In this discussion, Bly talks of four sources of shame, including shame inherited from parents, grandparents, and ancestors, and shame over our bodily and creative instincts. It opens with a Russian fairy story on the Frog Princess and the shame we feel over our interior "Frog Bride." Bly and host Michael Toms discuss the new work in America on shame, most of it done during the last 10 years.
Prudes, Perverts, and Tyrants: Plato's Gorgias and the Politics of Shame
In recent years, most political theorists have agreed that shame shouldn't play any role in democratic politics because it threatens the mutual respect necessary for participation and deliberation. But Christina Tarnopolsky argues that not every kind of shame hurts democracy. In fact, she makes a powerful case that there is a form of shame essential to any critical, moderate, and self-reflexive democratic practice.
That this splendid book is out of print and indeed quite dated in many respects (e.g., the word Negro" was then standard usage) is a shame since it is an excellent work on how to use the language with elegance, grace and precision.
