delladilly:

elloellenoh:

olivethecreative:

and this is what’s fuckin me up about it.

The whole point of that post was calling him creepy. The metaphor was that his presence on social media is creepy. There was no allusion to him doing any acts, nor did it even remotely say that he was sexually abusive but it illustrated how creepy it is that he’s so active in not only creating work for young adults, but being socially connected to them as well. He does indeed come off as the type to want younger people around him to seem hip and cool and shit, and for whatever reason, it helps him. It just seems weird. 

But instead of addressing why young people on tumblr would find it uncomfortable that this older author is so active on this specific social media site (where there’s plenty of nerdy girls for future character inspiration, or confirmation that he’s a good male feminist and isn’t ever full of shit, or whatever else), he responded with “I never sexually abused a child and you accused me of doing as such with social justice language (even though there is not a single social justice buzzword written… except in his long ass rebuttal) and you won’t let me make mistakes and instead of acknowledging that I’ve been creepy before, I’m going to tell everyone I’m crying and my feelings are hurt.”

And it’s not like that’s unwarranted to thinks he’s creepy, like he hasn’t done/said creepy shit before (and instead of actually apologizing, he went on a tangent… like he did yesterday or whenever). And he should know his way around a fucking metaphor/simile/etc.

So it’s insulting as fuck for him to reply to being called creepy by saying we called him a sexual abuser and that we’re trivializing sexual abuse, especially when I spend so much time sharing my experiences with it, as well as others, and not have a single person see that as manipulative. And now he’s got hella people, from writers at buzzfeed to goddamn Roxanne Gay, talking about how we’re horrible people because we find him creepy and think his writing is some booboo.

That’s why I don’t fuckin like his ass.

I am a lawyer. I practiced IP law. I understand how libel laws work so I want to do a little PSA for tumblr folk. It isn’t just the outright saying of the words that triggers a libel suit, it is insinuation and implication that is just as damaging. A person who defames a public figure through insinuation can still be sued for Defamation by Implication. The test is - was there “actual malice.”

The original post used the words “Pander” and then went on to insinuate sexualizing young teenage girls. The definition of pander is to “gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire, need, or habit or a person with such a desire, etc.).“ The implication of the original post is clear, regardless of what the OP or the people who commented after the OP might say now. But the bigger problem is that regardless of what they said above, enough people have accepted the “Implied” meaning and not the “creepy” metaphor explanation, to take this to court, if John Green were so inclined. Would he win? I have no idea. I think it would be hard. But here’s another important PSA. Public figures have more money than the average tumblr folk. Lots of money. If they sue you, you still have to defend yourself in court and the legal fees could cripple you financially. Even if you win, you would lose. And court cases can drag on for years and years. A go fund me campaign might raise only a small percentage of what you would owe in legal fees. So you need to be more careful. Anon comments never have any credibility. They mean nothing. But when you put your name to a comment, they add weight to it. And that also makes you legally actionable for your words. So be smart. Be careful. And remember, only the truth is a complete and absolute defense from a defamation suit.

remember kids, if an adult man makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, definitely don’t say so, because he has a lot of money and powerful friends, and you are small and weak and poor and he would fucking destroy you.

“even if you win, you would lose,” so just don’t say it, don’t say anything ever against powerful men in your space, be silent. 

this isn’t a threat, it’s just some free legal advice from ellen oh who is a lawyer :)