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Eminentoes
Absolutely Fabulist
Stephen Glass is back, with a new bandwagon of defenders.
Applying to the bar is very difficult, but New York Times columnist Joe Nocera would have you believe that it should be a cinch for a recovering pathological liar. He writes that Stephen Glass, who had fully or partially fabricated anywhere from 35 to 50 articles for the New Republic, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere, has had a hell of a time trying to become a lawyer on account of the scandal. California’s Committee of Bar Examiners has rejected his application, a decision which was overturned by the State Bar Court, and which is now heading to the state’s Supreme Court.
But should the rest of his life also be destroyed? That, apparently, is the view of the Committee of Bar Examiners, which vets bar applicants for the State Bar of California. Given how Glass has turned his life around (more about that in a minute), it is a little hard to understand its resistance. So far, the committee has lost in two separate judicial proceedings, but it continues to press on, making this last-ditch appeal to the California State Supreme Court.…
The line, “But should the rest of his life also be destroyed?” betrays too much hyperbolic self-absorption to be taken seriously. There are a number of livelihoods Glass can pursue without a license, ones that won’t become a joke because of his participation. The California legal system has more to lose than he does.
Besides, the California State Bar hasn’t set fire to Glass’s house or maimed his dog, but rather upheld its own ethical standard. And how is this a surprise? When enrolling in law school, students are prepared not only to pass the bar, but to expect a rigorous moral and ethical examination from the state bar. Suffice to say, lying is a big no-no. That Glass would push on with his law degree so that he still might take the bar tells us something about Glass’s moxy.
Nocera buys in fully, summarizing Glass’s road to redemption as sign enough that he’s done his penance:
…Enrolled in Georgetown University Law Center when the scandal broke, Glass was unhireable as a lawyer when he got his degree. A sympathetic professor, Susan Low Bloch, helped him land a clerkship with a District of Columbia judge. Then he moved to New York where he passed the bar but withdrew his application when he learned he was going to be turned down. To support himself, he wrote a fictional account of his misdeeds. He underwent intensive psychotherapy and sought out those whom he had wronged to apologize. He fell in love, moved with her to California and took — and passed — the California Bar exam.
Not only did Glass press on, by the way, but he also appealed when California rejected his bar application, enlisting 22 witnesses:
In all, 22 witnesses testified to Glass’s good character, including Professor Bloch, the judge he had clerked for and, most remarkably, Martin Peretz, who was the sole owner of The New Republic when Glass fabricated his stories and was deeply embarrassed by the scandal. “I always thought redemption was within his means because he was fundamentally a good kid,” Peretz told me.
His prodigious, phoenix-like success and his ensuing battle is reminiscent of the first go-round. Glass hasn’t lost his touch. He is still capable of recruiting sympathizers who will argue on his behalf. In so doing, these people turn a blind eye to the many questions that would naturally arise when dealing with someone deserving greater scrutiny.
There’s nothing remarkable about Glass finding character witnesses. He has always found ways to hide behind others. Recall that when Glass was first exposed, it wasn’t by his friends at the New Republic, but rather by an online Forbes publication. Distance from Glass’s charms appears to be the only way to see through the smoke and mirrors. (Peretz, on the other hand, still infantilizes him with the words “a good kid.”)
Richard Blow, who had edited Glass’s faked stories for George magazine, recounts times he stood by his friend “Steve” as editors questioned the material. Others would similarly stand up for him. As Blow wrote in Salon:
Steve was a delight to edit. I’d call him about a manuscript, and as soon as I said hello he’d blurt, “You hate it, don’t you? It’s terrible, I know. I’m so sorry. I know. It’s awful. Just kill it. Really. I won’t mind.”
He was disarming, like a little kid who’s pissed off at himself; you couldn’t help reaching out, reassuring him that everything would be OK. “Steve, it’s great,” I’d say. “It just needs a little tweaking.”
