http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/01/bill_keller_on_lisa_adams_tweeting_and_blogging_her_cancer_all_wrong.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/opinion/keller-heroic-measures.html
Lisa Adams, 40, has become somewhat of a media sensation in her own right. A stage four cancer patient and a mother of three, she has taken to Twitter and blogging as a means of sharing her experiences and "destigmatizing" society's perception of illness and mortality. While most would consider this a heartfelt attempt to educate and connect with the world, one man thinks differently.
Bill Keller, a journalist and writer for The New York Times, disagrees with Adams' depiction of living with cancer and blatantly criticizes her in his article entitled, "Heroic Measures"(link above). Keller recounts his father-in-law's "human and honorable" death from cancer, and states that Adams' warfare approach to fighting cancer hurts the image of those who accept "an inevitable fate with grace and courage". Keller includes that Adams and the United States should follow the common ideology in Britain, which emphasizes the quality of remaining life over aggressive treatments that often result in final days that are "clamorous and tense". He then proceeds to comment on the tone switch in her blogs, stating that they are no longer about prolonging her survival and more about dealing with her struggles with the idea of mortality.
The article titled, "There Is No Right Way To Die", is a response to Keller's article. In defense of Lisa Adams, she states that the world needs people who are not afraid to talk about pain or the fear of death. Lovejoy argues that people like Adams serve as role models for others who are learning to cope with the inescapable components of the human condition. In addition, Lovejoy makes some bold
assumptions, saying
that "Bill Keller’s piece seems to suggest that to die
well is to make as little fuss as possible" and that "while the piece seems meant to encourage a conversation about dying, it’s
hard not to read the words themselves as telling Adams to be quiet."
After reading both of these articles, (which I suggest everyone should do in order to get a better understanding) I found both of them to be fairly informative, yet Lovejoy's article to be somewhat of a tedious read. Although there was some information included about Lisa Adams in "There Is No Right Way To Die", the main idea of the article seem convoluted to me. I felt that while Keller was simply expressing his opinion and brought some interesting ideas to the table (specifically the part about British doctors), Lovejoy was just hell-bent on berating him for it. Overall, I support Adams in her blogging endeavors and also found "Heroic Measures" to be worth reading.
I read your blog entry here than I proceeded to take a look at the articles you posted. Frankly, Bill Keller sounds like he spends too much time on the internet and he gives off an I-work-for-the-New-York-Times vibe just from the first three links that popped up when I googled his name. On the other hand, Lisa Adams, a loving mother and enthusiastic individual that appears to be more alive than Mr. Keller, surprised me with her strength despite all of her hardship. After comparing the two characters I came to the conclusion that they are almost opposite extremes and that the only possible thing that these two could have in common is that they live through their words.
ReplyDeleteBrennan, I agree with your statement about Keller just being opinionated but in my opinion he shouldn’t focus his attention on such a cool lady like Lisa. I guess that’s his job but still.
-David Palma
Unfortunately I have a hard time, agreeing with either Bill or Lisa. There truly is no right way to die, but there is a wrong way. While I agree ‘making a fuss’ of your death is not preferable, I don’t think Lisa was doing that. Instead, she was able to connect with others with a similar ailment, give them hope, converse via social media, and able to live her life to the fullest. Bill on the other hand had been wrongfully criticizing her as a means of supplying himself with online popularity. I agree, that it is in a way less of a hassle for others to chin up about terminal illness and fight through as a strong individual, but there is nothing wrong with the way Lisa went about her own. No hindrance was enacted in her case, and only until Bill started his tirade on her and her social media profile, was there a problem.
ReplyDeleteMy standpoint on this topic is that when people spend too much time on the internet, they waste their time spitballing arguments and insults back and forth with people they do not know nor will ever meet simply because they have different beliefs and too much time on their hands.
ReplyDeleteIts a completely useless waste of energy and your day to simply get angry over someone's opinion on the internet. If some women wants to harmlessly blog on her deathbed, Bill should have just let it go. He obviously is driven by personal feelings and strong opposing beliefs due to his first hand experience of losing someone to cancer. But it is uncalled for to bombard someone else suffering from this disease simply for writing a blog to record their experiences.
There is not one single "right" way to respond to being diagnosed with cancer. If Bill holds a grudge against Lisa Adams for not dying in an "honorable" way, he should keep his opinion private rather than bashing the terminally ill over the internet.
I believe everybody is entitled to die in whatever way they please. Whether that be happy, frustrated, or at peace, everybody is allowed to fight throughout their life with their own personal struggles in whatever attitude they wish to go about it. Sometimes the truth needs to be put out there about the real struggles people go through when dealing with cancer. Cancer isn’t an easy process. The reality is that there is going to be a lot of pain and uphill battles. Nobody is forcing anybody to read Adam’s writing. At the end of the day, everybody is going to have their own opinion and not everybody is going to agree. She is free to write about her journey as she wants. There is no certain way to go about dealing with cancer and every patient copes differently. If this is the way that Lisa wants to cope, then she should be able to do so without being criticized.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what the title says and that there really is no right or wrong way to die. I believe that everyone deals with situations differently, whether it be dying of cancer or coping with the loss of a loved one. Everyone has their own opinions on how they should live their life and I believe that every person deserves to live it the way they want. It’s their life and they can do it however they want. I don’t think that people should be criticizing other people on how they are dealing with and coping with personal struggles. I found it a bit ridiculous that Bill Keller felt the need to write about his disagreement with someone else’s way of coping. All in all, I believe everyone has the right to express his or her opinions, but in this situation, Keller’s opinion on Adams’ depiction of living was not necessary. Because Lisa Adam used social media to express her feelings and ways of coping with cancer, the following link is a blog that actually explains how social media can be used for cancer support and how it can be beneficial.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lbbc.org/Learn-About-Breast-Cancer/Social-Media
Like Sheyda above me, I believe everyone has the right to die whichever way they want. I think this argument is also pretty useless in itself. For most people, if you are on the verge of dying, the last thing your going to worry about is what people think of you. I'm sure Lisa Adams feels the same way. If she wants to blog about her experience with cancer, she is completely free to do so. It's called freedom of speech and is part of our constitution. No one should ever be silenced just because some people don't agree with you or what your saying. Her blogs aren't hurting anyone so what do you care.
ReplyDeleteLovejoy's emotions got to the best of her when she wrote her article criticizing Keller's article about Lisa Adams. She continually bashes Keller's article, and unsuccessfully attempts to counter his article, since she doesn't have a proper grasp of what he is even arguing. Lovejoy incorrectly assumes that Keller is completely against Adams' choice of blogging about her condition. Keller does not state in his article that he is against Adams and her blog. In fact, he states that her blogging has worked well for her, and that it also benefitted the hospital that she receives treatment at. His view is one that people should have a personal choice as to how they approach the subject of death. Lovejoy falsely assumes that Keller is stating that the only proper way to die is quickly and quietly die. This is untrue, as he merely states that these people deserve as much praise as people who make a huge deal about it. Thus Lovejoy is hypocritical in her criticism of Keller's supposed argument that there is only one way to properly die, since she herself is stating that Adams' view of death is the only proper way. Although the point of op-eds are to provide opinions, Lovejoy's disregard for proper argumentative techniques, as well as her misdirected views of others show that she is the one who has no idea what she's talking about, and should not be hired as a writer for any self-respecting op-ed site.
ReplyDelete