Last week, new students arrived on campus, ready to pursue their passions in New York City. A group as diverse as this one cannot be easily defined, and over the next few years, experiences both in and out of the classroom will mold each student’s unique hunt for knowledge and creativity. Every FIT student is an individual, but nevertheless, a supportive community will always be found here on 27th Street.
To foster this closeness, every entering class reads an engaging and relevant book through the college’s Common Read program. This year’s selection, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, addresses mass shaming on social media, a topic author Jon Ronson took on after seeing goodwill and kindness disappearing online.
“I notice that all the things I loved as a journalist and a human—which was curiosity, empathy, and open-mindedness—those things were beginning to go out, those things were begging to become unfashionable on social media,” Ronson said. “And instead of curiosity, people were kind of lurking towards instant judgment.”
Wearing “I ❤ FIT” T-shirts, students attentively listened to Ronson speak at last’s week Orientation Welcome. Dr. Joyce F. Brown, the college’s president, also took the opportunity to expound on the cornerstones of good citizenship, telling the audience, “You will find at FIT values such as tolerance, inclusion, compassion, and civility are perhaps our most highly regarded.”
Want to learn more about public shaming? Watch the college’s Facebook Live video, below, to learn why people shame others and what Ronson suggests you do if you witness or experience such an act online.