The shame machine : who profits in the new age of humiliation A clear eyed warning about the increasingly destructive influence of Americas shame industrial complex in the age of social media and hyperpartisan politics from the New York Times bestselling author of Weapons of Math Destruction. Shame is a powerful and sometimes useful tool: When we publicly shame corrupt politicians abusive celebrities or predatory corporations we reinforce values of fairness and justice. But as Cathy ONeil argues in this revelatory book shaming has taken a new and dangerous turn. It is increasingly being weaponized used as a way to shift responsibility for social problems from institutions to individuals. Shaming children for not being able to afford school lunches or adults for not being able to find work lets us off the hook as a society. After all why pay higher taxes to fund programs for people who are fundamentally unworthy ONeil explores the machinery behind all this shame showing how governments corporations and the healthcare system capitalize on it. There are damning stories of rehab clinics reentry programs drug and diet companies and social media platforms all of which profit from punching down on the vulnerable. Woven throughout The Shame Machine is the story of ONeils own struggle with body image and her recent decision to undergo weight loss surgery shaking off decades of shame. With clarity and nuance ONeil dissects the relationship between shame and power. Whom does the system serve Is it counter productive to call out racists misogynists and vaccine skeptics If so when should someone be canceled  How do current incentive structures perpetuate the shaming cycle And most important how can we all fight back