"Wall of Shame" (
German: Schandmauer) is a phrase that is most commonly associated with the
Berlin Wall.[1] In this context, the phrase was coined by
Willy Brandt, and it was used by the government of
West Berlin, and later popularized in the English-speaking world and elsewhere from the beginning of the 1960s. Inspired by its usage in reference to the Berlin Wall, the term has later been used more widely.
For example, the term "Wall of Shame" can be applied to things, including physical barriers (walls, fences, etc.) serving dishonourable or disputed separation purposes (like the Berlin Wall and the American border wall), physical and virtual bulletin boards listing names or images for purposes of shaming, and even lists in print (i.e., walls of text naming people, companies, etc. for the purpose of shaming them, or as record of embarrassment).
Additionally, "Wall of Shame" may be a significant part in the building of a "Hall of Shame", although, more often, a "Wall of Shame" is a monument in its own right (i.e., a wall not having been erected as part of any "Hall of Shame" endeavour). More recently, the term "Wall of Shame" has been used in reference to the
Mexico–United States barrier,[2] the
Egypt–Gaza barrier,[3] the
Israeli West Bank barrier[4] and
Moroccan Western Sahara Wall.[5]
The term was used by the government of
West Berlin to refer to the
Berlin Wall, which surrounded West Berlin and separated it from
East Berlin and the GDR. In 1961, the government of
East Germany named the erected wall as the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart", a part of the
inner German border; many Berliners, however, called it "Schandmauer" ("Wall of Shame").
The term was coined by governing mayor
Willy Brandt.[7] Outside Germany it first appeared as "Wall of Shame" in a cover story published by TIME in 1962,[8] and
President of the United StatesJohn F. Kennedy used the term in his Annual Message to the
US Congress on the
State of the Union, 14 January 1963.[9] Often, graffiti would be painted on points, where a street would intersect with the wall, often reading, "Road blocked by Wall of Shame".
The Berlin Wall was referred to as the "Wall of Shame" in many more recent notable contexts, such as:
The academic article, "The Democratic Invention", by
Mário Soares, former Prime Minister and later President of
Portugal (1986–1996)[10]
In 1998,
UNIFEM organized a photo exhibit at the
United Nations that contrasted a "wall of shame", focusing on women's plight and suffering, with a "wall of hope", showcasing initiatives to end violence against women.[14]
An academic paper by M. Lachance (York University) talks about the Quebec "wall of shame".[15]
^Modell, Judith (1999). "The Wall of Shame: Ruth Benedict's Accomplishment in "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword"". Dialectical Anthropology. 24 (2): 193–215.
doi:
10.1023/A:1007039114733.
JSTOR29790601.
S2CID140748109.
^Mervin, John (9 October 2015).
"In Peru water is a high price for Lima's poor". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2016. At the very top of the hill, is the final insult that Lima adds to the injurious effects of poverty: a wall, ten feet high, garlanded with razor wire. ... They call it the Wall of Shame.