Nothing like a manufactured scandal to raise your Google hits: Jennifer Siebel had 45,000 not long ago, but with this whole furore over the fact she has an opinion and states it—something that seems to surprise her critics—her name, in quotes, now fetches 255,000. Only thing is, it wasn’t her who did the manufacturing, but publicists and blogs that made this into a low-brow story, and a few willing journos with nothing much to do.
   Those who are attacking Jennifer are saying that it was none of her business—so why are they making it theirs?
   I make it mine because when you go after my friends, I don’t stand from the sidelines.
   After my defence of her post on SFist yesterday, I notice that two people believe I work for Gavin Newsom, Jennifer’s boyfriend, one basing her judgement on the fact I use the word folks. Ah, how blissful it must be to have such a simple view of the world. Guess since they couldn’t refute my argument, they have resorted to personal methods, which is, of course, how this whole thing has managed to sustain itself in the media.
   Gossips can really play a massive part in propagating a story. The organ-donor audience can always be played to: just make a few impassioned bleeding-heart comments, and bingo. Everyone thinks they are being nice, which is just a cover for being nasty. It would make a great Ph.D. study, especially with the internet element.
   NW, the Woman’s Weekly, New Idea and the tabloids can be rest assured that the human race has not become more civilized, and that we can still be grouped with apes. Darwinian scientists are looking for the missing link. I suggest they go to SFist, read the anti-Jen comments and start researching.

PS.: Just go to the first comment of my previous post and see how “educated” the anti-Jen camp is. Like I say there, the arguments are too easy. I am so resisting using the American stereotype as a counterpoint because I know there are many smart folks there in that country whom that post is not representative of!
   Meanwhile, SFist lists its Jennifer Siebel links of the day, loading that page up with negative ones, of course. Conservatives talk of a liberal bias in the media, liberals talk of a conservative bias, and you know, they’re all probably right when you have willing exponents taking sides.—JY Posted by Jack Yan, 04:00  permalink

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