This piece is a news article covering the TedTalk given by Monica Lewinsky entitled, "The Price of Shame." The journalism faculty preferred students to cover speeches as if they were given on Baylor's campus for the practice and skill development of journalistic writing styles.
"Let’s acknowledge the difference between speaking up with intention and speaking up for attention.”
-Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky shares firsthand the treacherous price of Cyberbullying
By Katie Lyman
Monica Lewinski courageously spoke on how it felt when one mistake from her twenties changed the way the world saw her forever. She used her heartbreaking experience with cyberbullying and public humiliation to draw attention to the depth of the issue as a whole and encouraged people to take on a new perspective.
“Cruelty to others is nothing new,” said Lewinsky. “Online technologically enhanced shaming is amplified, unconfined, and permanently accessible.”
After making few public statements since the infamous Bill Clinton Scandal in 1998, Lewinsky gave a compelling talk at Baylor University on her personal story and why cyberbullying needs to be combatted in society.
Houston, Texas freshman, Andrea Lindsey deeply sympathized with Lewinsky’s story and shared that she is closely connected to a victim of cyberbullying. Lindsey was proud of Lewinsky’s boldness to speak on such a personal and painful subject.
“She was just a young girl trying to get her foot in the political door,” said Lindsey. “She made some mistakes, but we all do and I’m sure it haunts her to this day being ridiculed like that.”
Lewinsky recalled that in a few short days she became instantly recognized worldwide as her story was plastered across every major news outlet and internet site. Not only did she lose her credibility and dignity from this scandal, but she came dangerously close to losing her life.
While Lewinsky was struggling to make it to the next day, news platforms and gossip sites were profiting from her public humiliation.
“This invasion of others is a raw material,” Lewinski said. “It’s efficiently and ruthlessly mined, packaged and sold at a profit.”
Lewinsky spoke about today’s society being marked by a “culture of humiliation” and how the media feeds off of the shame and exploitation of individuals. She used several examples including the story of Tyler Clementi, a young college freshman who resorted to suicide after explicit videos of him were leaked online, to show how social media and harassment from others can cause unimaginable pain and loss.
