Become New with John Ortberg 43. Why Cancelling People Doesn't Work
Mar 26, 2026
A look at how accountability turned into public shaming and why that often fails. Stories of online pillorying and the surprising psychological backlash of shame. A different approach is explored: connecting, challenging, and inviting change rather than condemning. A theological angle explains canceling sin without discarding people and why redemption remains possible.
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When Accountability Becomes Condemnation
- Cancel culture often begins as a desire for accountability but quickly shifts into blanket condemnation.
- John Ortberg notes online reach lets anyone initiate punishment, turning proportional accountability into public shaming that treats mistakes as final verdicts.
How One Tweet Destroyed A Person's Job
- John Ortberg retells John Ronson's story of a woman whose ill-considered jokes on Twitter led to tens of thousands of vitriolic responses.
- She lost her job and endured public pursuit on arrival in Cape Town, illustrating how small online posts can trigger life-ruining pillorying.
Modern Canceling Echoes Medieval Pillories
- Public shaming has historical precedents like the pillory and stocks, and reformers argued it was worse than death.
- Ortberg cites Benjamin Rush who argued ignominy is universally worse than death, linking medieval punishment to modern online pillorying.
