Catholic Response to Call-Out Culture?

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blackforest

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The stand-off between Nathan Phillips and Nick Sandman, already detailed and debated in numerous CAF threads (not here, please), is a reflection and example of our Call-Out Culture. We now live in an era in which anyone with an Internet connection can become a self-proclaimed juror. And anyone who makes a mistake, no matter how vile or stupid or innocent, is tried and shamed in this bizarre, digital auto-da-fé.

Again, please don’t debate the particulars of this incident. There are plenty of other places to do so on CAF.

My point is that for better and for worse, we live in an age when anyone can film anything at any time and share it publicly. We can – and all too often do – rush to judgment, (usually siding with our heavily entrenched political, religious, and moral biases), and have turned moral outrage into a national past-time. What’s worse is that those who shame, harass, humiliate, name-call, and dox others feel morally vindicated in doing so.

Granted, one of our spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner, i.e. call out sin when we see it. But I don’t think the shaming culture that I’m describing is nearly what our Lord had in mind . . .

So in light of Church teaching on charity, how should we, as Catholics, respond to call-outs? When the circumstances warrant, how should we go about calling out sin and injustice? What can we do to push back against the evils of Internet shaming?
 
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The Catholics (as in dioceses, bishops, priests, sisters, and laity) and the conservatives by now should be aware of two things: 1) we have a press that is vastly negative to the current administration, and has certain (to use their own term) dog whistle phrases, as well as clear obfuscation if not outright lies about events, and 2) intelligent people, aware of such matters, need to do a bit of investigation instead of READY! FIRE! … AIM!
 
OK, but I’m wondering about Catholic moral theology, not politics. I get the ready-fire-aim response of Internet culture. That’s what bothers me. I’m seeking the best Catholic response, based on our moral theology.
 
I didn’t read the NYT article since there are limits for non-subscribers so I don’t know if anything I mention was already covered in that.

I’m not Catholic but I can say we need to slow down. Modern society has made expediency a virtue. Everyone has bought into this. As Christians we should remind ourselves of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, which told them not to conform to the ways of the world and renew our minds to focus on the Lord. That might mean setting time everyday to focus on spiritual practices for some.

On trending videos, we need to stop and say to ourselves:
Is this the entire thing? Are there things not captured by the recording? Is it fake? Advances in technology seem good and people celebrate it because it’s “progress” but they open doors to things that are dangerous.

With admonishing the sinner, I think we need to realize that it starts with people closer to us. We need to remind ourselves it’s for helping people to grow spiritually. For people we have never met before, I don’t see how strangers making wild assumptions about people in another part of the world is effective in helping them grow. We’re not there. If we feel compelled to offer our opinion such as someone asking for your view, then it would be best to qualify our words with “if true, then…”.
 
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Well I do think the recent incident involving the Catholic Boys has been a learning moment for the entire country in terms of rushing to judgment on social media.

I am very concerned about younger generations for whom this behavior is normalized and have never known a time without smart phones. For them everything is played out online. Older generations should know better.

Other than a couple of other forums like this I don’t use social media. Occasionally when looking for something on YouTube or whatever I cannot believe the vitriol people write when anonymous.

I think I will make sure my kids know on Judgement Day every post and comment they ever made will be revealed and they will need to be sure to have an explanation. I think about that myself sometimes when tempted to record a rant for posterity.
 
blackforest said:
What can we do to push back against the evils of Internet shaming?
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Internet or no internet , the morality revealed to us by God is not relative .

No modern contraptions can allow us to feel free to abandon God’s will as revealed in Jesus the same yesterday and today and forever.

Calumny and detraction is never permissible .

" Respect for the reputation and honour of persons forbids all detraction and calumny in word or attitude ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church , para 2507).

" The means of social communication (especially the mass media) can give rise to a certain passivity among users , making them less than vigilant consumers of what is said or shown . Users should practise moderation and discipline in their approach to the mass media . They will want to form enlightened and correct consciences the more easily to resist unwholesome influences ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church , para 2496) .
 
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First of all, I love your OP.

I think that first of all, we have to go back to the old timey concept of getting all the facts first.
 
We can respond in a reasonable and charitable way like we’re supposed to respond to everything else .

“Internet shaming” isn’t some big new different thing. The use of video to make someone look bad has been going on since Huntley-Brinkley, and the use of print media (often biased) for the same purpose has been going on for decades before that.
 
blackforest said:
What’s worse is that those who shame, harass, humiliate, name-call, and dox others feel morally vindicated in doing so.
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Recognition of this may be the key to answering your question of how Catholics should respond to call-outs.

