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Eminentoes
Absolutely Fabulist
Stephen Glass is back, with a new bandwagon of defenders.
(Page 2 of 3)
If Peretz finds Glass sufficiently reformed, will he offer Glass another opportunity to publish in his magazine regularly? Is he confident that something Glass wrote could be published without a thorough review? Would Jeffrey Rosen (TNR’s legal affairs columnist) be comfortable sharing a blog with Glass?
It depends on how willing they are to look at the details. Peretz is a busy guy, and he might not have examined the full record of Glass’s past decade. Perhaps if Peretz had read Glass’s book, The Fabulist, he might have hesitated.
The fictional account of the scandal allows Glass to do the thing he’s always done. Hanna Rosin, once a close friend of Glass, was struck by how his deception seeped into the narrative. When The Fabulist was published in 2003, Rosin noticed that while the author felt bad about lying to his friends, he described them as unsavory characters anyway:
Our hero, meanwhile, is a soul repentant. He is humble, contrite. He is sad and afraid. He sweats, he shakes, he is haunted by night terrors. And he’s also a few shades hipper than the original: Rather than going to law school, as Glass did in real life, he works in a video store, goes to strip clubs and Vietnamese massage parlors — and always gets his girl after the first date.
In a way we are lucky Steve wrote this book as fiction. With a memoir, he might have strived for a coherent mea culpa. Here we have his imagination unfettered, his true fantasy of how things might have been.
The release of the book, by the way, neatly coincided with the movie that portrayed him negatively (and accurately) as the inveterate liar he was. In the communications world, this is a common technique. By turning negative news about you into an opportunity, you create a soapbox to “tell your side of the story.” Glass surely felt it was necessary given the damning account in the movie.
Her husband, David Plotz, pointed out that the problem with Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Glass in the movie Shattered Glass was that Glass was eminently more charming in real life:
Our Steve was a lovely, winning, hilarious, endearing person. Christensen’s Steve is not. He’s got all the Glass tics — the endless apologies, the constant helpfulness, the excessive ingratiation — but while Steve made them endearing, Christensen makes them only creepy. Our Steve rubbed off on all of us, made us think that life could be luscious and fun. We loved Steve, but this cinematic Steve seems too weird to love. He doesn’t have enough magic.…
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. Maybe what I remember as his charm would seem noxious to me today. I don’t know. I prefer my memory-bank Steve: It makes me feel slightly less a dupe.
This is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, in which the villain Iago banks on his charm and wit to infect the minds of his clueless companions with lies: “When devils will the blackest sins put on/ They do suggest at first with heavenly shows/ As I do now.” Glass’s infecting charm was just that: Infecting. And Rosin and Plotz aren’t the only two people to sniff out the fraud in Glass’s fiction. Even Amazon.com’s review of the book catches the flatness of the characters:
The Fabulist is populated with characters seemingly pulled from the scrap heap of numerous failed sitcoms: the Egotistical Boss, the Girlfriend Who Doesn’t Understand, the Pushy Older Jewish Lady with a Single Granddaughter, and the Comically Mysterious Co-workers. Many of the characters are reportedly based on real people and are portrayed, disappointingly, as jerks and fools more deserving of derision than apology.
Rosin points to how easily (and frequently) he apologized for matters both small and large, so as to remain in the good graces of his company — or, as could now be the case, to ensure his own advance.
The New York State Bar heard those apologies and remained unconvinced. Later, the apologies also failed when presented to the California State Bar, for reasons that Jack Shafer smartly examines:
According to the committee, Glass didn’t begin writing most of his 100-plus letters of apology until after he graduated from law school, with most of the letters sent between 2001 and 2004, and as earlier noted, he waited until 2009 — 11 years — before compiling his complete list of fabricated articles “and only then in connection with these moral character proceedings,” the committee writes. “[T]he full list of fabrications was only compiled when it suited him, and not when it was most needed by his victims.” (The official list now contains 35 New Republic pieces, one at Harper’s, one at Policy Review, two at Rolling Stone, and three at George.)
The committee also noted that he made $193,000 on his book, and that he did not compensate those he defrauded (TNR paid him to write truthful articles, he furnished them with false ones).
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.