Jon Ronson’s expose entitled “God That Was Awesome” discusses the aftermath of Justine Sacco’s racially insensitive Twitter post, wherein she was met with the loss of her job and a worldwide social media attack ultimately comparable to a public stoning.
The controversy began when Justine Sacco, a PR worker, made a post on her personal Twitter profile which read, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” (Ronson, 68). Seemingly the moment the post hit the web, Twitter users everywhere launched a heated backlash against Sacco for this racist remark. The severity of this backlash was truly remarkable as it ultimately obliterated the positive reputation of Sacco’s personal and professional lives, and fatally wounded any future career prospects. A crushed Sacco pleaded to Ronson that she meant her comment as a satirical joke, which she intended to “make fun of [the] bubble [that Americans live in]” which relieves them from thinking about plights which “exist” in the world outside their borders (Ronson, 73). Ronson claims that any reasonable person would realize the fact that Sacco’s comment was a joke, but instead of disregarding it as bad humor, the world unanimously chose to indict Sacco as if she had committed an injustice which demanded rectification. Ronson compares this harsh treatment of Sacco to the conduct of Texas Judge Ted Poe, a man who chose to serve outlandish punishments intended to ridicule, dishearten, and embarrass the accused. Despite Ronson’s opinion that the Judge’s actions are cruel and unusual, and makes the his court into a “theater of the absurd” (Ronson, 84) which flies in the face of punishments befitting their crimes. However, the testimony of Mike Hubacek, sentenced to humiliating punishment by Judge Poe after committing vehicular manslaughter, contests that the severity of the Judge’s seemingly absurd punishment gave him a purpose and a means by which to prevent others from making the mistakes he did.
This piece begs the question of whether or not the public has a right to act as judge jury and executioner in instances as seemingly trivial as Sacco’s Tweet, as well as why this public behavior seems to be completely devoid of empathy. Social media has fundamentally changed the world. It has empowered individuals with a globally heard voice on any issue imaginable. However, as Sacco’s misfortune proves, sometimes this voice can be used for evil. The comments denouncing Sacco began as well intentioned rejections of racism, but soon escalated to scathing remarks devoid of empathy and intended solely for destructive as opposed to constructive purposes. In addressing the peculiarity of this social phenomenon, Ronson points to the concept of cognitive dissonance to explain the decision of Sacco’s aggressors to dehumanize her in order to feel justified in their zealous attacks. The most apt indication of this zeal without regard for Sacco’s humanity can be found in the words of a common Twitter troll describing her globally dealt ridicule: “God that was awesome” (Ronson, 70)
Works Cited:
Ronson, Jon. So you’ve been publicly shamed. Riverhead Books, 2016.