tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post4518549559272012335..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: What do we do with Linda Fairstein? Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66700653243533062602019-12-11T00:33:15.524-05:002019-12-11T00:33:15.524-05:00For all those jumping on the "pummel Linda Fa...For all those jumping on the "pummel Linda Fairstein wagon" where is the kudos for all the good she did. All the guilty people she helped bring to justice? It is very sad that everyone sweeps all her achievements under the carpet for one mistake (albeit a doozy)KayChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16267506508468548195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25703247513156076302019-12-10T11:10:55.312-05:002019-12-10T11:10:55.312-05:00While reading the comments I kept coming back to t...While reading the comments I kept coming back to the same idea--police who interrogate and force confessions know they're violating their own standards, and prosecutors who know confessions are unreliable but use them anyway are also violating their standards. And yet, they continue because winning is the only goal that matters. Out of this tragedy for the young men we might have hoped for a revision in police interrogation conduct, but that doesn't seem to have happened. And so we turn our attention to Linda Fairstein and whether or not she apologized. Through it all I kept thinking about a play I recently saw, Saltonstall's Trial, about the first Salem witch trial. Judge Saltonstall was so disturbed by the use of spectral evidence that he petitioned the governor to prohibit its use to convict; he was overruled. Watching the rise of the mob against Goody Bishop so frightened him because he felt she was innocent, he ultimately left the court after he was unable to sway the two other judges and returned to his home in Haverhill. Judge Stoughton was so offended by Salstonstall's position that he never forgave him, carried a grudge to his death, and thwarted his career throughout his life. But Saltonstall never felt he'd made a mistake in objecting to the court's conduct or in arguing for Goody Bishop's innocence. Some people know right from wrong regardless of the hysteria around them. We are discussing now how to respond to someone who couldn't extricate herself from her circumstances, in contrast to Saltonstall, and make a better decision. She failed at the time and she failed every year after the innocence of the young men was confirmed by DNA evidence. It's hard to accept such deep disappointment in a person we looked up to. But she was wrong at the time and she remains so.Susan Oleksiwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-39992636493967897252019-12-09T08:56:53.943-05:002019-12-09T08:56:53.943-05:00I imagine it was hard for her publisher and agent ...I imagine it was hard for her publisher and agent to forgive someone not offering an apology. If she did not maintain she did nothing wrong, things might have gone differently. It is stunning to see in some cases the sympathy for what she has lost eclipses the sympathy for the, we can hopefully all agree, much more staggering loss those young men faced. It is hard for me to imagine someone I love going through that kind of punishment and having the person who played a role in it double down and say she did the right thing. It does not show the kind of judgment that would make me anxious to keep being her agent. That lack of judgment and empathy has now been starkly revealed. I am a fan of rehabilitation, change, and compassion, but I wonder how we extend those things to people who do not want to change and do not see themselves as having done anything wrong. <br /><br />It is also worth noting that we are now in a time where the police are being publically scrutinized in a way they haven't been in the past. Many people are just now starting to question the goodguy/badguy black and white framing that shows like SVU helped create (SVU is criticized in the popular book THE NEW JIM CROW for creating a public that is fundamentally misinformed about the criminal justice system - I imagine Ms. Fairstein might be hoping that story doesn't get the documentary/movie treatment, too).<br /><br /> <br /><br />It is interesting to see this kind of backlash framed as a post-social media phenomena. While now the "average Joe" has the power to "cancel" someone, that power is certainly not new, it was just wielded in the past by a narrower group of people. The Dixie Chicks, one of the most talented country music groups of all time, has their careers blacklisted because they spoke out against the Iraq War (and, oh, hey, they were right!). Snoop Dogg lost a role on Sesame Street because of his prior rap albums, same with Ludacris losing his Pepsi campaign. This was all in the early 2000s, all driven by older conservative media personalities, and in the Dixie Chicks case, basically all of country radio.<br /><br /><br />This is not a new thing, the people who can wield the uproar and backlash have just changed and expanded.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Lucie Witthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08521285162656949602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51610956795278300452019-12-08T16:12:21.547-05:002019-12-08T16:12:21.547-05:00The level-headed discussion above is wonderful to ...The level-headed discussion above is wonderful to see. I know little else other than what our Queen wrote, and it's been discussed so well, I'm not going to broach more on that.