“You really like it?” he would ask, his voice brightening. “Really?
So it was that the “disarming little kid” would skate past scrutiny by playing on the sympathies of his colleagues.
About the Author
J.P. Freire is a writer in Washington and a former editor at the Washington Examiner and The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jpfreire.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
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Tina B| 12.28.11 @ 7:51AM
Wonderful, and now we will find out if Californians in judicial power (SCOTSOC) know anything about ethics at all. I am pleasantly surprised to read that the California Bar Courts factored real ethics into the equation, but I seriously doubt that the political apointees in their Supreme Court will do the same.
Great article, btw. I have followed the Glass story all along, but refused to read his book. Maybe now that I know it's Seymour's lying view of things, and his defense statement to the public, I'm more interested in checking it out, from the library, of course.
Nancy in NC| 12.28.11 @ 8:53AM
Count me out of the loop but I've never heard of Stephen Glass. He sounds "lovely"...another cry baby, refusing to take consequences for his lousy behavior. Typical of the left wing, and often, Americans in general.
KyMouse| 12.28.11 @ 1:58PM
Nancy, rent the movie "Shattered Glass" from Netflix or other places. It's a good movie in its own right, and it also tells Glass's story well.
Gonzo journalism, in which style is far more important than substance (including accuracy and facts) seems to be part and parcel of the Glass kind of person. Imagine doing what he did -- lying to the public as well as to his friends and coworkers repeatedly -- and painting yourself simply as a "fabulist," not a liar and dishonorable deceiver. Glass showed that it can be done, unfortunately.
Cromulent| 12.28.11 @ 9:54AM
Richard Blow? That's gotta be a joke name.
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 9:55AM
Stephen Glass writes a novel about a guy who, instead of going to law school works in a video store, patronizes Vietnamese (why is it important that they be Vietnamese?) masseuses, and goes to strip clubs, and that's a hip life? Well, OK. It's been a long time since I lived the New York City life.
But it resounds when you read the guy who wrote:
"Here is a more troubling thought: Maybe Shattered Glass is right, and my memory has deceived me. Maybe this Steve is the real one. Maybe Steve was creepy in his insecurity; maybe he was constantly manipulating us emotionally, and maybe we were too stupid to notice."
I was going to write "Duh."
Moe Blotz| 12.28.11 @ 10:50AM
From what I have learned reading about the bloke, I suggest Steven Glass is angling to become a politician. He would be a perfect fit as a Democrat from California.
TrueBlue| 12.29.11 @ 2:01PM
Truth. He can use all these mean people keeping him from becoming a lawyer in a story of how "The Man" has been trying to keep him down and how he'd fight against it for other people if they'd just vote for him.
Woodrow| 12.28.11 @ 10:54AM
Thanks for this interesting update on Stephen Glass. I found the film, "Shattered Glass" quite good, and it's satisfying to learn that this serial liar is finding trouble passing the bar. He might make a good politician, where it seems truthfulness is not a requirement for the job.
Aces and Eights| 12.28.11 @ 10:55AM
Who in Hell is Stephen Glass?!
Drunken Sailor| 12.28.11 @ 12:41PM
Who in the hell cares?
Tina B| 12.28.11 @ 12:43PM
Just another journalist asshole.
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 2:05PM
Stephen Glass made a sizeable splash when it was discovered that, during his time as a reporter for The New Republic, a magazine of liberal political commentary, he published story after story that had been vetted for its authenticity and truth, many turning out to be entirely made up. The story that got him exposed was a story he made up about a convention of computer hackers and a particular hacker who managed to parlay getting caught hacking into some high-profile computer system into a high-paying job.
Glass went on to write lying stories for other periodicals, but now that he's getting a bit older and can't make any hay out of his fifteen minutes of notoriety, he's learning how to pretend to be contrite.
