Aimee Ashby
Sep 7, 2018 · 1 min read

Time to stop shaming!

This week I read in the headlines that a former actor was shamed because he was working as a cashier at a store. A photo was shared online and comments were made about him. I think it is so sad that anyone would shame someone simply because of where they work. One bright spot was the number of people who came to his defense and said there is no shame in working to support your family.

It’s time to stop shaming people. I read about mom-shaming, body-shaming, work-shaming and online-shaming. Moms are criticized for not breast feeding, or for breast feeding in public. They are shamed for the way they are raising their children. People are criticized for being over- weight, or being too thin. For not making enough money in their jobs, for not having a worthy job. I see people having fights on social media. Families being torn apart because of something that was said on Facebook or Instagram. Truly incredibly sad. People are stressed out enough, and dealing with shaming only makes their lives worse. Why can’t we be more positive? Make someone’s day a little brighter instead of using such negativity. Sometimes when things are posted or you make a comment, you don’t realize the impact your words will have on the person. When you shame someone, you are not only hurting the person, but their family and the people who love them. If people just took some time to think about the consequences of their words, maybe they would stop shaming others.

Aimee Ashby

Written by

Retired Kindergarten Teacher, Mom of 2, Author, Published in Readers Digest, June 2017 and February 2018