As most of you already know, another fake blogger has been ratted out. Where there’s one, there are probably five more. Perhaps if there was a blog like this one–maybe “The Jo Tales”–some people would not have been so easily fooled.
Very similar stories: Blogger garners sympathy by writing about sickness and/or death; steals other people’s photos and claims them as his own; has correspondences with REAL people based on this false identity; makes plans to meet these REAL people in person and stands them up every single time.
Interestingly, a lot of “Steve’s” current commenters/supporters/enablers were among those deceived by this Nicky character. Some of them were even “shocked” and “outraged.” Hopefully they won’t be so gullible with all of Steve’s lies in the future. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me–right?
The major difference between “Nicky” aka Jo and “Steve/Joshua/The_Gay_Dude” aka Mark Whitecotton is that Jo finally admitted what she did and (we hope) is seeking help. Mark, on the other hand, has never admitted ANY wrongdoing and continues to blog as this “Steve” character, with occasional appearances in his comments from his other fake personalities.
Jo has even gotten some sympathy because of her obvious issues. But that’s only happening because she was honest for once–at least to some degree.
As far as we know, Jo never concocted another vicious blog to trash the real people who dared question the authenticity of his outrageous claims. “Steve Rebooted” did just that using his other persona “Joshua” (again, located on the left side of his brain, above the ear). That blog–in which he tries to squirm his way out of lie after lie after lie, while disparaging real people–is still LIVE. Nice guy, huh?
I’m glad Jo came clean. If only Mark had enough balls and respect for himself and his readers to do the same thing. Perhaps then, there would be no need for this blog, either. But until that magical day…we offer The Whitecotton Tales.
I would never defend plagiarism (of words or pictures) but upon reflection about the whole Nicky/Jo things, I have begun to wonder why some people are so outraged. Consider this fact: nowhere is it written that a person cannot or should not invent a convincing fictional persona for him/herself. That act becomes despicable only if the fiction is used to defraud or swindle or in some way to menace. Jo never did that. She was, as in fact, very alarmed when a package of gifts came in the mail for the kids. She tried hard to get the sender to accept their return.
This whole business should serve to remind us that even the most truthful of bloggers “edit” their self presentations. To assume otherwise is naive. I can certainly speak for myself. There is much about me that no reader knows because I deliberately do not disclose some things. Does that make me dishonest or despicable? Hardly.
Let he who would fall in love with Superman stop hoping for the picket fence on Krypton.