“Public shaming as a blood sport has got to stop.”
How many of us have experienced the feelings of shame and humiliation at some point in our lives? How many parents have felt the helplessness of watching their child be bullied or publicly excluded? How many of us have clicked on a Facebook or news link that was all about shaming another person for one thing or another? The price of shame is a high commodity in today’s world, whether it is found in the school yard, a social media platform, the evening or never-ending internet news.
Recently, Monica Lewinsky has re-emerged in the public arena, but this time for a very different reason. In 1998, she was thrust in the spotlight for engaging in a very public affair with President Bill Clinton as a 21 year old intern, but today she speaks out as a woman who has endured and learned a great deal. Ms. Lewinsky is an advocate for fighting back against cyber-bullying, a topic she knows all too well. I’ll admit that I didn’t initially have high hopes when I watched her TED Talk, but I found myself feeling very grateful for the message she shared. Here are some key ideas from Ms. Lewinsky’s talk:Continue Reading