An internet uproar has been triggered as a result of the New York Review of Books' decision to print "Reflections from a Hashtag," a piece that was written by the disgraced TV personality Jian Ghomeshi. An excerpt is presented here.
"Not too long ago, I hosted a show on public radio that was aired daily and was heard by tens of thousands of people in Canada and the United States. Karaoke bars in New York City's neighborhoods provide me with my only opportunity to perform in front of an audience these days. Even doing that can put you in harm's way. During one of the evenings of the previous year, while I was standing around waiting for my chance to perform, a lady noticed my name on the list. She called out my name, "Jian!" to me. "I take it that your name is Jian? Ha! Hello there, do you know who it was that destroyed that name for you? “No. Who?” I said, bracing myself. She did not smile any longer after making eye contact with me for the first time and stopping smiling altogether.
"It was like one of those terrible moments when you mistakenly include the butt of a joke in a reply-all e-mail. She felt like it was one of those occasions. It was just another day in the life of the notorious Jian for me. I didn't even give it much thought. She expressed regret and made all the appropriate statements. And I responded with all the appropriate things. "How could you have possibly known?" The majority of the time, I felt horrible because she was feeling bad. After that, though, we gathered our strength and sang a duet together. After that, we started hanging out together and are still in touch now. Add one more person to the list of those who have changed their mind about me being creepy.
"Here's the thing about having been a "star" in the past but being shunned from society now: You aren't merely feeling sorry for yourself for whatever reason. Additionally, you start to feel sorry for everyone around you, including, at times, complete strangers. You can see the fear written all over their features as they stutter over banalities, assiduously avoiding the topic of career (or lack thereof), and offering vague gestures of support that fade off into silence..."
Jian Ghomeshi Speaks Up. (2018). Retrieved 15 August 2022, from https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2018/09/17/jian-ghomeshi-speaks