Friday, October 22, 2010

Choke on the bile of Free Speech

A little background: My sister was quoted in an article on the down-turned economy. She is a lawyer who has been laid off due to the lack of law work out there. As she was just getting her feet underneath her as a lawyer, the timing was rather unfortunate. Anyway, this article was posted at a reputable newspaper site and has since become a magnet for the kinds of vicious and scathing comments that are reprinted below.

 The most recent iteration of these comments came when a Blog for Temp Law Clerks reprinted the article. I read the comments and was really incensed. I wanted to complain and followed the link on the blog that said, "Report this blog."

Apparently, these comments are not regulated at all on the internet. In trying to make a complaint to Blogger, I received a message that basically said - We aren't liable, so we don't care.

I'd probably be mistaken to say that any air of civility this country once had has been completely eroded - I'm not entirely sure we ever had civility to begin with. Maybe we were just better hiding our lack of it in the pre-internet age. One thing I am certain of, these sorts of comments, left festering for all time on the internet for anyone to read, are destroying any chance of civil discourse. If someone can say some of these things without any worry of repurcussions, then why should any sort of commentary be banned? Why can't I say the N word? Or the F word? Or tell people what I think in the foulest, basest dialog imaginable?

Of course, I won't use that language - not because I can't, but because I was taught better. And that's my point. What are we teaching future generations if we won't clean up our commentary now? If any sort of commentary is allowed now, then what sort of restrictions on commentary will be followed in the future? The one undeniable fact of history is that the pendulum swings both ways. If we are allowed to say whatever we feel like now and we push the envelope far to the left, then eventually that pendulum will swing back the other way and our freedoms will be willfully repressed in the other direction - (Think 1950's to 1960's as a comparison). We need to address this now before it gets out of control.

Here is an example of the stuff people are saying: Keep in mind that this comes from a blog for Lawyers (those eloquent speakers and maintainers of civility and law).

Anonymous said...
She looks like a slob. She looks like the perfect candidate for S&C.
Anonymous said...
True dat 10:33. At least lay off the potatoe chips and go running or something.
Anonymous said...
Not as uncommon as you may think. I know several succesful female attorneys (some fairly attractive) who support lazy, stay at home freeloading man bitches. If only I could find a succesful woman to support me. To hell with pride.
 
Anonymous said...
She's got the right look for a gestapo type staff attorney.
Anonymous said...
She would fit right in with the middle-aged staff attorney cows like Lucy Cow and sloppy Big Mamma.
Anonymous said...
Agree. Just what biglaw looks for in a staff attorney. Ugly, fat, and trapped in the position for monetary reasons. All she needs is the nasty, sadistic attitude.
Anonymous said...
I too have a hard time believing the the fat, dopey looking white broad actually made $100K in law. Not attractive enough. And men, with cunty women & their homo allies taking your jobs, their is no shame in being a daddy day care on their dime. Its about time they do the lifting. Its what they get when the get what they hoped for.....the total emasculation & N-wordization of the straight male.
Anonymous said...
I do not mock..I simply state truths in the real world. It is very unlikely that the subject woman was making $100K in any real law substantive job. But I will grant you that she may have done so in doc review in San Fran where labor laws are more strictly enforced. They make them pay good OT over there unlike in NYC. Perhaps she was a staff attorney. Whatver the case may be, she, and most other legal lemmings are now toast. I will say that I do think that such folk who are in such blatantly tenous and bullshit 'professions' such as law, are being foolishly irresponsible when they pork up kids on purpose or by mistake. Many lawyers have no healthcare or benefits & can't hold a job regardless of whether its their fault or the game's fault. How they could be so stupid as to put innocent children into the equasion is beyond me. The moral of the story is is that such a woman should have been able to take a gander at the mirror and known that she was not cut out for law.
Anonymous said...
Everyone keep your hands off Big Mamma's cookies!
Anonymous said...
To the dingbat who posted at 1;45....The poster above who states "that's what you get for going to a tier III school" knows the deal. She went to Golden Gate. Most likely not much 'intellect' or great chance of a late life blossoming there. I would take you up on your bet. She is toast. I would be shocked if she went to anything cornell. She appears to have gone to Hormell & eaten too much spam. Why were you so shocked by the fat folk you saw at Cravath? Why so 'horrified'? Because you, like most of law made a scathing judgment. Your profile of me is weak at best. I have been on the fringes of biglaw but am mostly a TT toileteer. Big gap between LS & UG. No hep from me folks ever. Not in HS, UG or LS. I am a guy and clearly you are just another PC, lala land living in, head in the sand dingbat broad. If she had the kids before law school then she is just another victim of the TTT law school scam. She got taken. If the kids came while in or after law scam the she is an irresponsible, deluded & possibly arrongant fool.
Anonymous said...
Wow.That last post was deep. Very much confirmation of the la la land dreamworld mentality that many a dumb biotch displays. 'Broad' was my attempt at politeness. Dumb biotch is definitely way more appropriate. Ratings are established by our vile, evil, classist & racist overlords to discriminate and marginalize those who are not they. Ratings...from the LSAT on greatly affect most non elite folks' lives & career. They most often preclude la di da surprises from happpening for the regular joe or decent folk in general. I would love to be as priviledged as you to have smoked whatever Alice in wonderland bullshit that you smoked. Let me know when your'e coming back to visit the real world.
Anonymous said...
$100K? MAybe! Fat and unattractive people have a tendency to be the worst supervisors. Hell mgnt loves them. They can be the evil twin of the boss. They do all his shit. But, KARMA works. They are the first shit canned and the cute ones are kept in the end.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Will, civility still exists, but one must work to find it. Alas, the anonymity of the internet allows people to post all sorts of horrendous, hurtful things. I loathe not only the expression of incivility but the fact that empathy seems to be completely lacking in these troglodytes. I'm sure your sister will land on her feet.

Cheers.