====================================================================
Here are the twins'
stories:
Mia
(drug addict): |
My dad was drug addicted, what else
could I do and be? I had no role models. |
| Kendra (alcoholic): |
I saw my parents have a cocktail each
night, and they were too busy to notice me. They
were wrapped up in their careers, shoving me off
to nannys and expensive day care boarding
activities.. As a child I started stealing
sips from their liquor cabinet. Now I am
continually in and out of rehab centers. |
| Mikayala (doctor): |
I knew for certain that I didn't want to
turn out like my parents. I studied hard to
become a doctor so that I could help those in
need. |
| Kendra (attorney) |
I am a teetotaler and an attorney.
I have never drunk alcohol and choose
never to drink because I know addiction may be
just one step away. I love being an attorney
because I can offer rehabilitation options
to some of my clients and make a difference in
their life. |
In these particular cases, the environment
certainly contributed to each twin's profession.
It is important to note, however, that there is a world
of difference between contributed to and
determined.
Did the environment contribute to each
twin's future?
Did each twin determine his/her own future?
Cupcake Brown, known as "Cup" was an abused child
prostitute and former drug addict who never
graduated from high school, yet she graduated
college magna cum laude
from law school.
Her story reads like a movie:
- Cup's mom died when she was 11.
- She was sent to a foster home wherein the foster
mother was abusive and encouraged Cup's nephew to
rape her.
- At age 11 Cup was involved in prostitution,
drugs, and alcohol
- At 13 Cup was in gang activities
- One of her foster fathers traded her cocaine
LSD for oral sex
- Drugs were an escape from the harsh realities
life had dealt her
- Crack addicted, Cup awoke one morning, half dead
and half naked, behind a dumpster and admitted
she needed help.
She currently works at a prestigious law firm,
Bingham McCutchen and can be
contacted via her website
http://cupcakebrown.com/.
Cup's February 2006
memoir, A Piece of Cake, can be ordered from her
site too. ===================================================================
Memoirs are a hot topic as not all memoirs are
true.
James Freye admits to embellishing his memoir, A Million
Little Pieces:
"I've acknowledged that there were embellishments in the
book, that I've changed things. In certain cases, things
were toned up; in certain cases, things were toned down;
that names were changed; that identifying
characteristics were changed." (Winfrey Stands Behind
Pieces Author - retrieved March 15, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/01/11/frey.lkl/
)
What are some of the embellishments?
To quote CNN:
"In one instance in the book, Frey says he spent three
months in an Ohio jail after hitting a police officer
with his car, and started a melee with police during a
night of boozing and crack smoking.
Bastone and police said the description of that night
was inaccurate.
Granville, Ohio, Police Sgt. David Dudgeon says the
front right tire of Frey's tire went over the curb, he
was arrested for driving under the influence and
released on $733 bond.
"He was polite and cooperative. There's nothing in
the report that indicates he was combative,
argumentative or anything like that," Dudgeon said."
The article also refers to the Smoking Gun Web site:
"According to the Smoking Gun Web site account, "When we
asked Frey if his reporting of the laundry list of
juvenile crimes and arrests was accurate, he answered,
'Yeah, some of 'em are, some of 'em aren't. I mean I
just sorta tried to play off memory for that stuff,'"
Bastone said on the Web site."
Discussion Questions:
- Does Freye's memoir impact Cup's memoir?
- Will future memoirs be held to a new standard?
- Is it ethical to willfully embellish?
- From a utilitarian perspective, should one
embellish?
- From a deontological, Kantian perspective,
should one embellish?
- Does purchasing an embellished memoir
demonstrate complicity?
- Are people responsible for their ethical
behavior?
Note: Photos of the beautiful twins were taken from
Microsoft Clip Art.
Twin stories were fabricated for
teaching purposes
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