15 Public Shamings That Ruined People's Lives

Life

4. Justine Sacco – First Class Racist

This is one of the best public shamings ever. Or worst, depending on your perspective. Justine Sacco was flying from New York City to South Africa to meet family for the holidays. To pass the time she started tweeting. First it was “’Weird German Dude: You’re in First Class. It’s 2014. Get some deodorant.’ – Inner monologue as I inhale BO. Thank God for pharmaceuticals.” Then she tweeted “Chilly – cucumber sandwiches – bad teeth. Back in London!” Finally, she tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” Although it should be obvious to all she was just messing around, her tweet went viral. By the time she landed she was the number one trending topic on Twitter. Tens of thousands of people responded by insulting and threatening her. The funniest part was, to them at least, that she had no idea it was happening. By the time she landed her world had blown up and she was fired immediately and says she is still feeling repercussions in her professional and personal life. Just so you know Justine, I thought it was funny. Not really.