<br /><br />Instead, I want to share something that happened to me this week. Out of the blue I received an email from a librarian in the US. She also volunteers at the library, helping with middle-schoolers. Over November she had them participating in a version of NaNoWriMo - so they could talk about how stories come about and do a fun project.<br /><br />She found my website and was emailing to tell me how helpful my "resources for writers" page was. She also wanted to share a link to a screenwriting page one of her kiddies had found. She asked if I could add it to my page.<br /><br />The purpose was to show the kids how to be good digital citizens. To reach out and give compliments. To combat how often people hide behind the anonymity of the internet to say mean things.<br /><br />I think this skims around the scariest issue of the Linda Fairstein case, and the hundreds more like it. Every time adults take to social media on a crusade, they are teaching the next generation it's okay to judge without all the facts. It's okay to help ruin someones life to feel good in yourself. It's easier to be anonymous and preachy on the internet, than to actually do something that really makes a difference, like volunteering for a local charity. That manners aren't important.<br /><br />The gospel of the internet seems to have been forgotten: <i>Post unto others, as you would have them post unto you</i><br /><br />I've added that link to my page and sent them a thank you email. I hope it helps teach a handful of kids the lessons the librarian wanted.AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17180642366415591142019-12-08T03:59:52.481-05:002019-12-08T03:59:52.481-05:00I have no knowledge of this case other than what I...I have no knowledge of this case other than what I've read in the original post. But I think I can answer this question:<br /><br /><i>So what is Linda Fairstein paying for now?</i><br /><br />Linda's claim to fame was that she brought justice to people who were denied justice, and that in so doing she did much good. But now, having discovered that her method blatantly imprisoned innocent men, people no longer have confidence in it; they suspect that the evil she did (however well-intentioned she was) outweighs the good. They fear that the Central Park Five were not an aberration, but a typical case. Honoring her achievements implicitly signals approval of her methods - therefore, they stop. <br /><br />The analogy with the Witch Trials is a good one - all the people involved at the time thought they were doing God's work. Today, we excoriate them, and rightly so.<br /><br />Which is not to say that twitter mobs are invariably right, or proportionate in their responses, or cannot do more harm than overzealous prosecutors.Jonathan Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11536348551012142706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6812161218217610222019-12-08T02:03:51.713-05:002019-12-08T02:03:51.713-05:00And the biggest question, the question that took m...<b>And the biggest question, the question that took me a long time to see and for which I have no answer: The Ava DuVernay movie is the first time this story has been told by a black person. Is that a factor in this reaction?</b><br /><br />I think that she is black is a factor, but not because people are reacting to the movie because she is black. More that this movie probably wouldn't have been made by someone who wasn't black.<br /><br />I think the world has changed sufficiently in the last 17 years that black people are finally being given the resources to make films on this level. This means there are a load of new voices and perspectives coming into mainstream pop culture, which also inevitably means certain events are being talked about in a different way.<br /><br />As to whether Linda Fairstein should be made into a pariah, I don't know. Maybe she should. I am in all honesty more dubious about the organisations who severed contracts with her, because they all knew about her actions and they dropped her when the PR got too hot. It's the same as knowing about Harvey Weinstein's actions, and suddenly walking away when everyone else found out the whole story.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00167224971685011247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55137844683469410492019-12-07T23:37:13.450-05:002019-12-07T23:37:13.450-05:00When something like this happens, I can't, fra...When something like this happens, I can't, frankly, say I'm that sympathetic that someone lost their book deal for something they actually did when five other someones lost several years of their lives for something they didn't actually do. <br /><br />No one is obligated to give her their money, or their time. It's not like she's going to be sleeping on the streets or anything because of this.Lainahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53824779559884843182019-12-07T20:15:36.351-05:002019-12-07T20:15:36.351-05:00People have always been quick to jab their fingers...People have always been quick to jab their fingers at scapegoats and pile on the flawed or vulnerable to secure their spot in the pack. But with social media, the accusations and grievances aggregate so quickly there’s no time for one or two voices of reason to chime in with an alternate view. In my cynical moments, I almost miss the good old days when media elites controlled every narrative. This is the seamy underbelly of rampant democratization, made even muckier by our failure to teach critical thinking skills to our kids. <br /><br />I’ve been missing my crusty old high school rhetoric teacher, who taught us how to balance argument with counter-argument and wrestle with nuance. Our current system of petrified binaries isn’t doing us any good. And in the case of people like Linda Fairstein, many fail to grasp that our justice system is designed to find the truth through adversarial argument, each side working zealously to support their claims. (Of course, that never excuses prosecutorial misconduct).