kentreborn2027]

More like suppressing the voices of women who wanted equal rights...

[@mahuk.]

Please, don't use such a dark time in history to bring up women rights. The name stands for "witches" but they also burnt males during it. It also affected those who declared themselves atheists, those said to be doing "indecent" acts, some criminal acts, some types of research considered against the will of god, and many other dumb reasons the church thought it was fine.

[@emexdizzy]

Witch hunts were like the lethal in-person equivalent to what Twitter allows us to do psychologically to people. Twitter shaming is still mob mentality behavior, but I'm so very very grateful it now just causes flame wars instead of lynchings or burnings.

[@kentreborn2027]

Siara Hughes Things change. As people get older, they get more and more mature, and they realize how pointless it is to argue... Hopefully in the future, things will be different. Right now it's like kids saying "Oohhhh!!! You farted!!! I'm telling everyone!!!"

[@BloodyRainRang]

Socialmedia witch hunts aren't to be underestimated. The body can't survive without the mind, and the mind can be broken just as easy as the body if you know where and how to strike. So the only difference in the end is that old witch hunts guaranteed death of the "evil" while the modern version just raises the chances that the "evil" will end itself.

[@ceciliaellis662]

If you really want someone to change, make it so that they want to change as well. When you want to correct someone's behavior, do it as if you're a mother showing her son how to ride a bike, or a teacher showing a student how to do an equation. We're all human and we're always learning, every minute of every day. If you really want someone to change then give them the space to change.

[@drumbum7999]

One of the most important TED talks I've ever seen

[@GameplayandTalk]

Four years later and this presentation is even more relevant than ever. Sad state of affairs, really.

[@chikedonaldibewuike4867]

It's been six years now and nothing's changed🤦🏽‍♂️

[@GlytcheD]

THIS is one of the reasons why I don't put my real name up on he internet... people just love someone to hate.

[@matthijs1420]

Are you scared what the world would think of your thoughts?

[@mind_onion]

I know I am. I don't have faith in humanity to read me cogently.

[@GlytcheD]

Matthijs Slot No... but if I made a mistake on the internet... IT WOULD BE UP HERE FOREVER! Plus it can be an easy way for weirdos to stalk someone.

[@matthijs1420]

Understanding that if you post something online, that it is not actually going to effect your life I believe is what the internet is for. A place where you can speak up about whatever thoughts and receive feedback, negative or positive, which ensued a discussion. These discussions shine a light on what is going on in the community, and allows for a question to be create so that we can further develop. The fear of not posting something in fear of what might happen prevents us making mistakes.

[@Poggle566]

You mean Glytchi Dolphin isn't your real name?!?

[@abrahamben-dayan9843]

It genuinely makes me happy that there are so many kind-hearted individuals in these comments, and those realizing the fault in their old ways. May you be blessed. Let us not cancel the cancellers, but rather we should explain to them kidly and logically the fault in their ways. And if it makes anyone feel any better about humanity, when you google Justine's name today, you get more sympathetic articles as the first results, including Jon's piece in the New York Times as the very first result. Bravo!

[@6023barath]

As curious as I was, I was dreading googling her name as I felt it might be even more toxic now. It's good to see that my fears were wrong.

[@Mickspad]

Honestly, whenever I see cancel culture getting out of hand, I'm just going to link this video

[@TomPark1986]

If happen to offend a group of people on twitter, the worst thing you could do is apologize, backtrack or try to delete the tweet.

[@CyberGenesis1]

John Malkovich if only he could direct that attitude toward other politicians and corporations rather than everyone he makes his money off of

[@carlosewm]

stubbs6 Im not concern much about who sued him but for what reason. And its the most silly one.

[@AngryNerdBird]

walperstyle It's not even being sued. It's just overwhelming consensus from faceless internet people pressuring businesses/schools/etc into giving into their bullshit. That's not the legal system, that's fucking mob rule/

[@TheBigOne0305]

Goatmon news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-ruling-in-twitter-harassment-trial-could-have-enormous-fallout-for-free-speech It has escalated well past "just" online shaming.

[@Freddyphelp]

Tom Park Yep, just do what Trump does, what he said about MCCain would have a completely derailed a lesser candidate who apologised afterwards, instead Trump doubles down and his lead continues to grow.

