toomuchawesome:

I did not write that post, nor did Alex; we just found it interesting. I can’t speak on Alex’s behalf, but I just have my personal opinions about professors who carry on relationships with students within their department. That’s why I was interested, and also because you had already gained some notoriety for exposing personal aspects of your life on the Internet.

Secondly, and this is just to clarify because I found your question amusing, I do not “work for” This Recording. I write things I’m interested in, must like I do here and on my blog, because it’s a hobby. I have a real job that pays my bills and does not involve my writing.

You write:

What I’d really like to do is to graduate and to become a nomad, to read what I want to read and to write what I want to write, and (most of all) to just be left alone, at least as far as my personal life is concerned.

This is what everyone learns when they realize they have shared too much about themselves on the Internet. I learned this when I was 20, too. Only the difference was that I was trying to keep everything a secret, and eventually, friends found my Diaryland journal. It was embarrassing, but I got over it because, well, I was just a guy at a state-school in Virginia. (By the way, I wouldn’t use the “I go to Harvard, of course I know what I’m doing” line in the future. It doesn’t really help your case.) I was not gaining any popularity for my writing back then; it truly WAS for me, at least it was intended to be. Of course, giving one friend the information to read it led to other people seeing what I had to say. Totally different.

I think again, this comes down to the fact that certain people choose to share with strangers a lot about themselves. I’m not going to be the person who tries to analyze your brain and figure out why you write what you do. In fact, I think you should and DO have every right to express yourself as you see fit. BUT, you do have to admit that there are consequences to exposing yourself so much. Sure, you’re not a celebrity like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan, but you are putting yourself out there (albeit in a more intellectual space, which I applaud you for). Anyone who has written or performed for the masses has come under scrutiny of some kind. If you’re gonna be a writer, you’re gonna have to be prepared for that, especially if you open yourself up and show any sense of vulnerability.

I’m well aware that neither you nor Alex wrote that post, but it bothered me that it the link was reposted and excerpted on your Tumblr as fact without any sort of disclaimer. Whether you get paid to write for This Recording or not, I think it’s important to check the facts instead of just disseminating accusations as severe as the ones made against Patrick.

As for public scrutiny, I’ve more than learned my lesson. I’m used to criticism and yes, even prying. I just don’t think people in my life should be subjected to the consequences of choices I’ve made and the detractors I’ve picked up along the way.