Today’s fuzzy topics are both about free speech. Two different blog writers, both in my good old home state of Pennsylvania. Ironically, both authors are in towns less than a half hour from me but their stories have blown up to national status now. Let’s start with the one in Bucks County. That’s where I live.
A few months back, I read in my local paper a story about a blog titled “ThePsychoExWife.com” and the authors fight to keep the blog up and running. His ex wife had become aware of the site, and had since taken it to court stating it was disparaging and damaging to their children which they jointly shared custody of.
He said, She said….
He (the author) says he wrote the blog anonymously as ""the true account of a marriage, divorce, and subsequent (child) custody fight between a loving man, his terroristic ex-wife who we suspect suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder ...". She says the kids have seen the site and have asked him to take it down as it’s hurtful and damaging to them. I can’t imagine why, considering he described his ex as "... on the precipice of 40 and probably looks all 50-years of it. Imagine if you will, Jabba The Hut, with less personality. She spends her time ... drinking her days away bemoaning her victim status, when she isn't stuffing the children with fast food, buying them toys, or pushing them towards the TV or computer." Goodness.
And as an ex-wife who recently received a text from her ex-husband mistakenly meant for someone else in which he referred to me as “Satan”, I sat and thought about this before forming my opinion. And I have to say, I do agree to this man’s right to keep operating his site. What if it was me, and I was the Ex? Well, I can’t say I’d love it but it’s his right to keep the site going. He never named names, he operated it anonymously. A third party was responsible for informing his ex and his kids. And frankly, even if that wasn’t the case, it is his First Amendment Right whether she likes it or not. It’s also his ex’s right to offer a rebuttal should she desire one. I don’t think that either one of those choices is the proper one for the kids. But I would also not choose to operate a blog on negativity and anger, as I feel his was (it’s taken down now, so I really can’t tell except from the one up in its place where he’s fundraising). There’s plenty I could say about my own divorce, some of which I share here, but most of which I choose to keep to myself. It’s a matter of taste, I suppose. I guess it is “his” true account of a marriage, divorce etc”, and everyone has their own truth. I feel I’ve been pretty cool and fair to my ex, and he still chooses to call me Satan, so there’s a prime example.
The second story was about a teacher in the CB East school district who has been a teacher there since 2006. She has stated that she started her blog for friends, and never thought that students or co-workers would see it. That alone is a wonky theory, as blogging is free to pretty much everyone to read. But regardless, she took to her blog to talk about her favorites….and her not so favorites. Her favorite Food Network chef, and her less favorite students and co-workers. And don’t forget she blogged about her distaste for the school district administrators. Pretty much just let loose, and included a picture of herself and used her real name and real last name initial to really drive it home. Maybe not the smartest move if you’re going to bite the hand that feeds you and talk smack about the kids you’re supposed to have a passion for teaching. Well, I guess she WAS passionate, as you can tell by her description of her students: “My students are out of control. They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire and are just generally annoying.” See, passion? Just not in the vein you’d expect. She continued on and on and….on. And then mentioned that she was essentially burnt out and maybe should take a break. Hmmmm, ya think?!
And now, despite the fact that she has been retained by the district for this school year, no one wants their kids to take her class. I take less issue with her online rants then I do with her multiple run-on sentences, considering she’s a literature teacher. Seriously sister, a period here and there wouldn’t kill you.
We land exactly where we were when discussing the ex-husband. It is her right to free speech. Not smart, but her right. And it’s the parents right now to withdraw their kids from her class, though I wouldn’t. I think it would be much more difficult for her to face the kids she ranted about, and she’d have to explain it when called out by one of her students. Because she will be, repeatedly. But it does lead me to wonder if these school districts don’t have some kind of clause in their teacher contracts that prevent this?
I’m a firm believer that what you put out to the Universe comes back to you. Good or bad. It’s how I choose to live my life. I’m overly nice sometimes, I’m too kind to people who don’t deserve it (and even those who call me Satan), I’m fair. There are days that this hope is what gets me through when I wonder what the heck has possessed mankind and pushed us to be so impatient, unkind and ungiving. Whatever happened to empathy and walking in someone else’s shoes?
I'm sure those writers have enough anger and hate to fuel years of blog posts, but I wonder if they’ve ever REALLY wondered what it’s like to read that teachers blog as one of the few good kids she teaches? Or to be one of the kids who read their dad describe their mom as Jabba the Hut?
Again, it’s my view that they have rights. I defend my constitutional rights. Just as it’s my right and choice to own guns, it’s theirs to free speech. Don’t tread on me and I won’t tread on you.
love this :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Chrissy...very good to hear from you!
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