outrage porn

English

Etymology

Coined by New York Times writer Tim Kreider to emphasize the way such writing panders to people's self-indulgent desire to feel outraged.

Noun

outrage porn (uncountable)

1. Media that is written in order to provoke feelings of outrage and righteous indignation.
   • 2013 November 23, Karolina Dean is an Ugly Brown Spic, “Pop music's race problem: How white artists profit from mocking hip-hop”, in rec.sport.pro-wrestling (Usenet):

     You can't write a Salon outrage porn piece without the word "problematic" being in the first couple of paragraphs somewhere.

   • 2015 December 26, ajit, “Rage of the self-righteous Republic”, in unityinstruggle (Usenet):

     Anger is being exploited by TRP-driven purveyors of outrage porn, to strike at all possible newsworthy targets.

   • 2015, M Compan, Visualizing Violence in Francophone Cultures:

     However, all of the above examples reflect the growth of "outrage porn" in contemporary social media, or stories that feed popular anger and indignation, and which sometimes lead to powerful action.

   • 2016, Scott Sauls, Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear, →ISBN, page 45:

     Outrage porn is not new. Similar to those who shame and publicly air their grievances today, the New Testament Pharisees were also known to look down on others with contempt.