Dominik Diamond - again.

[whiskyinmind]

Huh. Amazing what vanity searching and meta crawlers can do online innit?

I posted this last week in which I wasn't particularly complimentary to Dominik Diamond, ex-breakfast presenter on XFM Scotland. I perhaps didn't make my point clearly enough, what I thought at the time was that in the tone of his email (which I still feel was a semi-automated one) he was being confrontational and bitchy about people to whom he seemed to have no animosity whilst he was on air. Perhaps I shouldn't have called him an arse or said he could bite me. I found his original email to be off putting and - in the complete reverse of the intention - it made me disinclined to follow his career in the future.

I shared that in a public forum (this very LiveJournal) and was a tad derogatory and potentially hurtful.

This morning I got an email from a personal email address (as opposed to the automated one I originally received). From Mr Diamond. The subject line reads one word: nice

Dear Shona

I was alerted to your panning of me on your website. A trifle harsh of you I think. You sent me an email saying how much you’d enjoyed my stuff. I merely told you what I was doing next as given the tone of your email I thought you would like to know. Sorry you felt this was such a biteable crime.

 Yours sincerely 

Dominik Diamond

So yes, I was a trifle harsh, however his original (and I'll say it again, automated) email was equally harsh - not to me, but to his previous colleagues and employers.

So Domink? I'm again posting this on this public forum to say this, I apologise for insulting you. I could say this wasn't my intention, but to be honest, the thought did not cross my mind. I failed to think of you as a person and for that I am sorry. I still think the original email from you had the exact opposite effect of that which you intended - it put my back up, it made you come across as uncaring and ready to sling mud. That doesn't excuse my insulting you, or denying you humanity.

I did mean what I said in the original email (which was sent through the online webform and as such I don't have a copy with the exact wording) I did enjoy your show, you introduced me to music which I might otherwise not have heard and enjoyed, you brought issues which pertain to me to the fore. Because of things said on your show I have become more open about my depression and the possibility that I am Bipolar. You did that.

I do wish you luck in the future, and again, I apologise for objectifying you.

ETA - I have sent this link and the main text of the post in reply to the email, and whilst I would never ask any of you to censor your comments or thoughts, please keep in mind that the subject of this post may read what you have to say. And indeed read what I had to say last week.

Comments

[wenchpixie]

His reaction seems a little under-thought, but then so did the semi-automated response to your previous email.

After all, he's a public persona - and you contacted him in that regard, not as a personal friend, therefore a more professional response to your original email would have been more appropriate (and was what I took your original post to be responding to) and for him to follow up taking exception to your response again seems to be ignoring the fact that public persona and private person should be two separate entities.

[whiskyinmind.livejournal.com]

Thank you - you've just managed to put into words what I've now made two kinda long posts trying to get across.

Again - thank you!

unrelated note, this het fic won't leave me alone...

[wenchpixie]

*bows* I occasionally have my uses - and actually it's something that I've thought around before. Anyone in the public eye, through whatever medium, has a certain balance between public and private personas.

Some - as Dominik clearly wants - are less separated than they perhaps should be, and some - as per Jensen - have to be very careful to keep them seperate. Not to say that the boundries can't be muddied or successfully crossed; latterly Michael and I became actual friends, but for initial contact I think the presumption of Public Persona is the reasonable one.

And I'd say write it, or it'll just get stuck? I've beta'd the evil het before if you want a beta :).

[whiskyinmind.livejournal.com]

You do indeed have your uses. *nods*

It does indeed seem to be a blurring/confusion/disassociation of personas - and hell, with my mental health history, I'm the last person to judge that kind of thing. As a public figure Dominik has taken on that responsibility - he is 'more' than a regular person by dint of the fact that he is in (and puts himself in) the public spotlight. As you say, different people deal with it in different ways - Jensen is the perfect example of someone who has a very distinct dividing line between public and private.

I have a Word doc open and notes in my notepad. I think this will have to be written - evil het fic... Thank you! I may be taking you up on the beta offer before you realise it, it's kinda dark though. As befits evil SPN het...*g*

[wenchpixie]

I am a veritable spork in my usefulness, in fact.

Exactly - Dominik is the one managing his level of communication, not you, and is managing (or in this case not managing) his public persona - and thereby image.

I think it's fairly unreasonable to expect a semi-automated email to be responded to in the same way one would an actual person, for it does not represent an actual person so much as their manufactured image.

Dark or crack is the only way to go with it, I think. Unless it's John/Mary