When outrage rules

Herald Malaysia

4 days ago

It began, as these things often do, with a video clip from a high-profile concert. A well-known married CEO was caught on camera, not with his wife, but with another woman. Aug 01, 2025
By Patricia PereiraIt began, as these things often do, with a video clip from a high-profile concert. A well-known married CEO was caught on camera, not with his wife, but with another woman. The footage spread rapidly, and within hours, social media had passed its verdict. Memes blossomed, jokes snowballed, and commentary — scathing and relentless — fuelled a digital firestorm. The internet had found its latest spectacle, and many joined the frenzy with unrestrained glee. Be honest — were you one of them? Did you join in the commentary, or pass along the memes with a laugh to friends and family?To be absolutely clear, the CEO's public failure of fidelity is not something to minimise or excuse. Betrayal in marriage is a serious matter, one that damages trust, relationships, and moral credibility. As Christians, we are committed to the sanctity of marriage and to upholding the truth about human dignity and faithfulness.But acknowledging wrongdoing does not justify mob justice.The episode is a sobering reminder of how quickly we abandon the Gospel's call to charity when social media hands us the illusion of consequence-free judgment. The digital culture thrives on exhibitionism, instant affirmation, and harsh condemnation. It does not seek witnesses in the Christian sense — it seeks influencers. As St Augustine noted in his commentary on 1 John 1:2, a 'witness' is, in Greek, a martyr — one who suffers for the truth. Not one who builds a platform on someone else's collapse.And this leads us to a pressing question: How can we, as Catholics and as the Church, engage with social media without becoming complicit in its moral distortions?We are not called to retreat from public discourse. Social media, like any form of communication, can be used for good. It can foster authentic relationships, shine light on injustice, and invite others into deeper communion. But it must not become the dominant space where our moral instincts are formed. If we try to share the Gospel through the same mechanisms that reward outrage and exhibitionism, we risk diluting its power and distorting its message.
In a recent Commonweal book review, Professor Eugene McCarraher noted that institutions —including education and even the Church — are increasingly at risk of being shaped by a culture dominated by materialism, performance, and utility. Social media, he suggests, does not form us in virtue but in reaction. In response, the Church must commit to forming believers who are not tossed about by the storms of digital culture, but rooted firmly in the enduring truths of the Gospel. We don't need better platforms. We need better witnesses — those who live the Gospel with integrity, even when no one is watching. Martyrs not necessarily in blood, but in daily courage: men and women who patiently and consistently choose truth, mercy, and love over popularity or vengeance.When we participate in the digital mob, even against someone who has acted wrongly, we risk becoming what Augustine called 'cutters off' — those who divide rather than heal, who shout rather than listen. Sin must be named, yes. But the Christian way is to speak truth with love, not with mockery. Scandal is real. So is sin. But so, too, is redemption. And the Gospel commits us to the hope of restoration — not public humiliation.
Pope Paul VI's words in Evangelii Nuntiandi still resonate: 'Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.' If our digital voices are not grounded in a life transformed by the Resurrection, then they will ring hollow —no matter how clever or viral our content becomes. It is time to rekindle the fire of the 'dynamite inherent in the Church's message.' The Gospel is not a polished marketing slogan — it is the radical, life-altering truth of God's love, revealed in the empty tomb. If the Church seems silent or sidelined in today's world, perhaps it is because we have buried that dynamite under safe phrases and institutional comfort.As one wise pastor said, a Church rooted in the Incarnation must communicate in incarnate ways — by being present in people's lives, not just on their screens. That is where authentic evangelisation happens: in the slow, quiet work of love and accompaniment, not in the frenzy of judgment and ridicule.So, when the internet erupts in scorn, as it did over this recent scandal, maybe the most Christian response is not a share or a post, but a pause. Maybe it's choosing not to amplify the spectacle. Maybe it's praying — for the CEO, for his wife and children, for the woman involved, for everyone who watched and commented. And maybe it's looking inward, examining where we, too, fall short and need grace.
Let us not become passive consumers of scandal, nor loud distributors of shame. Let us be witnesses. Even if it means stepping out of sync with the digital crowd. Because in that quiet space — where judgment gives way to mercy and spectacle to sincerity — the Gospel can once again be heard.