Victim of the century

"Poor me. I was the first person to have her reputation destroyed world-wide via the internet. If only I could collect some royalties. The F.B.I. threatened me with 27 years in prison. Anxiety, depression, sense of failure, and shame: I came close to disintegrating. Every day in 1998 I felt like I was being punched hard in the gut. I was shattered. It's hard to wrap your mind around where the humiliation ends. There are no borders. It feels like the whole world is laughing at you. My mantra: I wanted to die.

I was also victimized when I was younger, when my brother read my diary, and my seventh grade crush shared the love letter I had written him with everyone he knew.

I cringed, I yelled, I sobbed, and the mantra continued. Submerged in shame and public humiliation.

Online we've got a compassion deficit, an empathy crisis. To mock at a soul in pain is a dreadful thing."

Monica Lewinsky speaks out.


Update: Stacey McCain has written a powerful piece about Ms. Lewinsky here.

Update two: Don't miss what Scott Ott has to say here.