Aces and Eights| 12.28.11 @ 3:32PM
I other words, the aforementioned Mr. Glass is noteworthy for not being particularly noteworthy. Just another overeducated liberal drone trying to make his way through life by hook or by crook (mostly crook), and eschewing legitimate work as much as possible.
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 5:43PM
Well, not exactly; he's noteworthy. The New Republic prided itself on its avoidance of hyperbole and lies and Stephen Glass made fools of them, particularly Martin Peretz, who ran it at the time. His noteworthiness is as a person whose needs, whatever they might have been, caused him to cause damage to a publication that made some effort to be legitimate despite its liberal tendencies, and to people who tended to that concern.
J.C.Eaton| 12.28.11 @ 11:44AM
This is why there are lawyer jokes.
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 2:22PM
He's not a lawyer yet.
Aces and Eights| 12.28.11 @ 3:34PM
Maybe we should start "lawyer candidate" jokes. How many lawyer candidates suing the Bar Association does it take to screw in a light bulb? (or simply screw other people for that matter.)
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 5:45PM
The jokes would be better aimed at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They've established themselves as idiots long since; now it's becoming a question as to whether or not they'll establish themselves as dishonest idiots.
Bill| 12.28.11 @ 5:46PM
Perhaps I should say the California Supreme Court, who once could boast of such notable justices as Justice Traynor.
martin j smith| 12.28.11 @ 11:48AM
There are many cereal or serial liars and this Glass guy is not unique. Watch CNBC or CNN or read the NYT or WaPo I mean this guy Glass is a chip off the Socialist Block but that would also include your average Republican Establishment type as well. There is a lot lying going on out there are we are on the receiving end of all of it. Luck us.
martin j smith| 12.28.11 @ 11:51AM
And just to be fair the entire Republican Candidate line I think is one BIG LIE fo at least one reason: Mitt Romney has had no attacks compared to all of those who have been attacked like Gingrich,Cain,PerryPaul ( who I have no use for at all ). It is very obvious to me that this line of foil candidates is a set up. Nothing is inevitable except the dice and they are loaded.
Gary| 12.28.11 @ 12:30PM
This guy is a con man, pure and simple and seemingly has the requisite charm to fool so called smart people. He is a grifter but given the caliber of many in the legal "profession" (John Edwards for example) he will fit right in if admitted.
Dave Williams| 12.28.11 @ 1:21PM
Yet another turd floating to the top of the pop-cultch toilet bowl....*FLUSH*
Harry the Horrible| 12.28.11 @ 1:23PM
Personally, I think "lawyer" is a great extension of this guy's career as a liar and a fraud. He probably has a great future as a Democrat politician, too.
Ed| 12.28.11 @ 1:33PM
Isn't Martin Peretz the same guy who now rides around warning us of the same perils with Obama that conservatives warned about prior to his election (an election that he supported and he will undoubtedly vote for O again). He's a billionaire who managed to get where he was despite his stupidity.
Timeout11| 12.28.11 @ 5:56PM
I'm surprised that none of the stories I've read about this latest Glass saga use the word "sociopath". He's a classic example (See Martha Stout, The Sociopath Next Door):
1. Charm that clouds the mind. "Our Steve was a lovely, winning, hilarious, endearing person."
2. The Pity Play. "...Glass is still hoping to distract you from his shortcomings by portraying himself as a victim."
3. Pathological liar.
Lon Mead| 12.31.11 @ 5:29AM
Another important consideration is that it wasn't just that he fabricated the stories, he manufactured evidence to back them up (faked business cards, voice-mails, a website - he even had his brother play a "source" for a phone call). Read Jack Shafer's article (linked above) and you see that that Glass is still doing the same thing that made his "stories" interesting, but also got him busted - the inclusion of interesting anecdotes full of first-name-only or no-name characters (see the part about the Life Studies class when he was in high school - I'd pay to hear what that teacher had to say about what happened, IF it happened).
To receive forgiveness requires contrition, and everything I've seen about Glass over the years tells me he is not truly contrite.