A lot of shame relates to things outside of one's immediate control. "Son of a whore" is a old shame accusation. Shame by familial association is a very "tradi

A lot of shame relates to things outside of one's immediate control. "Son of a whore" is a old shame accusation. Shame by familial association is a very "traditional" part of shame. People who have suffered attack, especially rape, often feel ashamed. Failure is shameful. STDs are shameful. Being illiterate or inumerate. Etc. Shame in these cases isn't about altering behaviours directly. It is about creating social hierarchies, structures and such. It results more in hiding. So sure, shame has always been a part of culture and has good, along with bad effects. I don't agree that the internet "broke shame." Shame was always pretty broken. The internet just delivered it to new places.