Conor Friedersdorf for The Atlantic

That crusade is as vulnerable to mistakes and excesses as any other struggle against abstract evils. Some of the most zealous crusaders are demanding affirmations of solidarity and punishing mild dissent. Institutions are imposing draconian punishments for minor transgressions. Individuals are scapegoated for structural ills. There are efforts to get people fired, including even some who share the desire for racial justice.

I will preface this by saying that some transgressions are simply unacceptable, and deserve no understanding. However currently, whenever I see people being shamed for holding an alternative view point and ‘pilled on’ by social media I think about the stories in Jon Ronson’s excellent book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed.

This is full of stories that were once the outrage of the internet, and are now looked back on with embarrassment. i think we will look back on people like David Shor and institutions like The Tattered Cover with the same remorse.