Is there anything good about shame? 6 Minute English

Neil: Hello, and welcome to

6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

Sam: And I'm Sam.

Neil: In this programme we'll be

talking about the emotion of shame.

What can you tell us

about this word, Sam?

Sam: Well, it can be a verb or a noun.

As a noun it's an emotion

for the uncomfortable feeling we have

when we feel embarrassed or guilty

about something that we've done.

It's a very strong feeling.

Neil: We'll explore this topic in more detail

shortly, but first a question. Now it might

seem like a random question,

but all will become clear later, I promise.

The chemical which was used

to make cooking pans non-stick was

discovered by accident, when was this?

Was it... a) 1930s, b) 1960s or c) 1980s?

What do you think, Sam?

Sam: Ah ... well, first, I've no idea

what non-stick cookware has

to do with our topic of shame

but as to the question itself, I think

it has something to do with Nasa and

the space programme, so

I'm going to say 1960s.

Neil: Well, we will find out later

in the programme if you are right.

The idea of shame is not new,

by any means, but social media has made

it a very modern concept, hasn't it?

Sam: Yes, when it's used as a verb,

to shame someone, it means

to say or write things in public

designed to make other people feel

bad about their behaviour

and this is something

we see a lot in social media.

Neil: This topic was discussed on a recent

edition of the BBC radio programme

Woman's Hour.

One of the guests was Hetta Howes from

City University, London. Does she think

that shame is always a bad thing?

Hetta Howes: If you have

too much shame it's crippling,

it's sort of debilitating and that's bad,

but the right amount of shame can be

really positive because it effects change

and I wonder if we're starting to see that

a bit in modern culture as well from sort

of social media platforms because

if someone's done something that

we consider to be a little bit wrong

we can sort of publicly

shame them and maybe effect

some positive change.

Neil: So is shame always bad?

Sam: Well, she does say that too much

shame can be crippling and debilitating.

Both these words mean that

shame is so strong that we really

can't manage the emotion, we can't

deal with it, we can't do anything

to put it right. But she does say

that a bit of shame can be positive

because it effects change.

This means that it causes change.

If someone is shamed on social media,

it's very public and can mean

that they change their behaviour.

Neil: I suppose though there is one group

I think have to accept public shaming, and

perhaps deserve it more than others.

Sam: I think I can guess. Would it be

politicians, perhaps?

These days we are very cynical about

politicians, aren't we? Social media is one

area where the public can directly contact

and comment on what

their representatives are or aren't doing.

Neil: But politicians are a particular kind

of person, aren't they? Cultural historian

Tiffany Watt-Smith made this comment

on the same Woman's Hour programme.

Tiffany Watt-Smith: Shame is... can be very

very useful and the idea

of someone who doesn't

experience that at all, like a sort of

Teflon-coated politician, I mean, that's...

that's a kind of frightening image.

Neil: What's she saying here, Sam?

Sam: She's talking about how

some politicians to do not seem to be

bothered by shaming.

They just ignore it and move on.

She describes them as Teflon coated.

This is - aha - a reference to non-stick

cookware! Teflon is the brand name

of the chemical which was used to make

pots and pans non-stick.

The pans were coated or covered

in this material. The reference

to politicians is that there are some

to whom criticism and shame

just don't stick. They manage to avoid

any negative consequences of their

actions and this, she says, is scary.

Neil: Here's Tiffany Watt-Smith again.

Tiffany Watt-Smith: Shame is... can be very

very useful and the idea

of someone who doesn't

experience that at all, like a sort of

Teflon-coated politician, I mean, that's...

that's a kind of frightening image.

Neil: It's nearly time now to review

our vocabulary, but first, let's have

the answer to the quiz question,

which was about non-stick coating

on cookware, or Teflon, as we heard.

When was it invented?

a) 1930s, b) 1960s or c) 1980s?

What did you think, Sam?

Sam: I guessed the 1960s and I think

it was invented as part of

the US space programme.

Neil: Well, a lot of people think that and,

like you, a lot of people are wrong. It was

actually discovered, by accident, in 1938.

So well done if you got that right but no

shame if you didn't!

Now on with today's words.

Sam: OK. Yes, we were talking

about shame, an uncomfortable

feeling of guilt and embarrassment

at something we've done.

Neil: Shame can be crippling

and debilitating. Both these adjectives

mean making someone unable to deal

with the situation. They can feel so badly

about what they have done that

they find it difficult

to move forward emotionally.

Sam: We then had to effect change.

This means to make change happen.

Note this is 'effect'

with an 'e' and not 'affect' with an 'a'.

Neil: Teflon is a non-stick covering

for cookware.

Sam: And something that is coated

with something is covered

with something. So Teflon coated

means covered in Teflon.

Neil: Well, that's all for this programme.

We'll be with you again soon, but if you can't

wait, you can find us in all

the usual places on social media,

online and on our app. Just

search for bbclearninglish. Goodbye!

Sam: Bye!