We’ve all heard of the Karens, of course, calling the police on hapless birdwatchers and BBQers alike, generally making a spectacle of themselves and their righteous outrage.
I’m proposing a new name for people who take insensitive and blasé potshots at writers and artists under the guise of feedback—and specifically, feedback which was invited and welcomed, until it landed like a piano from 15 stories on your hopes for constructive insights.
Henceforth, they shall be called “Jodies.” But first, let me take you back to my salad days and the origin story of my 34 year writer’s block.
Picture it: Cambridge, 1986. I had received a prestigious invitation to attend Harvard University’s Summer School, dedicated to auditioning high school students of promise for possible subsequent acceptance to Harvard proper.
It was never really clear to me why they singled me out, as I was far from a straight-A student. I suspect it was the dissonance between my lackluster grad…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to FORD KNOWS to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.