http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/17/please-stop-saying-that-liza-long-is-wrong-for-sharing-her-story Comments On: Please Stop Saying That Liza Long Is Wrong For Sharing <em>Her</em> Story by Megan Seling en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
By posting his picture and name, Liza Long is acting irresponsibly and clearly didn't think about the needs of her child. So for me, that makes this wrong.
Posted by ec124]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:58:31 -0800 The Stranger Posted by MsBoyer]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:39:54 -0800 The Stranger Posted by redlady]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:27:06 -0800 The Stranger Posted by aprilshell]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:13:37 -0800 The Stranger
Her son, however, is not old enough to provide "informed consent" to her to plaster his HIPAA-protected medical information all over the internet.

A protective, fully-functioning parent would understand this.

Does her need to publicly vent trump her child's right to privacy?

I saw an interview of her yesterday on CNN: she is in pain, for sure. She admitted this was a cry for help.


Posted by Fizgig]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 06:38:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by TVDinner]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:23:35 -0800 The Stranger http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/201…
Posted by Baconcat]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:43:04 -0800 The Stranger
Alithea's digressions about patriarchy, aside, she's particularly cruel in the face of the kind of things this mother has had to face. And let's not forget that she has two other children Ms. Long is trying to protect as well.

Sounds like a right mess for sure, and one society should learn from and try to heal, but blaming the messenger seems pretty lame. Jezebel's post on it was particularly putrid. This just seem like women beating up a poor mom who'e reaching out and asking for help from society for a son she doesn't want to lose wholly to the vortex of mental illness.

Geez ladies. She's hurting and conofused, if she made a mistake, give her a break. Or better yet, reach out and GIVE HER A HAND!!!
Posted by doubtroub]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:58:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Rainy Owlet]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:49:57 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Hawke]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:33:44 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Alice Dreger]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:30:11 -0800 The Stranger Posted by biffp]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:08:03 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by gnot]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:04:33 -0800 The Stranger Posted by reverend dr dj riz]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:54:39 -0800 The Stranger
And do any of those stuides break down types of acts of violence? Are mentally ill people more likely to commit some types of violence and people who are not mentally ill more likely to commit other types of violence?

Regardless, I don't see it as an either/or in terms of discussing gun control versus a discussion of how mentally ill people and their families are or are not cared for/supported in this country. Guns are way too easy to come by. And mentally ill people and their families do not have adequate help. And this shooting, along with the one in Colorado and the one in Seattle, speak to both of those issues. If we had better gun control maybe this tragedy (and a whole bunch of other bad things) would not have happened. If we had better care for mentally ill people maybe this tragedy (and a whole bunch of other bad things) would not have happened.

I think the thing that Liza Long's article does effectively point out is that we seem to expect families to be able to handle mental illness by themselves (at least up to the point where a crime is committed) but that is not a realistic expectation in many cases.

Posted by kitsapien]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:52:13 -0800 The Stranger
You think the things he has done are monstrous, but she is not saying that.

She says, based on previous actions, her son very well could be a killer if he doesn't get the help he needs, but the help he needs is not something we are willing to talk about.

Could she have done more to protect his identity, certainly. Does that mean we should shame her off the internet and table the discussion? Nope.

@27 Yes, but that is a different issue. It distorts an important message that is and should be on the table.
Posted by Pick1]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:49:12 -0800 The Stranger
It would have been different if she had actually put some real effort into protecting her son's privacy but she hasn't. Or if she had written it in a less sensationalist "my son is a future murderer" way. I don't care what her motivations were when the end result is jeopardizing a 13 year old kid's future when that future was already shaky.
Posted by Noadi]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:37:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by avocado]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:35:59 -0800 The Stranger Posted by teamcanada'sforgottenpassword]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:17:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by TVDinner]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:15:05 -0800 The Stranger
My frustration is that it shouldn't be at the expense of an especially vulnerable and unstable child's privacy. The idea that calling him 'Michael' protects his identity is naive. Once I saw the original post and that she included his photo, I felt even more uneasy. This stuff will always exist out there, and even if he stabilizes and lives a perfectly normal adult life, it will always be out there.
Posted by dundundunnnnn]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:11:04 -0800 The Stranger
Shocking sensationalism is what gets people talking in this country.

Was the title in poor taste? Maybe.

Do you think this very important conversation would be going on with a title like "my kid has a mental disorder". Unfortunately not.
Posted by Pick1]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:07:29 -0800 The Stranger
Also her previous posts may not be as candid because her son's mental disorder just might cause an internet backlash. One that puts more blame on her as a mother than thoughtfulness on what she might be experiencing...

naaaah, that would never happen, right?

Posted by Pick1]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:04:48 -0800 The Stranger Posted by BallardBoy]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:02:01 -0800 The Stranger
Yes, that makes sense.
Posted by Geraldo Riviera]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:53:55 -0800 The Stranger