Speech, Shame, and Uptake

This paper examines the ethics of public shaming, both online and in person, from the perspective of freedom of speech. Current work on public shaming conceptualises it as a form of social punishment, and principally examines its effects. In contrast to that, the paper considers shaming as a form of wrongful treatment. The argument proceeds in two stages. First, I emphasise the importance of uptake for free speech to have the worth it has for speakers. Though there is no right to uptake, persons do have duties not to undermine its pre-requisites. Second, I maintain that shaming represents an attempt to deny the shamed person the basic eligibility conditions for social membership. With these pieces in place, I argue that public shaming, by labelling a person as socially unworthy, violates the duty to respect the conditions for uptake. The badge of shame is a signal not to give speakers’ views due weight. This applies particularly to the interest in self-presentation, an important aspect of speech.