This growing societal condemnation for every sin (past, present, or associated) may be called "virtue signaling" or "cancel culture" these days, but it already

This growing societal condemnation for every sin (past, present, or associated) may be called "virtue signaling" or "cancel culture" these days, but it already had a personified name thousands of years ago - self-righteous Pharisee-ism - and it's ultimately what put Jesus on the cross. Say what you want about the resurrection, he at least lived an innocent life but was beaten and hung for execution by the shame-filled rage of the masses. Ironically we live in a society that now claims more than ever to know what it means to "do right", but that growing moral burden of "doing right" produces an ever greater internal sense of shame (for missing the mark) that is often projected outwards onto easy targets. Outrage is what wins eyeballs in the media, because messages of shame penetrate to the core. Thanks to social media, these messages clone themselves far more easily. Acts of injustice stir up outrage via a message of shame, and the cycle often perpetuates itself with further acts of outrage/injustice. America has a growing self-righteousness induced shame problem is what this is, and until we identify that source of grace [1] that can transform sin into honor, shame into dignity, and moral outrage into forgiveness, it will only continue to worsen. Yes, we are to have deep sorrow and compassion regarding acts of injustice, but grace and forgiveness are the only legitimate exits from the emotional/spiritual burdens they impose. [1] Romans 8:1-2