The Culture of Humiliation

In Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk she begins with telling the audience of her affair. Her affair started when she was 22 and Bill Clinton was 49. Overnight, the affair blew up on the internet and Monica went from a very private person to front and center. She was publicly humiliated and called several names like whore, slut, bimbo, etc... She then switches gears to talk about how the internet is a gateway for cyberbullying. She talks about a boy named Tyler Clementi and how cyberbullying attacks on him caused him to leap off a bridge to his death. A statistic she mentioned found by Childline stated that from 2012-2013 calls and emails related to cyberbullying rose a staggering 87%. Another study conducted by Childline states that humiliation is a more intense feeling than anger and happiness. Monica ultimately states that cyberbullying stemming from the internet has introduced a culture of humiliation to society.

As a teenager who has many different forms of social media, I am very aware of the threat of cyberbullying. I know cyberbullying used to be a huge thing but I feel that now in the year 2020 it is not as prevalent. However, I am not saying it does not exist, because I know it does. One thing from Monica's talk that I do still see and feel today is how she describes humiliation. I agree with the statistic that humiliation is more intense than anger or happiness. All around me I see my peers doing every thing in their power to be likable by other people, all in fear of being humiliated if they do not fit in. I personally do this as well. I 100% agree that humiliation drives people to take drastic actions whether it be doing something to avoid humiliation even if it doesn't appeal to you or even going to the extent of Tyler Clementi. All in all, I really enjoyed Monica Lewinsky's ted talk because I think she brought up an issue that needs to be addressed immeadiately and educated many people on how the media can destroy people.