<br /><br />In my more hopeful moments, I prefer to think we’re in the midst of growing pains as we lurch toward a more enlightened world. Those moments are often fleeting.Fearless Reiderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14380936599156619260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8808238012432161952019-12-07T18:59:31.718-05:002019-12-07T18:59:31.718-05:00How the hell did 2002 suddenly get to be 17 years ...How the hell did 2002 suddenly get to be 17 years ago? *sigh* <br /><br />I know nothing about this case other than what Janet outlined in this post. But it's nothing new. It's not shocking or even surprising. People who wield power or wealth or privilege have been doing atrocious, unspeakable things to vulnerable people throughout all of history, and still are. Mob mentality and bullying are not new and certainly are not a creation of social media.<br /><br />I'm grateful to people like DuVernay who are able to hold up a big old spotlight and make us look at our mistakes, to provoke contemplation from a different perspective, to spark discussion and even argument, and yes, to shame us for past actions. How can any of us heal and grow and try to do better in the future if we refuse to see or admit wrongdoing? Especially when problems like unequal justice are ongoing and relentless.<br /><br />That's one issue, and it's timeless.<br /><br />The other issue I'm wrangling with is the way personal or professional events in our non-writing life can affect our career as writers. And whether they should.<br /><br />I read and very much enjoyed several of Fairstein's early novels, although none recently. She's an extremely talented writer. I knew no details of her legal work at that time, other than the cover copy. I have to ask myself, knowing what I do now balanced against what I remember of her storytelling prowess, would I read more of her books? I can't say with certainty, as I no longer read that genre like I once did, but I suspect not.<br /><br />Is that fair? As a writer, shouldn't I have more empathy? Shouldn't I be able to separate the work from the person? And, as Janet asked, how far back should we delve in our judgment?<br /><br />I don't know.<br /><br />Reading fiction is an act of emotion. There's a big element of trust involved: that the writer will take you on a satisfying emotional journey. When the emotions provoked by real life actions intrude on the emotional journey of the book, the immersive ability to suspend disbelief is damaged. That trust is broken. Maybe it can be regained over time, maybe not.<br /><br />It depends on the reader. It's subjective and personal, not a universal answer.<br /><br />To be blunt, for me, Fairstein is not the only writer whose work has been compromised in this way. Some issues matter more to me than others; some are easier to overlook. By the same token, there are writers whose work I have come to read and love specifically because of actions taken and words spoken in their non-writing life. It cuts both ways.<br /><br />Writers are imperfect, just like everyone else. Some people will accept our flaws with grace and compassion, some won't. I don't think that's something to fear. That's not why I write and it won't be the reason I stop.<br /><br /><br />Whoa, that turned into an essay. Sorry about that.<br /><br />KDJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10534864045227102030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71896214039073808162019-12-07T18:08:12.117-05:002019-12-07T18:08:12.117-05:00I think the whole recent deal is a crock of schnit...I think the whole recent deal is a crock of schnitzel. There are two reasons for it.<br /><br />She was a prosecutor before she became a writer. Prosecutors do not investigate, or interview suspects. The cops do all of that and present their evidence to a state's attorney for judgement on if it is a viable case. If it is, then it is turned over to a prosecutor to make a presentation in court.<br /><br />She did her job and did it well. She should not be judged poorly for that.<br /><br />The second thing is the timeline. That big gap means that she was judged using a piece of fiction as evidence. That is wrong. The whole of social media is meant to create a pack mentality. If you know pit bulls, you know what that can do. A single pit bull is a lovely dogs, when you get a couple of them together things change and they will attack. That happened here.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49690214311494685352019-12-07T17:37:31.853-05:002019-12-07T17:37:31.853-05:00In this 21st century people are too judgmental and...In this 21st century people are too judgmental and too lazy to separate fact from accusation.<br /> <br />John 8:7 "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."