"Are the modern-day Zevuluns shortchanging their eternal profits as they scrimp in their support of today’s Yissachars?"
Thank you for raising the important topic of public condemnations. And thanks to the esteemed rabbanim who provided much insight and food for thought on this increasingly relevant topic.
Lately, we’ve all felt that pressure to “call out” or condemn bad behavior or bad actors, with the unspoken message being, “If you don’t call them out, you’re part of the problem. If you don’t condemn, you’re holding back necessary change.” However, all the rabbanim pointed out that any degree of effectiveness in condemning behavior — and thereby facilitating some kind of change — is largely dependent on the nature of the relationship between a person and his audience.
While none of the rabbanim mentioned this outright, it seems to me that the most common contemporary channel of “calling out” that exists today — i.e., via various social media platforms — does not really come with a strong relationship. It’s just a bunch of people, many hiding behind false identities, who loosely affiliate in some digital space. What kind of tangibly productive outcome can result from this kind of “calling out”?
The main result I’ve noticed isn’t lasting change. It’s the “condemner’s” personal glory and gratification in that space, and whatever benefits he or she can reap as a result, many of which have no connection to the issue at hand.
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