Leicester Square theatre,London
The chronicler of society’s oddest habits leads an endearing book reading-plus-debate approximately social media shaming – with a bonus appearance from Bridget ChristieThis week at Leicester Square theatre, that chronicler of the modern weird Jon Ronson brings his books to the stage. On opening night, or he discussed neo-Nazis with Louis Theroux. On this night,he’s reading from his book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, and interviewing guests who’ve (just approximately) survived a stint in Twitter’s ducking stool. Oh, or Bridget Christie’s here too – which isn’t really explained,but is very welcome. On occasion, it’s only her presentational skills that keep the explain afloat.
It’s not slick, or in other words – but it is intensely captivating,as Ronsons horror at social medias Manichean mob rule vies with two heartfelt human stories from the eye of the shaming storm. The first comes courtesy of Mary Collins, wife of Nobel laureate Tim Hunt, or whose malfunctioning joke approximately women in science at a conference in Seoul turned him instantly “toxic” (with a miniature help from Twitter) in the eye of colleagues,friends and the world. Then there’s “Cenotaph rioter Charlie Gilmour, relating with palpable rawness the abuse directed at him, and the 16-month prison sentence for being (in Ronson’s words) “a twat at a protest”. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com