This, of course, is the real question, the real angle on the Conrad Black trial - the Mrs.:
As the judge in Conrad M. Black’s fraud trial began reading through the verdict in the criminal fraud prosecution against him last Friday — finding Mr. Black guilty on four counts — Mr. Black’s wife, Barbara Amiel, was observed scribbling a note and passing it to her husband. It isn’t known what the note said, but someday it could be. Some Canadian publishing executives believe that Ms. Amiel might be willing to write a book dealing with the experience of being by her husband’s side during the unraveling of his storied career as a newspaper magnate.The NYTs article does raise a couple of questions. First, why does the Globe call him "Lord Black" when that is not his name but a title given by another country? It's not like you give up your name in the way that a nun does and it's not like he was born to the title. Second, long before the criminal activity was in the news, when Black was a topic of gossip and CBC interviews of mutual contempt, Barbara Amiel was one of the bigger issues, apologist for the meanest of human causes though a few that were not, pal to the privileged that she, too, craved to join without any apparent entitlement - and something of a garbage mouth. And though she is now described as a journalist I can't recall any reporting or news-breaking she took part in. And a columnist mainly for McLeans, playing the role the counter-point right-wing nut-bar.
The meanness in many of us watch to see what she will do should Conrad go to the Big House, should all the assets be seized in the end, the corporate veils pierced. Should we care? Or is that something of a corruption of the word "care"?
Comments
Hans - July 16, 2007 9:51 AM
okay I may be being obtuse again but I get the feeling you don't have the highest opinion of Mrs. Black.
David Janes - July 16, 2007 10:13 AM
I assume it's a style guide thing, or maybe just a convention of calling people by the own preferred form of address. Why do Hitler and Stalin not get Mr.? Why do doctors get Dr. or priests Father.? Why does W get "President Bush", which is the correct American title but (e.g.) Jimmy get "Mr. Carter" or ex-President Jimmy Carter when his correct American title is "President Carter".
I.e. I'm saying it's all a big mystery ;-)
Mairin - July 16, 2007 7:16 PM
You said it all! Scum. Let's hope they both (actually) get what they deserve.
Cheers!
Ben (The Tiger) - July 17, 2007 9:09 AM
I think it comes from a sense some of us have that British titles are "real" titles, and all the rest are just pale imitations.
So Conrad Black is Lord Black, Ken Thomson was Lord Thomson to some (though he never took up his seat), and so on and so forth.
I think we care in that it's darned fun to watch this soap opera. And some of us really like Lord Black, and some of us really don't. I say it beats watching what Britney or Paris are up to, though they're easier on the eyes...