John Oliver tries to figure out fair ground rules for public shaming, gets advice from Monica Lewinsky

John Oliver weighs the costs and benefits of public shaming
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

"Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to pile on to a public shaming," John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "In fact, it's now one of America's favorite pastimes," and "you've probably participated" in this "golden age of internet shaming," he said. "And you may be expecting me to say that all public shaming is bad, but I don't actually think that. When it's well-directed, a lot of good can come out of it."

Oliver held up Fox News host Tucker Carlson as "a good example of an internet pile-on being merited: He's a public figure, he made his comments publicly, they are appalling, and he's standing by them. But clearly it's not always that simple. Because when misdirected, internet pile-ons can completely destroy people's lives," and "often it is not a public figure who's on the receiving end of it."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.