<br /><br /> Mister Furkleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156977719916770984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51390814172520069272019-12-07T13:54:39.906-05:002019-12-07T13:54:39.906-05:00I do remember the case and the aftermath. I rememb...I do remember the case and the aftermath. I remember the media frenzy at the time, the 'facts' and the 'doubts' and what happened later on. I remember the exoneration and the confession. But it's something that happened then. And that to me, is where the problem lies.<br /><br />Right or wrong at the time, social media has created the biggest bully mentality, at least in my mind, that we've ever seen just because it's immediate and world wide. People also, as <b>Mo H</b> pointed out, are quite often sheeple. Easier to be a part of a bigger organism than to stand alone and become a target. The problem with that organism is that it gets to the point where it no longer cares about the truth or right or wrong. The momentum carries it forward and whoever gets stomped on in the process is simply a casualty and so what?<br /><br />How much do we know of what Linda Fairstein was knowledgeable of before the case went to court? Probably very little. Perhaps she still feels she was going on the evidence presented to her and had no culpable knowledge of coerced confessions and that's why she is still sure she did nothing wrong. Was she in the interrogation rooms? I don't know.<br /><br />What I do know is this mob mentality has judged, juried and convicted her without a thought to whether it's right or wrong. They've destroyed a life not considering the consequences involved to her or anyone else associated with her. But the bigger problem is, as easy as it was to do this, and it was relatively easy, when are they going to come for the next one, or the one after that. Or me for some perceived/real injustice I did when I was young.<br /><br />Or you?<br /><br />nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51932200362288564222019-12-07T13:29:48.726-05:002019-12-07T13:29:48.726-05:00There are two things I've wondered about this ...There are two things I've wondered about this situation:<br /><br />1. If Linda had just apologized from the beginning and said it was an unfortunate miscarriage of justice, versus doubling down that she hadn't done anything wrong, how would this have played out? She could have further talked about how mistakes like this happen and how it can be avoided in the future.<br /><br />2. How much did the movie change the *national* impact of this, especially considering it came out after the Black Lives Matter movement hit full stride, and Twitter allows everyone to share opinions quickly? I remember hearing about the Central Park 5 when it happened. But I was a child on the West Coast. I knew the 5 were exonerated. But I didn't know who Linda Fairstein until all of this happened. The Sleepy Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406738871201908077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47659054920795609342019-12-07T13:10:21.366-05:002019-12-07T13:10:21.366-05:00I don’t think social media has changed people’s ca...I don’t think social media has changed people’s capability to try and understand truth. Stories have always been told. Two sides to every story. And people will always believe what they perceive as the truth. We filter out things that aren’t in line with our way of thinking because it’s easy. The path of least resistance. <br /><br />Did Ms. Fairstein receive unfair treatment? Did Ms. DuVernay’s portrayal show a perspective about being taken advantage of because of racial bias? The point is it made people ask questions. Maybe someone even learned in the process.<br /><br />What social media has created is sheeple. They go along because it’s safe. A lone sheep is at risk. But everyone knows the greater the risk, the greater the reward. It’s hard, but we learn by constantly seeking answers, not just looking for something to blame. Do you take the time to wonder why you think a certain way?<br /><br />I have been confronted with the consequences of choices I made that hurt other people. And how I reacted twenty years ago is not what I would do today. Wisdom comes from experience. When we learn, we can recognize how to make better choices. When I apologized for those decisions and shared how it was a learning process so I would not repeat the same mistake, the people I hurt were able to move forward. And so was I.<br />Mo Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09727135345092882507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18418490127226173362019-12-07T13:03:42.656-05:002019-12-07T13:03:42.656-05:00I don't have much to add, except that I'm ...I don't have much to add, except that I'm encouraged by the thoughtful weighing of circumstances in this thread. If we could all learn to step back and consider before piling on it would spare a lot of people a lot of pain. <br /><br />The fact that the movie is what sparked all this after so many years is a reminder that art is powerful, and we writers have a responsibility to tell the truth, even in fiction. Beth Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02447148196867821907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47895362883134987742019-12-07T12:09:12.344-05:002019-12-07T12:09:12.344-05:00... and yes and amen to Brent's comment. If yo...... and yes and amen to <b>Brent</b>'s comment. If you deem yourself worthy to judge whether or not a person is deserving of success, acclaim, or a livelihood, look at the character of that person's life, not an isolated incident of failure or indiscretion.Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71595148576162511762019-12-07T12:06:07.380-05:002019-12-07T12:06:07.380-05:00There's a fundamental difference between knowi...There's a fundamental difference between knowing someone did something wrong and understanding that someone did something wrong. I can't count the number of arguments I've gotten into because I KNEW I did something hurtful and I'd apologized, but I didn't UNDERSTAND the scope of it. Until I understood completely, I couldn't really apologize. <br /><br />There's also another point to consider: at what degree should we separate the artist from the art? <br /><br />I can understand the charities and the Woman of the Year award being taken away. They were given (or earned) with a false understanding of the woman's character (presumably). The MWA and the publishing contract...that's trickier for me. Because those aren't inherently moral rewards. Those are rewards for art. <br /><br />I hate the idea of terrible people receiving adoration and wealth because they happen to be good at writing or singing. I also hate the idea of normal, sinful people being denied the opportunity to share their gifts because they're fundamentally flawed and twitter got angry about it. <br /><br />I don't believe, except in extreme cases, that you can truly judge someone's moral character without knowing them. <br /><br />For those of us that are afraid by mass media outrage, there is some hope at least. We're starting to see people come back from it. People who did wrong and got crucified for it (and apologized) are starting to get their careers back. Public opinion isn't necessarily 'you're dead to us forever' anymore. Cancel culture is open to redemption arcs. <br /><br />Don't be afraid. Fear is an immobilizing emotion and it can't solve a thing. I've often found that the best cure for fear is compassion. Trying to understand the monster in the dark turns it into what it really is: a dust bunny casting a shadow. Bethany Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12829932931010851406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42836485230029426052019-12-07T12:04:01.612-05:002019-12-07T12:04:01.612-05:00I'm very encouraged by the tenor of the commen...I'm very encouraged by the tenor of the comments. As I look at our society today, the virtue signalling, and the willingness to trash the lives of people you don't like (political opponents, successful businessmen/women, etc.) on the basis of past (sometimes distant past) failings, and I find it both short-sighted and socially destructive.<br /><br />The point about the specific case that gives me pause, is the fact that Ms. Fairstein is, apparently, unwilling to admit she made a mistake. If it has been demonstrated beyond a shadow of doubt that the five are innocent and the person who confessed is guilty, then she should say, "I'm sorry, I got it wrong." But I suspect she knows that whatever acts of contrition she may perform to society, these days it will never be enough.<br /><br />Fact is, we appreciate and enjoy the art of a lot of reprobates. A LOT of them. Do you really want to know the sordid details of the life of every person whose work you enjoy? Whether we're talking Socrates, Debussy, Anne Perry, or the Marx Brothers, everyone has a past that might cause them to blush in the cold light of maturity. As a young teenager, I said and did things I am far from proud of. Do I need to live in fear that someone who knew me back then will tell tales should I gain any kind of public profile?<br /><br />If I had a warning for our culture, it's this: Beware the pendulum of social opinion. The things you celebrate now may shame you in future. How will you want to be treated?<br />Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29731181429060352712019-12-07T11:59:44.739-05:002019-12-07T11:59:44.739-05:00I agree with everything that has been said here, e...I agree with everything that has been said here, especially Brenda's comment that Bullying is not okay. I'm concerned that Ms. Farstein couldn't admit that she did anything wrong. She helped destroy 5 innocent people's lives, and the fact that she couldn't look deeply into what she did and come to terms with it is extremely troubling. Does that make it okay twenty years later for the media and others to ruin her life because things were not dealt with fairly during that time period? That is something we all need to look at ourselves and think about. Another thing this immediately brought to mind is that our President was one of the first to accuse the innocent young men, and has never apologized or said he was wrong about that. So while this is a problem that affects all of us, it would be helpful to have a leader who was able to look at him or herself and admit when a grave mistake has been made.miriamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08576360236344595197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27244294694180983352019-12-07T11:34:06.601-05:002019-12-07T11:34:06.601-05:00More than anything else, I am encouraged by the th...More than anything else, I am encouraged by the thoughtfulness of the post and the comments. <br />Every lawyer knows: Hard cases make bad law. And this "case" is as hard as any - not just the trial, and the forced confessions, and the exoneration, and the suit for damages, but the long silence, the movie, and the public reaction.