8 ms·

You succeeded in getting a lawyer to take on this case(okay, he was your father, but still.) Now try doing the same with getting a top notch PR person with expe

by zaidf 10y ago

You succeeded in getting a lawyer to take on this case(okay, he was your father, but still.) Now try doing the same with getting a top notch PR person with experience getting television exposure. 1) Reach out to top PR consultants 2) Explain this story to them in a paragraph 3) Tell them you need their help in helping get his story out 4) Big part of getting his story out would involve pushing his gofundme page.

Mz 10y ago
I hope you do not take this suggestion too seriously. He didn't want to be convicted and he may not want the entire rest of his life to be dependent upon him telling his story and spilling his guts in public to pay the bills. It is one thing if he WANTS to tell his story. But maybe he just wants his damn life back. In which case, this could be just a way to add insult to injury. I would try to give him options for getting his needs met that did not require him to make a spectacle of himself to eat. If he wants to be a crusader or if he finds it therapeutic to talk about it publicly for the rest of his life, that's fine. But maybe he just wants his life back and THAT'S IT. In which case, trying to go this route without asking him how he feels about it or offering him other alternatives is not great.
- bayesian_horse 10y ago
  Depends. If he has a family who is now estranged, or trouble getting a job, a PR campaign may be beneficial. It's one thing to get acquitted in court, another thing to get others to believe you are innocent.
  - Mz 10y ago
    I don't think you know what you are talking about. If no one wants to hire a felon to do some kind of entry level job, how about a felon being followed around by the paparazzi (or otherwise very much in the public eye)? Does that sound better to an employer? I seriously doubt it.
    - zaidf 10y ago
      A former felon with tons of press about his innocence is psychologically much less risky of a hire than a former felon without a ton of positive press(about perseverance, forgiveness, positive attitude etc.)
      - Mz 10y ago
        A ton of positive press and publicity for the sake of making a buck are potentially at odds. Lurid stories tend to sell better than feel good ones. If the goal is publicity to make a buck, that may well undermine him getting a normal job at all. It is entirely possible that (once you start down that path) the outcome will be that he has no real choice but to continue telling his lurid tale as the only means he has to put food on the table, like it or not.
    - bayesian_horse 10y ago
      Because paparazzi and other journalist have such a long attention span concerning "human interest" stories about ordinary persons.
- dandelany 10y ago
  "trying to go this route without asking him" - who said anything about not asking him? Seems pretty obvious that this would be the implied first step.
  - Mz 10y ago
    I have spent 4.5 years homeless. Prior to that, I was an award winning student, and then a respected military wife and homeschooling mom. (Edit: Oh, yeah, I also worked for a Fortune 500 company for over 5 years.) Being homeless has given me loads of firsthand experience with how cavalier people are about completely disregarding the human dignity and agency of individuals they view as charity cases. So, I felt compelled to speak up and say "Please, don't view this as necessarily a great idea. There is more at stake here than money. Please, don't sell this man out because of his current financially desperate straits. That can make it impossible for him to get the life he desires and it can be done to him without his permission." And the degree to which people here are shouting me down suggests to me that, no, most folks here wouldn't ask. They think it's a great idea. I am a lone voice on the side of respecting his dignity, personal choice and right to privacy first and foremost. And I find it baffling that people can claim well "Obviously, we wouldn't do any such thing" while doing exactly that thing. I have always found that baffling. But here it is again.
    - zaidf 10y ago
      Why do you feel you are the lone voice on the side of respecting his dignity and personal choice? That is only true if a) he has the same priorities/perspective as you b) his priorities/perspectives are violated by the OP(there is no shed of evidence of this; plenty to the contrary.) Also, his definition of dignity could be not being homeless or dependent on his kids. If that were true, it would be in contrast to your view on human dignity.
      - Mz 10y ago
        Given that MY view is that he should fundamentally have a say, there is no way that what he wants for himself in any way contradicts what I am saying here. You are putting words in my mouth based on prejudice. I have not suggested he should value being homeless. Nowhere have I suggested any such thing. I suggested that he should be given options and not have publicity crammed down his throat as his only option. If he desires to go the publicity route, awesome! More power to him. But if he doesn't desire it and is given zero options, he may go with it because he has been in prison for 11 years and the world has changed and he has few connections out in the world and a fuckton of obstacles.

