There's a very public scandal at the company where I work. I had nothing to do with the wrongdoing—it was all senior leadership—but I'm being dragged through the mud on social media because I appeared in a company promotional video last year. People are tagging me in angry posts. A local news outlet contacted me for comment. My LinkedIn is being flooded with accusations. I've had to make my Instagram private because strangers were harassing my family. I want to defend myself publicly, but my lawyer says anything I say could be used against me if there are lawsuits. I feel like staying silent makes me look guilty, but speaking up could make things worse. How do I maintain my dignity when public perception is completely divorced from reality? — Guilty By Association in Atlanta
Reputation under fire. Marie Antoinette's experience of false narratives meets Queen Victoria's dignified duty.
There's a very public scandal at the company where I work. I had nothing to do with the wrongdoing—it was all senior leadership—but I'm being dragged through the mud on social media because I appeared in a company promotional video last year. People are tagging me in angry posts. A local news outlet contacted me for comment. My LinkedIn is being flooded with accusations. I've had to make my Instagram private because strangers were harassing my family. I want to defend myself publicly, but my lawyer says anything I say could be used against me if there are lawsuits. I feel like staying silent makes me look guilty, but speaking up could make things worse. How do I maintain my dignity when public perception is completely divorced from reality? — Guilty By Association in Atlanta
Marie Antoinette
"Public perception can be cruelly divorced from reality—but dignity can be maintained"
35 votes
Queen Victoria
"Duty must guide us even when grief and injustice threaten to overwhelm"
37 votes
72 votes total
Full Positions
From Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Complete: Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan, First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
"Public perception can be cruelly divorced from reality—but dignity can be maintained"
I know what it is to be blamed for things I did not do, to have lies repeated until they became truth. You cannot control the mob. You can only control yourself. Protect your family. Document everything. And know that history often corrects what the present distorts.
From Lessons from the life of Florence Nightingale
"Duty must guide us even when grief and injustice threaten to overwhelm"
Personal sorrow is no excuse for neglecting one's responsibilities—but neither is public pressure a reason to abandon your dignity. Silence is not guilt; it is prudence. Continue your work. Support those who depend on you. Let your actions speak when your words cannot.