<br />Yet one question remains unasked, and unanswered: Did Ms. Fairstein repeat this behavior? Was this her normal <i>modus operandi</i>, or did she get sucked into the moment and the outcry for "justice" and the need to "just do something"? <br />The Twitterverse isn't new, just faster. Justice got Twittered in 1989, just as it did in Salem. Or in <i>Julius Caesar</i>, for that matter. <br />Hard case. And even in this age of radical pseudo-transparency, we the jury are missing crucial information.Brent Salishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12719960603593393570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65587502728133508412019-12-07T10:22:41.912-05:002019-12-07T10:22:41.912-05:00It’s not news that humans love to feel morally sup...It’s not news that humans love to feel morally superior. We break our own arms in order to pat ourselves on the back. Modern technology, money motivated reporting, and anonymity have combined to create a bully of truly horrific proportions. Gossip hasn’t had such a boost since the advent of the party-line telephone. <br /><br />Bullying is not ok. I see no end in sight and it grieves me. <br /><br />Malcolm Gladwell’s new book addresses some of why we get each other wrong. I’m only halfway through but I already highly recommend it. It’s called Talking to Strangers. <br /><br />Brenda<br /><br />Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78142683260110452932019-12-07T10:06:31.946-05:002019-12-07T10:06:31.946-05:00Good God. Ms. Reid, I bow to you for writing about...Good God. Ms. Reid, I bow to you for writing about this with such precision!<br /><br />If you're not thinking these things daily, you might be a bot. But not many people have the guts to articulate them so powerfully.<br /><br />In a world where I have to text my son to get his attention while he's in the room, it's clear we've lost something. Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-89464928014129800902019-12-07T09:43:23.211-05:002019-12-07T09:43:23.211-05:00I am terrified by this type of social media and se...I am terrified by this type of social media and sensationalized pseudo-journalism. Reading the post, I immediately had a flashback.<br />With nearly 30 years of experience as a counselor in private practice, I made a 911 call and followed state and federal procedures for reporting someone who was a danger to others. I can't give details.<br />My 911 call was played on TV. Two policemen interviewed me and harassed me for the case file. My professional organization blamed me. My malpractice insurance would not get back to me. The details were all over the news and newspapers for weeks. <br />In the media circus that ensued, I lost contracts with companies. My referral sources stopped giving out my name. With the statute of limitations, I lost two years of my life dealing with this case because -- instead of the situation remaining a personal tragedy, it was made into a media event. <br />Eventually, I had to leave the state, took another two years hiatus from therapy to let this die down in people's and the media's eye, and start over.<br />Social media, the press, and the entertainment world have become so interlinked, I am counting the days until I can retire. Every time I make a therapeutic decision to terminate a case or a client just doesn't like me, I cringe at what is happening to my professional and personal reputation.<br />I don't trust the media to present anything remotely like the facts.<br />I have seen this happen to other authors too. <br />tsquaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05321669263356187882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27667890745627515262019-12-07T09:12:15.905-05:002019-12-07T09:12:15.905-05:00A friend has a food truck. The first few years she...A friend has a food truck. The first few years she called it White Girl Asian Food. More or less a Brooklyn girl’s TexMex/Asian food fusion.<br />Some online crusaders were disgusted at this “cultural appropriation” and launched an attack, including lots of people who had never even been to Austin to see to her truck giving her one star reviews.<br />The irony here is that when her truck used to come to my employer, quite a few Asians ate there and liked it (and my friend).<br />Different scenario, I know, but same mindset. That was when It became real for me- trying to hurt someone they didn’t even know, destroy her livelihood. Of course I defended her- wondering if I would be next.<br />I’m rereading Divergent this week. With things like Ms Fairfield’s case happening, the media assault feels chillingly even more real. And if someone knows how to manipulate the people through media- of whatever sort- ugly things will get worse until enough good people say, “No!”<br />That’s an over-simplification, of course. It could get even uglier when that happens. roadkills-r-ushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14029861300358380117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87292566131875673392019-12-07T09:09:45.441-05:002019-12-07T09:09:45.441-05:00I have not read the entire post. I have not read a...I have not read the entire post. I have not read all of the comments. I do know about the subject matter (somewhat). As a columnist with strong opinions, and seldom hesitant to voice them, I scrolled down. One line from E.M GOLDSMITH caught my eye. <br /><br />"And, I am afraid."<br /><br /> Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.com