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Where I would want to tweak your summation of my point though, is to replace the word "shame" with "guilt". It's a subtle difference, but an important one.
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I am not so sure that the difference lies in whether the words used connote internal or external perceptions. One can feel ashamed of oneself, or be shamed in the eyes of others, just as one can feel guilty or be judged guilty by others.
The reason that I feel that "shame" is the more appropriate word in this situation is that it is, to my mind, more consistent with a feeling of responsibility for acts perpetrated by others. So, one can feel ashamed of acts carried out by others in one's name, whereas guilt tends to denote a feeling of personal responsibility (whether actual or perceived).
But that, as they say, is by the by.
