Ann Israel: The Propaganda Queen

This may in fact, be one way of understanding propaganda: a discursive promotion of the interests and agenda of an overarching or specific power regime.

--Michel Foucault, philosopher

Every exploitative system needs propaganda. The legal profession is no exception. A profession that viciously fires its young workers for talking to the media about work conditions in cock-roach infested basements clearly needs a steady stream of "blame the victim" propaganda to sustain itself.

Ann Israel is the legal profession's very own propaganda queen. Week in, week out the propaganda queen's hate-filled writings are published nationally in American Lawyer Media Publications. Under the guise of providing unbiased and balanced career advice to law students and young attorneys, Ann Israel's column is, in actuality, nothing more than a pipeline of biglaw partner propaganda.

Last week, the propaganda queen actually had the audacity to claim that she never blames victims. Perusing some of her past columns (which isn't an easy thing to do given her blatantly condescending and child-like writing style), I quickly learned that ALL the propaganda queen seems to do is blame the employee. In her own words:

"Ouch! Very few people are going to believe that answer. You are unemployed and that big U is your scarlet letter."

"Once you start your new firm, hunker down and plan on doing things right. Instead of all-night partying, you need to spend your free time studying the law."

"But even more egregious than your excuses is what you have to say about your current job. How dare you speak in such a manner about a decent and honest profession."

"Stop thinking that you are better than your job. Were you able to get out of bed this morning and get dressed by yourself? Then you are a lucky man."

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She's the Dr. Laura of legal advice. People write to her because they know she will shit all over them. -- random autoadmit poster

http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=530457&mc=42&forum_id=2