The Pedo Files
Labeling theory and stigma management strategies
If I was paying a visit to the New York Stock Exchange, about to ring the bell, and some shmuck yelled up at me, “Inside trader! Racketeer!” I would probably be confused as to whom this person was referring. My last bit of insider trading happened when Prince was touring in the 1980’s, when I swapped a bag of weed for a guarantee of being able to buy two tickets.
Back then, we were advanced enough in our technology that concert tickets were printed on-site, but a prospective concert-goer had to be at the Ticketmaster outlet (mine was in Sears, at the Hanover Mall) to buy and collect them.
If the performer was particularly popular at the time, lines would form in the morning darkness for the 9 a.m. store opening. For every line, there was a last ticket, and once sold no more tickets could be had by those who had waited outside for hours. That was when the scalpers (who had purchased as many as they could afford) could set upon the disappointed leftovers and offer them tickets at three or more times the face value paid, minutes before.
So I peeled off a few grams of brickweed and gave it to a friend who worked at Sears.
The employees had the ability to run off tickets for themselves, between placing orders for the folks in line. This was not a secret—due to Ticketmaster technology at the time, they could prevent early-release sales and they could cap the number of tickets sold per purchase, but the printing/payment process itself was ripe for gaming.
Calling me an “Inside trader” is not a label I would take seriously. Same thing if someone was to call me a “Pedophile protector.” It’s not me.
The self is a tenuous social condition. We are each held fully responsible for our selves, yet we can only retain partial control over the self we acknowledge, and virtually no control over the self we have been assigned.
The deviant, so-labeled, can accept or reject the assignment. Call me a “marijuana user” and I will accept the label because I am a proud deviant. Labeling me in ways I do not see my self will lead me to reject the label. Howard Becker noted deviance requires an Act, and Actor, and an Audience. Labeling by the audience stands on two pillars—the viability (not veracity) of the label and the status of the audience. The strength of one’s objection to being labeled will reflect one’s perception of the label and the audience.
As viability matters more than veracity, appeals to truth are unlikely to dispel the labeling. JD Vance fucked a couch, after all. The alleged source of the tale was from his fictitious autobiography—there is no such confession to be found in it, but people (especially the poorly-educated) do not read books much; particularly when Ron Howard has pre-chewed it into a movie for us.
Was there a couch-fucking scene?
I don’t remember, but you know how Hollywood changes what’s in the book.
The most promising strategy for identity-management in the case of an unwelcome labeling is to ignore or discredit the audience member attempting the labeling. When the one labeling your self is a stranger, in an unfamiliar setting to you, the best strategy is to ignore the accusation. Discrediting the accuser is exceedingly difficult, as one knows nothing about them.
This is one of the curses of fame, where lots of people know biographical facts about the famous, while to the famous, all those people are strangers.
Trump’s identity-management response to a stranger calling him a “pedophile protector” shows he has internalized the label. He could have ignored it (and there would be no viability in that one accusation), but when it was laid upon him, his response indicated a loss of self control. He could not stop him self from responding, thus giving life to the accusation, and his attempt to discredit his accuser (By yelling “Fuck you!” and offering a middle finger) failed to stick because Trump had no idea who it was.
Note: The worker who pointed out Trump has been shielding himself and others by withholding the Epstein files has been reported to have been “suspended” by Ford.
#BREAKING: The Ford employee who heckled President Donald Trump prompting Trump to raise his middle finger and appear to shout “fuck you” after the worker accused him of being a “pedophile protector” has been suspended from the Ford plant.
Doubtless Trump will seek to have him fired, but we know the UAW or whichever union he belongs to will defend him vigorously. NOTE: After initial publication of this piece, the United Auto Workers issued this statement about their member:
STATEMENT ON FORD PLANT VISIT BY VP LAURA DICKERSON, FORD DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
The UAW will ensure our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.
Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone—including the President of the United States.
Trump’s entrance was staged, and provided the perfect opportunity for heckling.
It seems more certain than ever that the Administration’s aggressions in the New Year, both internationally and domestically, are to provide alternatives for the public’s attention. To take focus off of the Epstein files. But like when Pam Bondi dropped the ball in July, claiming there was “no client list,” Trump’s knee-jerk response to the public being reminded he very, very, very likely sex-trafficked and raped minors is what poker players call a “tell.”