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kunma's review
5.0
I'm definitely going to be thinking about this for a long time
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
strawberrypossum's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape and Child abuse
hellandhogwarts's review
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Homophobia, and Sexism
daniellekat's review
1.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Cursing, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Bullying, and Suicide
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
avasbookmark's review
4.25
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
vanessa_reads_a_lot's review against another edition
1.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Addiction, Antisemitism, Racism, and Sexual harassment
raaaeanne's review
3.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Racism and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape and Suicide
doriangrayscale's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual content
bexh's review
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
plantbasedbride's review
3.0
I have always been a bit confused by the concept of cancel culture, I must admit. While I wholeheartedly support accountability, I find the tendency of the mob on social media to tear someone apart before any evidence or context can be applied, acting as judge, jury, and executioner, both confounding and mildly terrifying.
As Ronson stated in this book; “we know that people are complicated and have a mixture of flaws and talents and sins. So why do we pretend that we don’t?”
There is so much nuance in the ways human beings communicate and act and live, and yet online our entire personhood is forced into two dimensions. As a YouTuber, this is even more obvious to me. The way I present myself online through my content, and the way others perceive me through the screen, is not an all-encompassing representation of the multifaceted and flawed human being that I am. Pretty much every fellow YouTuber I have ever talked to has expressed a sentiment I know well - self-censorship as a means of self-preservation. Of course, all of us practice self-censorship to a certain extent every day every time we communicate, but as a public-facing person on the internet, the possibility of being misinterpreted and canceled looms larger than life.
Ronson said it succinctly here; “We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.”
I don't know what the solution is to the problem of an avalanche of cancel culture, but I do know that compassion and a nuanced approach both go a long way.
While I found this book a quick, informative, and interesting read, I did have a few qualms with it.
First of all, Ronson tiptoes around the fact that women experience public shaming on a different level and in different ways than men, yet never actually dives into those distinctions or explores the implications. This was a missed opportunity. He also expresses some questionable ideas such as implying he doesn't believe in white privilege and fully standing behind his conviction that Justine Sacco (who tweeted a terrible racist tweet and was canceled for it) did nothing wrong. Lastly, the structure of this book was a bit half hazard and confusing as Ronson constantly switched between case studies at breakneck speed.
Despite my criticisms, I found this book to be a thought-provoking read with some valuable insight into this worrying trend and I would recommend it.
“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside it.”
Moderate: Bullying and Misogyny
Minor: Suicide and Rape