[@therese294776]

This man holds a mirror to our bloodlust and unreason, to the savage pack animals into which we degenerate, snarling within our cosy echo chambers: callous voyeurs, playing the victim as we dehumanise strangers and tear them to shreds. Bravo, sir. More power to you.

[@zanedietlin7645]

therese294776 well put, do you write?

[@alexanderreusens7633]

This is what anonymity in a crowd does to people. The idea of not being accountable for your words or actions, together with being in a crowd with like-minded people makes us the savages we are on the internet. I've seen an experiment once where the audience of a fictitious game show were the participants. An unknowingly victim was filmed by hidden cameras and surrounded by actors. The audience all had to wear a mask, for anonymity, and could decide what would happen with the victim. They had the choice between letting someone spill their drink on him at the bar, or a girl flirting with him etc. They had all the power. Of course the audience mostly chose for the funny, embarrassing and a bit evil options. But then things escalated quickly and they wanted a person to break in his house and smash the whole place down, which he did and fake an attempt of kidnapping him. The crowd was over-excited, screaming for more, laughing at his misery. Here things went south and as the victim was trying to flee from his kidnappers, the audience saw him getting hit by a car. Only then they realized what they were voting for, cheering for, laughing at. After a short while the host announced to the participants, who were in a state of shock, that this was all an experiment and that the victim was fine, the accident was faked, and that all damages were compensated. I don't know where or when I watched it, but it was one of the best things I've ever seen. Just to show how easily we humans can lose our values and minds in a crowd.

[@Nowittyusername]

alexander reusens Hi Alex. I believe you're referring to the Derren Brown 'The Experiments: The Gameshow' video. And yes it was quite an eye opener!

[@alexanderreusens7633]

Joanne Kessey Yes, that's it, thank you :)

[@deadpanfish]

This is the first I've heard this story that I can recall. It helps to remember that not everyone has a Twitter. In fact, most people on the planet do not have it. There's a whole world that never gave and never will give a F about any of this. Thank you

[@jonathanfarley2023]

The solution is simple: institutions should just agree that tweets are as significant as your sharing your personal view to someone you are conversing with.

[@alexanderbrennan7195]

I hate the sheepish, narcissistic behaviour of the ignorant people on social media, they feel it's their duty to try educate others and ruin others' lives and privacy because of something they barely understand.

[@zanthor5422]

But what's the point in life if I can't talk down to everyone because I am a perfect, infallible paragon of virtue who can do no wrong? Is it not my purpose in life to educate people on how to think exactly like me, and do everything I can to ruin those who don't? This is sarcasm, by the way, in case anyone who reads this couldn't tell.

[@ProfessorSyndicateFranklai]

There's a sort of irony here, because that's a bit of what you're doing here. By expressing your opinion in this way, you kind of are doing to very thing you're criticizing. But I digress, I agree with you.

[@huntermulhall4849]

W Serba Actually, the ignorant people tend to be those that bash America every chance they get online, and swarm anyone who says they're supportive f anything remotely American. And what country are you from, anyways?

[@muppetarms14]

@@zanthor5422 Probably best not to attempt intelligent humour it takes a single troglodyte to miss the nuance and you could very well be the next viral target marked for destruction.... The thing is it's the genuine people who don't need to comment or judge other people always stay silent, I think as a community we need to take some responsibility, remaining a static silent majority we inadvertently condone this decline in human decency and we shall all pay for it in the long run.... How low has politics come where Donald Trump a sub human racist narcissist was even considered a viable choice let alone actually choosing him....

[@Nikolaj11]

Isn't that very comment within the same ballpark though? You generalise and make assumptions of an entire userbase and share that thought in public. I'm not saying you have a point, but maybe rethink the way you communicate it.

[@joelrepp5413]

Adult bullying, this is a great analysis and food for thought.

[@DanielMcGillis-xs6rt]

Wanting to destroy people without feeling bad about it. That is the literal definition of sociopathy.

[@nonyab5640]

I haven’t spoken to my mom in a couple years. When he said “favoring ideology over humans and not humans over ideology”, I immediately thought of her. She’s a twitter addict and I think she judges me for what she THINKS I’m about. I thought she knew me better but I believe Twitter has told her differently.

[@nightcoresubliminals2038]

Ah, I love growing up in a world where sarcasm is used so often and so strongly that it no longer counts as sarcasm.

