The Physics of Shame

The half life of shame, experiments confirm,
   has been decreasing at an alarming rate
The exponential decay, in modern times,
   subject to the vagaries of fate
Blame changing mores, expedience,
   and a predisposition for fun
Descartes would never get to write
   "I'm ashamed, therefore I am"

Researchers who have studied the erosion of shame
   are mostly confounded by the facts
A few gremlins are said to possess the unerring ability
   to repel it on contact
In some quarters, the term of art, shame liquefaction,
   has even been advanced
The gene which confers a selective advantage
   is often found in politicians

The angels that shepherded humanity
   out of the garden of Eden still maintain
That they left a curious gift in their luggage,
   wrapped in decorative paper
Ostensibly impermeable this solid substance,
   it bore the label shame
A puzzle too, for when mankind touched it,
   it instantly changed their behavior

Alas, like most unrequited gifts
   it was doomed to be treated as a novelty product
Further, the owner's manual was missing,
   and the warning labels unexamined and unread
Like the Rubik's cube forlorn that second week of January
   at the back of the toy closet
Swiftly discarded, right next to the silly putty,
   observe well the ensuing misconduct

The substance, in practice, turned out to be quite malleable
   in human hands
Material scientists point to a barrier function
   affecting soul insurance
After the initial practicality was addressed by clothing,
   and a modicum of modesty observed
There was no further selection pressure,
   the survival imperative was all that mattered

Thus, in our early dealings in the torrid zone,
   some realized that it could evaporate
If not treated with care,
   the run on our communal supplies would accelerate
But it was seen as a victimless crime,
   there was no one really that one could blame
The corollary in the modern era:
   America's real herd immunity is to shame

Shame, a Playlist

A soundtrack for this research note. (spotify version)

• Shame on Me by Alexander O'Neal
• It's a Shame by The Spinners
• Shame by Lewis Taylor
• Shame by Lenny Williams
• It's a Damn Shame by Johnny "Guitar" Watson
• It's a Shame (My Sister) by Monie Love
• Shame by Lewis Taylor

...

Timing is everything
Observers are worried

...

See previously: Shell Games (Part I. Shame Cultures)

File under: culture, shame, observation, perception, shell game, USA, humour, hatchet job, Observers are worried, poetry, toli

Writing log. Concept: May 14, 2020. September 18, 2021