Wanted to pass along an update I put on my Kickstarter page tonight, which went to all the financial backers from last summer. The moral support that I’ve gotten from those included here is no less significant. Thanks to all y’all who remain the best friends a person could ever hope to have, even in two lifetimes. And to show, that collectively, y’all are some of the funniest people on the planet, I’m lifting some of the supportive comments I’ve rec’d to date, David Letterman wishes he had writers this good. Here’s the:
Top Ten List of Funniest and Most Appreciated Comments I’ve Received following the drubbing I got on Salon:
10. “Those people just drink up their hater-ade and hit the Internet.”
9.”Yes, this crap is standard. Blaming the victim is a primary defense to a morally bankrupt society who doesn’t wish to troubled by the truth- and this represents a best-case scenario…All this to say- that it may be more than the CIA and Israelis who invent armies of ‘virtual people’ for propaganda warfare on the internet. I’m truly sorry you had to find in such a visceral way how ‘no good deed goes unpunished’. I hope this galvanizes your anger into strength to use against the fuckers who would drag her down.
8. “Haters gotta hate.”
7. “It’s a great article, and the haters are a total of two, and both of them weirdos. Fuck ’em, and congratulations….”
6. “Forgive me, but most of the comments seem to authored by intellectual wannabes who at best are self indulgent assholes leading rather empty, pathetic lives. Fuck’em I say. But, maybe I’m just not smart enough to get the sub text.”
5. “This is great writing, Jean. Be confident.”
4. “I’m assuming that you are aware that you cannot write about your adventures and misadventures in life and be thin-skinned at the same time. Screw them. Next time, write something even more controversial. You know what? They’re reading, aren’t they? If you want proof that the public is dumber than a box of hammers, check out the Senate and the House of Representatives.”
3. “What the fuck, who ARE these people? This is worse than talk radio!”
2. “Wow, I didn’t realize those pedophiles in prison had that much access to computers.”
AND THE NUMBER ONE MESSAGE I RECEIVED AFTER PUBLISHING THE SALON STORY APPEARS IN THE “KICKSTARTER” UPDATE TO MY BACKERS BELOW:
Project Update #24: A Fly on an Elephant’s Ass
“I just read your article “My ex went to prison for sex crimes” article. I have never read your work before but I have lived this life you describe. My ex-husband, then husband, confessed to me that he had been molesting my daughter for 4 years. that was 7 1/2 years ago. He is serving a 30 year sentence which I am so grateful for. I could totally feel your pain in so many places in that article. I have a story to tell and have really wanted to write a book but have no experience in writing at all. I would be thrilled if you contacted me just so I could talk to someone who has clawed up out of that muddy walled pit as I have been with kids and no child-support of any kind. Our kids are in high school and I pray that they make it past the pain we have been living with. I pray to hear from you for many reasons.”
I’m gonna reach out to her. Worry not.
About Jean Ellen Whatley
Jean, I am so sorry to hear about another person who’s had something on Salon that ended up being subject to a lot of (irrationally) mean comments! I’ve got friends who, like me, write on Open Salon and who have told me that when one of their pieces were cross-posted to Salon, they got ripped new assholes – and often their articles were about fairly benign, neutral subjects. It seems like a lot of the people who comment there have major anger issues. I’m glad, though, that you found some people who seem normal, supportive – and inspired by what you wrote (and rightly so).
I think you were absolutely right to sell your article to Salon – you’ve gotten a lot of exposure. Those haters don’t mean squat in the long run.