[@randomstuff-qu7sh]

@Jesus Walks She posted a private joke to a limited group that could reasonably be expected to appreciate the humor. One member of that group thought it was funny and reposted it to a larger audience, allowing the comment to get to an audience that it was never intended for. Stripped of all context other than people who found it offensive and were positioning it as a racist flaunting their priviledge, she was then viciously attacked by a flash mob that wanted nothing more than to destroy her life...and succeeded to some degree. That's a pretty harsh penalty for telling a bad joke to a group of friends. I guess the folk on Twitter that night forgot what Jesus would have had to say "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".

[@MaisyDaisy333]

@@randomstuff-qu7sh Totally agree and well said. How many ridiculous and absurd things do we say to our closest friends with the expectation that our joke will be understood as a joke? I guess the big learning point for me is that if you're going to post something ridiculous and absurd but you don't know your audience and there's a chance that you could ruffle some feathers, then you better think twice before hitting send. I love absurd and dark gallows humor and it was especially needed when I worked in social services. My supervisor was a big jokester and he said some of the funniest things that were clearly so absurd, but anyone else's ears outside of the intended audience would have been appalled. I feel like shaming events like this should teach us to really pay attention to how our thoughts could be perceived to a faceless online audience, though I also feel that the faceless online audience needs to just chill out.

[@hellohowareyou9745]

Lol it's ironic that you used sarcasm in your message, but I completely agree and think that people who use it to be patronizing are complete and total assholes.

[@nodiggity9472]

It's impossible to accurately detect sarcasm in a written statement. It's all in the voice tone.

[@aikun9098]

@@nodiggity9472 yeah if i say some sarcasm everyone will think im serious about it you can't detect sarcasm in text

[@pinkdogroslyn8832]

This is why I do not use social media. It’s a dead idea. It’s a place of clashing crazies who just want to prove the other wrong. I’m disappointed by this occurrence. It’s ugly.

[@LannasMissingLink]

KZbin is also social media

[@rasmusg.o629]

@@LannasMissingLink it is, but on KZbin we come to desguss videos and watch art, on tweeter you what? try to sound smart and screem at stangers that dont agree with you?

[@LannasMissingLink]

@@rasmusg.o629 so I'm guessing you havent had enough acquaintance with the youtube comment section yet

[@rasmusg.o629]

@@LannasMissingLink lol "youtube comment section" oh no, not the youtube comment section. as if this was not just a place for shouting out jokes into out into a endless void of comments never to be read again. Ever heard sommone lose there job over a youtube comment? ever seen somone care what nonsens you said here? Oh I know the KZbin comment section well, I know how litle anyone cares about this hellholl of wordsalads XD and no one in there right mind would not just laugh off any insult delived by a youtube comment.

[@starchy_]

KZbin is social media...........

[@Ajc-ni3xn]

Wait, people don’t realize that stuff like this will ruin the shames person’s life? I mean, it seems obvious, she probably won’t get a job any time soon, and people like Justine who have been shamed might end up killing themselves just because a bunch of people wanted something to scream at. This is disappointing.

[@donnamariedavidson5065]

Sadly this happens more than ever. The hidden truth.

[@92Kandee]

well she's fully alive and was able to find a job. So at least she's not starving somewhere; unemployed nor homeless.

[@somerandomdude5380]

Some people are awful, but if you think that youa re doing good by ruining their life for them being awful, then you are also awful.

[@ElizabethGilbert2]

"We're now creating a veil in society where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless; let's not do that" so well put

[@emilyrodriguez2203]

Yea I used that quote in my essay lol it's really well put!

[@ElizabethGilbert2]

@@emilyrodriguez2203 love it, you wrote an essay on the topic?

[@emilyrodriguez2203]

@@ElizabethGilbert2 yes i did! I spent a lot of time thinking abt this topic and when the video popped up into my feed, i knew thats what i wanted my paper to be on.

[@ElizabethGilbert2]

That's so cool!

[@rodriguentalou8308]

That’s bullshit!!! You can speak up your mind as long as you are not hurting people’s feeling with racist jokes for example!!!

[@arandavisionfan]

This really changed my view, thank you for this! I'm not on twitter but heard about her tweet somewhere on the internet anyways at the time... I was one of the people who without further information thought "she is a horrible person". Thank you for broadening my horizon!

