You put it so perfectly. It really does feel like there’s some kind of primal urge that drives this whole culture. I did a fair amount of reading on the subject and while I didn’t go into the details in this piece — I wanted to keep it relatively short and to the point — it seems fair to say that public shaming has been a popular practice across various cultures and civilizations for hundreds of years. Online shaming is probably the most tame variation of it that we’ve seen so far, but it does beg an important question: Will we ever actually grow out of it, or are we just going to keep finding new and different ways to engage in it?

Interesting anecdote about India, btw! Sounds like the kind of trip I’d like to take if the opportunity ever arises. :)