I am of the opinion that shame, far from being a purely negative sentiment, is actually of some real value: that is, far from being solely some form of internalised oppression or guilt, it’s actually an indicator that we’ve gone wrong in some way, and ought to seek out a corrective.
Being of that opinion, it strikes me that the growing shamelessness of western societies is one of the most dangerous recent developments as far as the social fabric is concerned. Some people seem to be genuinely unable, or unwilling, to experience shame, or otherwise to face up to the fact that they’ve gone wrong in some serious way. This is not only to their own personal detriment, but to society’s too, the personal and the social being inextricably linked.