[@TheCaznut]

betaisodona it's just amazing how things get blown out of proportion so quickly. I was one of those people too and it's really making me take a step back and look at how quick I am to jump to conclusions.

[@zardiw]

Yeah......but will your 'changed view' stop you from joining a Rat Pack is what I want to know........lol

[@newton21989]

This! Maybe there is hope for humanity!

[@dramatictoons9303]

@Paul No KZbin is just a platform where people voice out their ideas and we can learn from them, It is people telling us not the KZbin.

[@dramatictoons9303]

@Kuuryo oh thank you for clearing it.

[@patrickosmium733]

Ronson is so damn good. I can re-watch his ted talks like its the shawshank redemption.

[@vervth]

This is exactly how I feel. I can't say anything if it doesn't fit the mass narrative, despite what my true feelings for good are. It's a very scary world.

[@rory5113]

More people should see this. This kind of stuff happens on KZbin ALL the time.

[@depthoffield4744]

They are keyboard warriors. Aggressive behind safety and comfort of their home, while have no courage to say that to someone directly.

[@depthoffield4744]

Anita Sarkeesian is a good example, she receives abusive hate messages and death threats on a regular basis. That's why she disabled comments on her channel.

[@Cha4k]

She also has an army of people behind her dishing out the exact same hatred in response. People are horrible

[@Kojirakage]

Anita Sarkeesian never received death threats

[@williamg9695]

But she needs to get some

[@ShaunDreclin]

A couple years back somebody I considered a friend tried to shame me for defending somebody who was being shamed. I cut that person out of my life. You have the power to stand up against injustice. Use it.

[@dontignorewatchme5851]

thank you and good on you for cutting that person out

[@helper_bot]

"cut" as if block that person out of your life? i think a better solution is to have a debate/exchange ideas over it, to see who's perspective was wrong, and why, so both of you have a better answer regarding the topic and end the conflict in good manner

[@TheJaguarthChannel]

Cutting someone out of your life isn't a commendable decision. First off, you isolate them in an echo chamber of just those that agree with them!

[@ShaunDreclin]

@@helper_bot in an ideal world yes, but if the people involved in hate mobs were willing to listen to reason and have a discussion... they wouldn't be in hate mobs.

[@candycane3739]

I get what other people are saying on this topic but sometimes you *have* to cut people out of your life for your own mental health. I get healthy discussions and I want that to happen, I truly want other people to understand the gravity of how their words and actions affect others but if you are unable to show them that, or just unable to even try anymore, I get that, EVERYONE needs a break from interacting with people like that. There's no shame in cutting people out of your life for your or someone else's well being. We'd all go crazy if we had to deal with stuff like that all the time. I think we have to balance the level of exposure we have with the outside world between too much and too little .. it's hard to do but it's worth it.

[@emilialurig]

This Is actually one of the best ted talks i ever seen

[@picklesthewise]

This aged beautifully (and sadly).

[@umno9830]

I feel like a lot of the people watching this have done something like this at least once, but they pretend like it's "the internet's" problem, as if the internet is a thing, and not just a collection of people. To stop stuff like this from happening so much, we need to admit our what we did wrong and not do it again, instead of blame it on others. Edit: I just rewatched this video and noticed that I got way more likes than I expected, but I also saw people thinking I was excluding myself. I thought it showed because I was the one that said this, but yes, I’ve definitely added my own share of negativity towards certain people who I didn’t even know very well online, but I stopped a while ago, especially when cancel culture started getting exposed for what it really was.

[@skipper7316]

Smartest comment amongst other smart comments

[@forgottenlight9934]

Don't leave out yourself, cause all of us are a part in this

[@legendarymarston9174]

I always try to not be apart of such groups, because attacking people isn't my kind of thing...

[@XXgenderloveXY]

So what did you do?

[@paul4638]

I think a lot of people like to think they're innocent. But in my mind, inaction is still guilt, if to a lesser degree. If you really think you're innocent, you should try and do something to call attention to the problem

[@Matt-ux8hh]

Jon Ronson's book "So You've Been Publicly Shamed," partly inspired the Black Mirror episode, "Hated in the Nation," where internet users can use the hashtag #DeathTo and then a person's name following it, and that person would be targeted and die. Those who used the hashtag however would become the target as well. It was a vicious cycle. This Ted talk outlined so many key points in the episode. It was a great episode, critically acclaimed actually! and probably the best episode of season 3, I recommend it to anyone who likes murder, sci-fi mysteries.

