tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post3766613419979600147..comments2024-02-07T09:39:13.250-10:00Comments on Over the Hill: the Books and Stuff: The ethics of memoir.JOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-23961240533463968702013-02-19T06:39:25.893-10:002013-02-19T06:39:25.893-10:00I think the young woman was swept away with her fe...I think the young woman was swept away with her feelings, and unable to contain them until she arrived somewhere more appropriate. But I agree - that doesn't give me the ethical right to use her distress as material, whatever the copyright laws may be.JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-69473120383632601822013-02-19T01:41:37.782-10:002013-02-19T01:41:37.782-10:00Legally I suspect there is no copyright on overhea...Legally I suspect there is no copyright on overheard conversations in public places but I agree that some things are too upsetting to use as material. Of course the person to blame for your discomfiture is the speaker. There's a time and place for all discussions and this was neither.Rosalind Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05363027308436257933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-78336877875128801202013-02-18T04:24:02.480-10:002013-02-18T04:24:02.480-10:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-91248954713144416892013-02-18T02:59:51.629-10:002013-02-18T02:59:51.629-10:00Thank you all - I'm glad I'm not the only ...Thank you all - I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable about this. I'm sure there are those who feel that everything spoken in a public place is usable - but it's good to know that there are those of us questioning the ethics of it all.JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-77876188089774956432013-02-18T01:59:25.346-10:002013-02-18T01:59:25.346-10:00Probably right not to use something as heartbreaki...Probably right not to use something as heartbreaking as this.I worked as a GP receptionist for years and some people do like to play their life out in public. There was no need for that lady to speak in a cafe where everyone could hear her,sometimes in our surgery waiting room it was like an episode for Jeremy Kyle show,no kidding, we knew everyone's business and who's man was sleeping with who's wife.I should have written it down I might have had a bestseller.Anne Macklehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04635857544175826537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-64875078054647801992013-02-17T23:27:11.636-10:002013-02-17T23:27:11.636-10:00No, I would not use it, either, not in a factual a...No, I would not use it, either, not in a factual account in any event. I might weave what I have learnt about people's reactions and behaviour in such a situation into a fictional story, however. Vicarious experience is sometimes useful to the fabric of writing, but I would change the situation and the personalities to the point where only the experience itself was recognisable.Vallypeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08309284606572565277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251035797708672975.post-50250830838890351822013-02-17T22:47:32.566-10:002013-02-17T22:47:32.566-10:00I could not use it. Years ago I went to see our lo...I could not use it. Years ago I went to see our local (retired) vet. She still lived on the same property as the surgery she had worked in. On my way through to her gate I came across a young man weeping his heart out. He had obviously just lost a much loved pet. My immediate reaction was to want to comfort him but I stopped myself and Peg (the vet) agreed with me. He did not need anyone right then, especially a stranger. It was a good lesson for me but it is hard not to interfere when you want to sympathise or - in your case - write about it.catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.com