Ethics Slam opens dialogue about shame
Students and scholars of philosophy packed the Crepery last Wednesday to engage in a multifaceted Ethics Slam about shame.
The event was organized by Rachel Robison-Greene, a post-doctoral fellow in Philosophy at Utah State University, and it brought the passion of slam poetry to opinions about the ethics of shame to create a debate where anyone could share their perspective on the given topic.
USU faculty and other participants posed questions such as the nature of shame itself, whether or not others can truly “make you” feel shame, if imposing shame is appropriate in some situations, and so on. Specific case studies were chosen to apply points of discussion and propose policy that could be implemented to improve various situations.
Cristian Chavez, Preston Fearing, Ben Tenangueno and Hannah Crockett are students at USU who attended the event. They agreed that the atmosphere during the debate was conducive to a productive exchange of ideas where opinions could be shaped and shared. People felt comfortable voicing their opinion even though they knew others were going to disagree.
“It was a really supportive environment,” Chavez said. “There was no disrespecting.”
Tenangueno noted the pleasant surprise of observing active listening on every side of the discussion. Ideas moved forward as the mics were passed around and people played off what the previous person shared.
Tenangueno went on to say that being part of an open discussion like this made him realize that he held opinions that he didn’t know he held, so it was personally enlightening for him to be there.
The students agreed that it is important to facilitate an environment for people to be educated and become aware of various issues surrounding the concept of shame and shaming, and Fearing’s said that ethical discussions such as this one are important because they increase understanding of how to become a better person.
The students also expressed that a background in ethics and philosophy can help someone understand where they are morally, where they want to be, and what they can do to get there.
Eradicating a culture of shame and becoming the person you want to be are similar in that they are ideals to strive towards. Fearing said that these ideals may or may not be fully realized, but, he said, “that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try.”
To combat a shaming culture, Crockett said the best thing society can do is become educated on the topic and understand how our words or actions can hurt others. The general consensus among the students here was the same: just be conscious of how your actions can affect others or how your words might be perceived as shaming and hurtful.
This topic of discussion is especially timely as USU heads into the second week of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, bringing light to the stigma of shame surrounding victims of abuse.
The students all felt that keeping an open dialogue about these issues is key to taking steps forward. In Fearing’s words, “Shaming is such a closed subject because it is in and of itself shameful, and so if you don’t talk about it, it’ll never change.”
—sladeabigail@aggiemail.usu.edu
@sladeabigail