[@the_mastermage]

also see the Orville Episode Majority Rule because that also shows the danger of the Mob mentality

[@Testosterone.and.Steroids]

I don't mean to go off-topic, but I need to vent my frustration: That black mirror episode made me incredibly angry. I hated it so much. The glaring potholes & issues with it. But the point stands: The internet hate train is a terrible, terrible fate to get run over by & hard to get away from.

[@thetessellater9163]

Does anyone like to indulge in fiction about murder? What sickness is this?

[@gardengrovespin]

@@Testosterone.and.Steroids I know right?? It was one of the more mediocre black mirror episodes but it got praised because it was so "topical".

[@katiebear347]

@@Testosterone.and.Steroids It's been quite a while since I watched that episode. What issues in particular? I'm trying to remember any plot holes with "Hated in the Nation" but I'm coming up blank. Could very well be my horrible memory :)

[@pervertpenguinproductions2425]

You know it's a good TED video when the comments are turned on.

[@Dranka5]

If her tweet would've been told as a joke on stage by a comedian it would've been seen as hilarious. However, everyone assumed she was being 100% serious and racist. Which shows a lot of stupidity on their part. There is no way someone in PR would tweet that even if they were racist. Or anyone, not just someone in PR. This needs to be the most watched video on youtube

[@Nowhennowherenoworry]

Honestly, you’re right dude. But that’s just the snowflakes on Twitter acting like that, so I would do one of two things: 1. Uninstall/never install Twitter 2. Not use your real name or face as your profile picture

[@rodriguentalou8308]

Bullshit! How am I supposed to know that you may not be a racist, when you are posting racist jokes? We don’t know each other. So how should i know your intention?? Just don’t makes racist joke on internet! That’s simple. Even the comedians who are doing racist jokes on stage don’t post them!!!

[@Rs2006REMAKEVids]

"We dehumanise people because we want to destroy them, but not feel bad about it." And we continue to do it, because it's much easier to interact with a box that you fully understand, rather than attempting to face the numerous complexities of the person inside that box.

[@nickely]

So modern witch hunting?. I guess we never changed.

[@nabilyassin1742]

NickeLY it’s more like we went somewhere better and came back down

[@muranziel]

There will always be people, who think their opinion is the only opinion, and will act accordingly.

[@dangernoodle9961]

It's just like McCarthyism. It never ends. Mob mentality sucks but it's always been around

[@ec2057]

​@Kuuryo (but also everyone) *first*: your comment does not necessitate such a long response. but i hope you're someone who won't be disgusted by one. i agree a lot! but i've found it so important to remind myself that they are human. they are not demonic caricatures or antagonists. internet culture causes normal people to fight strangers in the hopes of fulfilling an exciting story. since you watched this video you already know that. you also already know that many of these people are kids. many of these people want so desperately to be good. and if not good, then liked. approved of. don't most of us? i think it could have been you and me, if we'd been taught by different people. i've tried vilifying those thousands of angry strangers and all it's done is made me exhausted. granted, i'm still exhausted. but now when i mechanically evangelize at strangers on the internet, i'm quieter. i agree that the angry person's ideal (a better world, justice) is noble; then i mention something (little) that they didn't consider. i try to offer different opinions as peacefully as possible. i get to keep some imitation of sympathy and hope for the human on the other side of the screen. it's tedious in a new way. it requires typing away for hours for a trivial purpose. that being said, thanks for your thought. hope you have a really amazing day. heh.

[@VestinVestin]

​@@nabilyassin1742 Coincidentally, this is precisely what dealt the fatal blow to the idea of "Progress" in the XXth century. After the Holocaust one can not maintain that history is only ever change for the better.

[@itsCronch]

he didn't know it, but he is describing cancel culture. and he absoluted blasted us for it. I just wish people had listened sooner.

[@mozzie2729]

A timeless message, it's gotten so much worse in 2020.

[@donnamariedavidson5065]

It's gotten to be so out-of-control in too many ways.

[@Nowhennowherenoworry]

It has gotten even worse in 2021 And *EVEN* worse in 2022