Those who publicly call out the moral fault another do it because they think it is a good thing. They aren’t thinking “I want to ruin someone’s life today.” They are thinking “I want justice and I want it now!”

So how can we show people (or show society) that there is a better way?
 
blackforest said:
we live in an age when anyone can film anything at any time and share it publicly.
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Solution is legal prosecution for publishing elevating individual privacy in importance within the law.

I don’t appreciate the fact that it’s legal to film someone just because they are walking in the street. The same way any website publishing private material without a persons consent should be liable to swift prosecution for it.
 
CCHcolonel said:
The problem in the US is that courts have ruled there is no expectation of privacy in public.
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Having your picture taken and published without your express consent is what I’m talking about. [If that’s in public or private doesn’t concern me, is besides the point, and takes attention away from the core issue.]

The Right to Be Forgotten is one such example where big companies in the US said it was:“unthinkable” and the EU put individual rights above corporate interests. Guess what: the companies complied because else they’d face fines…
 
0Scarlett_nidiyilii said:
I think that first of all, we have to go back to the old timey concept of getting all the facts first.
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Very much agreed. Our digital world facilitates impulsive thinking rather than critical thinking. How many times have you found it obvious that people posting about an article didn’t read much beyond the click-bait headline?
CCHcolonel said:
I’m going to severely reduce my time on and attention to social media and the news, particularly politics.
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You draw a line somewhere, right? It’s hard to know where to draw it. I left Facebook because the divisiveness was getting too spiritually toxic for me. On the other hand, I heed our Church’s call to Faithful Citizenship, so I vote and contact my elected officials when it’s especially important.
Beryllos said:
They are thinking “I want justice and I want it now!”

So how can we show people (or show society) that there is a better way?
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Excellent question! Perhaps the fine line between justice and vengeance lies between our irrational/impulsive reactivity and our ability to read deeply, think critically, ponder, and pray.

Very scary and violent events in history have been spawned on by the archetypal torch-bearing village idiots.
adgloriam said:
I don’t appreciate the fact that it’s legal to film someone just because they are walking in the street.
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I agree. I’m not a lawyer, but I believe that courts have ruled that public surveillance is A-OK in places where we cannot have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Hence the legal rationale/rationalization for mass surveillance. The problem is that there should be some privacy even in public. Nobody stares at another person so intently that they catch every time they need to adjust a wedgie . . .

On the other hand, it’s great when it’s time to blow the whistle, as seen with Live Actions videos of Planned Parenthood.
 
What I’m having a hard time with is how, if at all, to respond online. Suppose you step up to post and defend a target:

“Hold on everybody! We don’t have all of the facts yet!”

“I agree that what happened was horrible, but we should let our courts sort out of the consequences.”

Then suddenly you are at the bottom of the dogpile. And you haven’t done much good because nobody is listening and everybody has made up their minds what they want to believe.

Should we even respond online?

Often, I’ll just share articles like the one in my OP and hope that everyone gets the hint.
 
Sigh. I guess it’s hard to be the lone individual standing against the crowd, much like trying to build a sand dam to stop a tsunami.

It seems like just yesterday when I was terrified for that poor mom who got publicly roasted when her child ended up in the gorilla pit at the zoo. (The CAF discussion about it is here).

Maybe that’s why humans delight in public dogpiling, just as they did before social media made it easier. It helps us cope with our own insecurities and failings. Anyone of us who is a parent knows - and should be humbled by - just how quickly a four-year-old can dart away. That mom could have been anyone of us.

It also gives us the illusion of control. It’s terrifying to acknowledge that sometimes #$%^ happens . . . and easier to cope with that fact by finding a scapegoat as our explanation.
 
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blackforest said:
What I’m having a hard time with is how, if at all, to respond online. Suppose you step up to post and defend a target
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On some social media sites, any response may increase the visibility. They probably have an algorithm to determine “What’s Trending” and broadcast it to other members (put it on their feed).
 
Beryllos said:
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adgloriam:
Solution is legal prosecution
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I wouldn’t look to civil law for the solution to a cultural problem.
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The problem isn’t only cultural but also commercial. There are plenty of tabloids, and paparazzi making a living off gossip, slander and invasion of privacy. The example I gave about the “right to be forgotten” is another legal dimension.

As for the cultural aspect you’re right !!! I see a single such occurrence and that news outlet lost my clicks for ever. That’s the way to go: deny them the importance of your attention. I’ll give one example: 'The ioung Turqs" were trending once and now they find themselves with such a low audience their entire venture is reduced to no importance, to where it belongs…
 
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