Listen now | A contemporary counterpart of Lady Whistledown weighs in on the trial that's become a cultural flashpoint on free speech, domestic abuse, and #MeToo.
Your question gets to the heart of why I turned to satire for this piece. On the one hand, I find it astonishing that the tawdry lives of celebrities should receive so much attention. But on the other hand, I'm amazed that this trial has become a cultural lighting flash with millions of people around the world focused on the outcome.
I'm still seeing pieces by established journalists who say the trial was about freedom of speech, claiming that mainstream media failed to frame the free-speech issue in the proper light, thus allowing social media commentators to turn the trial into a him vs. her popularity contest. Lots of folks online are still re-litigating the trial and questioning the jury's verdict.
Although I'm not particularly interested in what actors do in their private lives, I'm really concerned about what the intense interest in the case says about society's current attitude regarding #MeToo and domestic abuse.
My gut tells me a lot of this furor stems from the public's unresolved feelings about the sexual harassment allegations during the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings.
Bottom line: I feel strongly that we need to listen to women who say they've been harassed, assaulted, and abused. But I also feel it's wrong to use abuse allegations as a bludgeon to settle some private score. Or to extort money from an ex-spouse.
I'm not sure anything was resolved in the "public mind" as a result of this case. It's unfortunate that the main characters in this particular drama were not more praiseworthy in their behavior.
Sorry I wasn't able to provide a better response yesterday. It really is a mad, mad, mad, mad world--isn't it?
Definitely a mad, mad world. I agree that using claims of abuse to obtain money IF the claims are false is reprehensible. It makes those who have actually be abused seem unimportant and easy to discount. Neither of these two celebrities have any significance in my world and I have very little sympathy for either of them. There may have been real abuse in their relationships but that was obscured by the issue of money and side taking in social media. They seemed to be more concerned about damage to their careers than about damage to their psyche that results from abuse. Also, seems to be a definite backlash against women who speak out. We could use a kinder world.
OMG yes! I recently started watching Ted Lasso to see what all the fuss was about. In a word, kindness, the very word you used. Sure would be nice if we had more of it in the off-screen world. But wait! There’s lots if it off screen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get the same degree of attention as the nasty stuff. Thanks for your thoughts, as always!
Clever and hilarious, but also peppered with serious questions for us to ponder! It was also really fun to listen to - you nailed the voice of “the Twisted Panty” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Speaking of serious questions, I noticed several threads on Twitter last night where folks listed multiple reasons why they thought the jury's verdict was wrong, what it means for women in abusive situations, and even why the judge may have erred or been biased in the original trial against the Sun newspaper in the UK.
The degree of ongoing attention to this case amazes me. But I do think the serious questions are worth serious consideration as the rest of us slog through our daily lives.
Thanks agains for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.
And ultimately, why should we care?
Your question gets to the heart of why I turned to satire for this piece. On the one hand, I find it astonishing that the tawdry lives of celebrities should receive so much attention. But on the other hand, I'm amazed that this trial has become a cultural lighting flash with millions of people around the world focused on the outcome.
I'm still seeing pieces by established journalists who say the trial was about freedom of speech, claiming that mainstream media failed to frame the free-speech issue in the proper light, thus allowing social media commentators to turn the trial into a him vs. her popularity contest. Lots of folks online are still re-litigating the trial and questioning the jury's verdict.
Although I'm not particularly interested in what actors do in their private lives, I'm really concerned about what the intense interest in the case says about society's current attitude regarding #MeToo and domestic abuse.
My gut tells me a lot of this furor stems from the public's unresolved feelings about the sexual harassment allegations during the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings.
Bottom line: I feel strongly that we need to listen to women who say they've been harassed, assaulted, and abused. But I also feel it's wrong to use abuse allegations as a bludgeon to settle some private score. Or to extort money from an ex-spouse.
I'm not sure anything was resolved in the "public mind" as a result of this case. It's unfortunate that the main characters in this particular drama were not more praiseworthy in their behavior.
Sorry I wasn't able to provide a better response yesterday. It really is a mad, mad, mad, mad world--isn't it?
Definitely a mad, mad world. I agree that using claims of abuse to obtain money IF the claims are false is reprehensible. It makes those who have actually be abused seem unimportant and easy to discount. Neither of these two celebrities have any significance in my world and I have very little sympathy for either of them. There may have been real abuse in their relationships but that was obscured by the issue of money and side taking in social media. They seemed to be more concerned about damage to their careers than about damage to their psyche that results from abuse. Also, seems to be a definite backlash against women who speak out. We could use a kinder world.
OMG yes! I recently started watching Ted Lasso to see what all the fuss was about. In a word, kindness, the very word you used. Sure would be nice if we had more of it in the off-screen world. But wait! There’s lots if it off screen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get the same degree of attention as the nasty stuff. Thanks for your thoughts, as always!
Amen!
Clever and hilarious, but also peppered with serious questions for us to ponder! It was also really fun to listen to - you nailed the voice of “the Twisted Panty” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Speaking of serious questions, I noticed several threads on Twitter last night where folks listed multiple reasons why they thought the jury's verdict was wrong, what it means for women in abusive situations, and even why the judge may have erred or been biased in the original trial against the Sun newspaper in the UK.
The degree of ongoing attention to this case amazes me. But I do think the serious questions are worth serious consideration as the rest of us slog through our daily lives.
Thanks agains for taking the time to read and share your thoughts.
Thank you for listening and commenting. Must credit Lady Whistledown for inspiring the voice and satirical tone. Glad you enjoyed it!