by zaidf 10y ago

Mz 10y ago

I hope you do not take this suggestion too seriously. He didn't want to be convicted and he may not want the entire rest of his life to be dependent upon him telling his story and spilling his guts in public to pay the bills. It is one thing if he WANTS to tell his story. But maybe he just wants his damn life back. In which case, this could be just a way to add insult to injury. I would try to give him options for getting his needs met that did not require him to make a spectacle of himself to eat. If he wants to be a crusader or if he finds it therapeutic to talk about it publicly for the rest of his life, that's fine. But maybe he just wants his life back and THAT'S IT. In which case, trying to go this route without asking him how he feels about it or offering him other alternatives is not great.

bayesian_horse 10y ago
Depends. If he has a family who is now estranged, or trouble getting a job, a PR campaign may be beneficial. It's one thing to get acquitted in court, another thing to get others to believe you are innocent.
- Mz 10y ago
  I don't think you know what you are talking about. If no one wants to hire a felon to do some kind of entry level job, how about a felon being followed around by the paparazzi (or otherwise very much in the public eye)? Does that sound better to an employer? I seriously doubt it.
  - zaidf 10y ago
    A former felon with tons of press about his innocence is psychologically much less risky of a hire than a former felon without a ton of positive press(about perseverance, forgiveness, positive attitude etc.)
    - Mz 10y ago
      A ton of positive press and publicity for the sake of making a buck are potentially at odds. Lurid stories tend to sell better than feel good ones. If the goal is publicity to make a buck, that may well undermine him getting a normal job at all. It is entirely possible that (once you start down that path) the outcome will be that he has no real choice but to continue telling his lurid tale as the only means he has to put food on the table, like it or not.
  - bayesian_horse 10y ago
    Because paparazzi and other journalist have such a long attention span concerning "human interest" stories about ordinary persons.
dandelany 10y ago
"trying to go this route without asking him" - who said anything about not asking him? Seems pretty obvious that this would be the implied first step.
- Mz 10y ago
  I have spent 4.5 years homeless. Prior to that, I was an award winning student, and then a respected military wife and homeschooling mom. (Edit: Oh, yeah, I also worked for a Fortune 500 company for over 5 years.) Being homeless has given me loads of firsthand experience with how cavalier people are about completely disregarding the human dignity and agency of individuals they view as charity cases. So, I felt compelled to speak up and say "Please, don't view this as necessarily a great idea. There is more at stake here than money. Please, don't sell this man out because of his current financially desperate straits. That can make it impossible for him to get the life he desires and it can be done to him without his permission." And the degree to which people here are shouting me down suggests to me that, no, most folks here wouldn't ask. They think it's a great idea. I am a lone voice on the side of respecting his dignity, personal choice and right to privacy first and foremost. And I find it baffling that people can claim well "Obviously, we wouldn't do any such thing" while doing exactly that thing. I have always found that baffling. But here it is again.
  - zaidf 10y ago
    Why do you feel you are the lone voice on the side of respecting his dignity and personal choice? That is only true if a) he has the same priorities/perspective as you b) his priorities/perspectives are violated by the OP(there is no shed of evidence of this; plenty to the contrary.) Also, his definition of dignity could be not being homeless or dependent on his kids. If that were true, it would be in contrast to your view on human dignity.
    - Mz 10y ago
      Given that MY view is that he should fundamentally have a say, there is no way that what he wants for himself in any way contradicts what I am saying here. You are putting words in my mouth based on prejudice. I have not suggested he should value being homeless. Nowhere have I suggested any such thing. I suggested that he should be given options and not have publicity crammed down his throat as his only option. If he desires to go the publicity route, awesome! More power to him. But if he doesn't desire it and is given zero options, he may go with it because he has been in prison for 11 years and the world has changed and he has few connections out in the world and a fuckton of obstacles.