Amypee’s Weblog

The Sitch 

It was almost a year ago the recording of what should have remained a very private exchange between father and daughter became the stuff of national headlines. Tapes of the irate message Alec Baldwin left his daughter Ireland on April 11, 2007 somehow fell into the hands of the masterminds over at TMZ, and word of the disturbing rant soon spread.  

In the message, Baldwin refers to his then 11-year-old as a “thoughtless little pig,” just one of the many insults slung at both her and her mother, Kim Basinger, during the two minute outburst.  Since the tape’s public debut, Baldwin  has suggested Basinger as the source of the leakage, an implication Basinger thoroughly denies.  And, while Basinger’s publicist contended that the tape was not sealed by the court, Baldwin’s lawyers beg to differ, claiming to TMZ that, “Whatever happened…was sealed and confidential.  What you’re telling me you’ve got you shouldn’t have.”

The unfortunate incident was the culmination of a long and embittered custody battle over Ireland that began in 2002. According to one friend who spoke out on Baldwin’s behalf, the tirade was a reaction to the frustration caused by six years of Basigner’s attempts to alienate Ireland from her father entirely. After the tape’s release, Baldwin’s custody rights were suspended until a hearing scheduled for May 4.  A spokesperson for Baldwin also released the following statement shortly thereafter:

“In the best interest of the child, Alec Baldwin will do what Ireland’s mother is pathologically incapable of doing… keeping his mouth shut and obeying the court order. The mother and her lawyer leaked this sealed material in violation of a court order. Although Alec acknowledges that he should have used different language in parenting his child, everyone who knows him privately knows what he has been put through for the past six years.”

The Coverage

That Baldwin’s angry words were directed at a child, specifically his child, has not won him much sympathy from the media.  Journalists unabashedly threw around terms like “sickening” and “abusive,” words that undoubtedly shaped the extremely negative perception of Baldwin in the aftermath.  Furthermore, with transcriptions of the rant abound, the most biting of Baldwin’s insults aimed at his daughter is the one that simply won’t die. The phrase “rude, thoughtless little pig” has been burned in our brains through its repeated appearance in various headlines and bylines.  It’s what we remember first from the terrible debacle.  And, worse, Basinger’s camp siezed an opportunity to let Baldwin’s colorful language do it’s own damage.  As her spokesperson so plainly put it, “The voice mail speaks for itself.”  

As for who spoke out during the crisis, the list is as varied as it is predictable.  It seems, though, that the loudest voices among them were Baldwin and Basinger, of course, as well as her publicist and his lawyers.  Not only did his lawyer notify the public of his intentions to obey court orders in the weeks thereafter, but Baldwin himself also released a formal statement of contrition and deep regret.  Basinger’s responses were usually curt and uninformative.  Furthermore, the statement Baldwin’s pal released in his defense also appeared in several articles.  While media attitudes toward Baldwin regarding the incident started out as relentlessly indignant and nearly hostile, he was gradually cut more slack as time passed and he took the proper steps to begin righting his egregious wrong. 

The Bloggers

Identifying a singular voice of the blog-o-sphere would be impossible. Reactions to Baldwin’s plight are as varied as are the bloggers themselves.  One writer wholeheartedly sympathizes with Baldwin’s explosion and goes so far as to encourage other parents to make their children’s tantrums public in an effort to thwart future brattiness.  I think perhaps this was one of the more personally charged accounts I found, though. But it brings me back to my central point–that blogs are just that: deeply personal.  It seemed that many of the blogs I encountered, like this one, were written by parents who chose to more deeply analyze the nuances of the adults relationship that led to the incident. These are likely adults who witnessed the famed relationship in its entirety and its subsequent, very public demise.  Their interest is vested, and as parents themselves, they use their blogs as forums to comment on the vast inner workings of a family in peril, be their opinions harshly critical or compassionate.

A Comparision

Both information sources viewed Baldwin’s behavior as a parent, for the most part, as largely irresponsible and, thus, inexcusable.  But while mainstream media journalists are obligated to remain unbiased in their coverage, bloggers are free to be more explicit about their reactions to the incident. And, again, while the media coverage was largely uniform, there were blogs that deviated from the typical vilification.

On a Personal Note…

I firmly believe that Baldwin reacted in the weeks following the now infamous voice mail with great poise and dignity. He was neither trite nor pathetic, which must have been hard to avoid. His statements in the aftermath subtly chided the public into remembering that he is, in fact, human without ever explicitly asking us to, which makes the effect all the more sincere. Furthermore, he raised the question for all of the fathers who suffer in these custody battles, as he admitted his pain. And forgoing the temptation to justify his actions was crucial in making our newfound sympathy stick.

In a purely visceral sense, he had managed to compel me to turn around and question Basinger’s role in all of this instead. If he could do that without me realizing it, he must have done something right.