Defamed in fiction

[SimonDoom]

And now, I'm going to do something more interesting with my time.

Me too.

 

[stickygirl]

Dear All
I gather the vicar has been formally charged and may be away for some time. For the time being the verger has said there's no problem in us using the hall and I have a key in any case. Just a reminder that Pam has some end of line fabrics if anyone is planning quilts for xmas and that halloween is just round the corner!
Best wishes
Marge

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Ugh, I didn't really like that show. Sure, it was a well made drama, with a potentially interesting story, and of course it did much to promote chess to a wide audience, but they couldn't stop themselves and keep it reasonably close to realistic. Beth Harmon makes so little sense chess-wise, that it really kills the fun for anyone who plays chess on a decent level.

 

[MillieDynamite]

When I said you couldn't defame the dead, I meant you cannot defame a deceased person in fiction written after they are dead! As is evident in many novels about historical characters portrayed in ways contrary to the record of their life. Check Deadwood's representation of many of the people in the story. There is no record of George Hearst having people killed or chopping off the tips of men's fingers. It doesn't have to be long dead, either. Once they have passed, fiction can do with them as they please. Most often, we don't turn saints into sinners overnight.

 

[MillieDynamite]

But how do I make sure they're dead if I can't kill them?
...
....
.....
OH. I see! I have someone else kill them!

The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but really to protect the writer from the guilty suing his or her ass in court.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

With all the acrimonious serious US legal discussion going on, I was just trying to lighten the mood with some lighthearted psychopathic banter.

 

[MillieDynamite]

With all the acrimonious serious US legal discussion going on, I was just trying to lighten the mood with some lighthearted psychopathic banter.

So, Villanelle, Ralph Cifaretto, Reg Christie, Leland Palmer, Lorne Malvo, Nina Myers, Alice Morgan, Hannibal Lecter, and Dexter Morgan all meet every few weeks to discuss their various defamation of character lawsuits against various news organizations over coffee and bones, I mean scones.

My point is, don't portray a real person as a psychopath that might be a psychopath, because they might not sue you.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

In other news, I was not planning to write anything defamatory about Queen Elizabeth II. Really.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Well, Actually, neither was I. My mum would murder me if I did, so that is enough incentive for me to steer clear of the Royal Family.

 

[BelleCanzuto]

Is nobody bothered by the implicit sexism in this concept? That a woman who only plays against other women has not been challenged as much as one who plays against men?

I realize that is not what the thread is about, but I'm still surprised nobody has pointed that out.

The book/film is apparently about sexism, so one might expect anything said to be sexist anyway, but even then...the status of the male game would mean that there were far more professional chess players (and thus more grandmasters) and, if nothing else, the level of support and long history of male chess, would mean they had a significant advantage. Most of the best chessplayers were undoubtedly male and someone who had only faced (actually less than) half the field of opponents would be less than someone who had faced everyone

I haven't read the book, so I can't say whether it was markedly different than the miniseries. That said, my take on the show was that it was 'about sexism' in a hypothetical way. It felt fairly obvious to me that the people writing and producing the show hadn't actually experienced any sexism. The author of the book is male, the four executive producers of the show are all male (going.by the names provided). I found it almost comical how easily Beth was accepted into this highly male dominated sport, especially during the time frame depicted. She wins one tournament, and suddenly her chess prowess is not just acknowledged, but enthusiastically supported. No one accuses her of cheating, or calls her names, or refuses to play her.

I seriously doubt that any of the women playing chess near that level at that time had it so easy.

 

[Haulover]

I haven't read the book, so I can't say whether it was markedly different than the miniseries. That said, my take on the show was that it was 'about sexism' in a hypothetical way. It felt fairly obvious to me that the people writing and producing the show hadn't actually experienced any sexism. The author of the book is male, the four executive producers of the show are all male (going.by the names provided). I found it almost comical how easily Beth was accepted into this highly male dominated sport, especially during the time frame depicted. She wins one tournament, and suddenly her chess prowess is not just acknowledged, but enthusiastically supported. No one accuses her of cheating, or calls her names, or refuses to play her.

I seriously doubt that any of the women playing chess near that level at that time had it so easy.

I'd recommend the book - it's quite good. And the series is surprisingly close to the book - more so than any movie based on a book. That's probably because the series was spread over 7 hour-long shows, and didn't require the heavy-handed editing needed to squeeze a novel into a 90-minute movie.

As recall, the book dealt with the acceptance of a woman into male dominated competitions with more sensitivity than the Netflix show.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

The whole story is just way too fictional for my taste. The speed of her improvement in chess, the amazing success after a long break (even Magnus Carlsen commented on this), the surreal acceptance by male chess players that has been mentioned already, and finally making a chess player of the highest level look like she is a fashion model, when every single chess prodigy, male or female, has been a nerdy boy or girl who wore sweaters and glasses. I am a huge fan of fantasy, but I want realism where it belongs

 

[Voboy]

a bit tiresome in a Dunning-Kruger sort of way

I've got no dog in this particular fight, and I'm not in the market to find such a dog.

But I just want to announce my intention to steal this turn of phrase and embark on a new mission for my life: to normalize "a bit tiresome in a Dunning-Kruger sort of way" and spread it as far and wide as my humble abilities allow.

Thank you. Carry on.

 

[Wifetheif]

Actually, this is a long-standing U.S. court policy. It began in the late 70s when a woman wrote a novel about her psychiatrist and the encounter group she was a part of. Even though the book was fiction and did not mention the doctor's name. Her depiction of him was so close that his friends, colleagues, and fellow patients could instantly identify him. The court ruled that this counted as libel