Carol Anne Costa: Monica Lewinsky, Patient Zero
Thursday, October 23, 2014
The silence is broken, 16 years post scandal, Monica Lewinsky has gone viral, started tweeting, and is the now self appointed champion of an anti-cyberbullying campaign. She calls herself “patient zero." In epidemiology “patient zero” is a term to describe an initial patient in the population of a medical investigation. Monica said in her first public speech since the affair with President Clinton, "Overnight, I went from being a completely private figure to a publicly humiliated one. I was patient zero." Ok, I can feel her pain, after all she was 22. But, by all accounts, 22 is an adult. She still is for me, a curious mix of victim, and willing partner. Her speech and return to the bright lights evoke sympathy and fury all at the same time. I am certain most of us can remember with dread some 22 something choices that can still wake us up in the middle of the night, now add the internet….sweet dreams. I hope for most those nightmares do not include sleeping with a married man or woman.
With friends like these...
We should not forget the other sinister people who helped Monica to her cyber fame. Oh yes, Linda Tripp. I consider Linda’s trickery as the first act of a cyber bully, she was a genuine sneak. Tripp secretly recorded their confidential phone calls, you know girl talk, about Lewinsky’s relationship with the President, then publicly disclosed those intimate details. Tripp always proclaimed she did this as a patriot and friend of Lewinsky.Thanks buddy! POTUS was not the only adult to take advantage of Monica's youth. As our cell phones evolve into hand held media devices, so do the opportunities to use them against people.Heck, Linda Tripp provided a “how to” on the ever disappearing landline.
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And, Monica’s attempt to reinvent herself will be judged by the same public she shames for reading every detail of the Ken Starr report. I recall, I used nearly a ream of paper and a full cartridge of ink 16 years ago to print it on my HP inkjet, I think it took about an ½ hour to complete - admit it, you did too. So here we are primed for the reboot. Look, that whole episode in our political history is still really creepy. It forced terribly uncomfortable family conversations that contained questions like , “Hey mom, what IS the definition of sexual relations?” or the dreaded, “you mean that’s not really sex?” I vividly remember my friends who were mothers of teens completely stressing over Friday night chardonnays and me thinking, I’m so glad I only have a dog and my niece is only 3.
I do find that it took some guts to come forward and attempt to make lemonade out of the sour lemons she help to sow. But, this story is fraught with irony. People remain with a healthy dose of anger reserved for the intern, and the woman she became who was candid this week. Stating in her remarks, “Sixteen years ago, fresh out of college, a 22-year-old intern in the White House — and more than averagely romantic – I fell in love with my boss in a 22-year-old sort of a way. It happens. But my boss was the President of the United States. That probably happens less often.” As she does her mea culpa tour while trying to direct attention to an extremely important subject of cyber bullying she is being criticized. Yet, Bill Clinton is allowed redemption and through his reinvention and creation of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) - he is even exalted. That is why I love America, you can always make a comeback. So, lets sit back and relax and let "that woman", Ms. Lewinsky give it her all. Her story is real, her pain is valid and her contention that she was the first publicly humiliated figure via the world wide web is true as well. Her honesty does however cause consternation among some constituencies, as the timing of this revival has political undertones. Can you say 2016 is right around the corner? Only time will judge the motives.
Tyler and Monica
Tyler Clementi was a Rutgers University Student who became the fodder for ridicule within a cruel social media atmosphere at his school, he too a victim of cyber bullying. After his public humiliation he killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. He was 18 years old. Monica was so touched, and felt his story so personally, it was driving factor in coming forward to face this societal problem. And, I contend, we should listen. We should listen for our children and to our children, as they wade in deep social media platforms that can have devastating impact on people’s lives. Did you know that Cyberbullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide? The facts are stunning, including: 68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem. 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. And, the majority of the behavior goes ignored by peers and parents alike.
Monica's experience, all these 16 years later, may give us a chance to hear directly from patient zero. She is a survivor and perhaps she can share the immunities with other vulnerable people to fend off the temptation to do harm to themselves or others. I am ok with her return and hope that she continues to seek redemption by doing good, raising awareness and perhaps the ironies of her story can even out a bit. So, Monica, here is your chance to reboot, rework and reintroduce yourself to us. I wish you well, I hope that your experience will help others and I hope for your sake your motives are pure. After all, as a Catholic, I believe in forgiveness and redemption.
Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently a public housing manager. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.
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