Getting away from the personal comments about posters on either side of the issue, IMO, people do have a right to do whatever they want to do... as long as they are not directly hurting another person and as long as they realize that the things that we do today may have consequences for ourselves and others tomorrow. As I've said in the other thread(s) about Belle/Miriam, my main issue with her is that she seems to change her story with each passing day. And she (and others) claims that her situation is a testament to the high costs of a post-secondary education. Well, maybe... except for the fact that she was offered a full scholarship to Vanderbilt. If you have a story to tell (sad or otherwise), I'd say that it's best to pick
one version of the story
and stick with that. If you do otherwise, then you have to remember all the different versions that you've told and you'll eventually get called on it. So to my ears, she comes off as having a sense of entitlement and
victimhood - a trait that a
great many young people these days have, that I find incredibly annoying.
Me, me, me... poor little me. If I don't get exactly what I want right this second, then somebody else is to blame for anything that I do that has negative consequences. Me, me, me. As for what is truth and what is fantasy in her stories, I have no idea. But I'm not one who believes that childhood experiences (unless we're talking about some sort of
actual abuse or torture that leads to mental illness) justifies lying or even stretching the truth.
But at the same time, it has to be remembered that she is 18-19. And while she may be academically bright, she still has the mind of an 18-19 year-old. "Long term" to an 18-19 year-old is about six months (tops). I think she may have dreams about what the future holds for her. And hopefully she gets there. But with a fairly worthless degree in Women's Studies and/or Sociology, combined with her current career choice
(disclaimer: I like and view porn, so I'm not passing judgement on the industry in saying this), I think it's fair to say that she's making it hard(er) for herself. You go to a place like Duke to make it easier for yourself. But hey, she's making choices. That's what you have to do. At some point in the future, we/she will see which choices were good and which ones were not so good. I don't know. But that's on her now. Hopefully, if things don't go her way, we won't have to listen to her whine about how porn producers and others "took advantage of her" in her youth. So I wish her well. I have nothing against her. But I am sorry that her actions and choices have hurt her family. You can't live your life for other people, even your family. But at the end of the day, your family members are the only people who will stand by you, no matter what. And from the article, it sounds like that, while they don't agree with her choices and aren't too happy about how they're being affected, her family is standing by her as their daughter/sister. For that, she should consider herself lucky and stop whining about every little this & that.
Get over it and get on with it!