I’m struck by this recent piece by John Scalzi.
He was asked to write an opinion piece for the LA Times about the recent passing of Harlan Ellison and because of length, provided an addendum on his site.
Apparently the Internet got mad at him for feeing the way he did.
To me, this is a prime example of when the people you look up to are suddenly exposed for their misdeeds: the athlete who is a drug abuser, the politician who is abusive, the singer who can’t stop drinking, etc.
It’s hard to come to terms with such horrible flaws when having such high expectations of someone. You almost don’t want to believe it and will go to any length to defend it.
This is something we must all wrestle with at some point.
Two things are important here:
- Nobody can tell you how you should feel towards this person.
- No person is above reproach and we must be willing to admit when they’re wrong.
It isn’t a personal attack against you to point out what happened, but it is your responsibility to not play the ignorant card.
While I’ve been speaking towards the celebrity end of the spectrum, the above is equally truthful for our personal connections.