Lloyd Flatt's Blog: Mars Hospital: A Doctor's Novel - Posts Tagged "satire-defamation-lawsuits"
Why I chose Satire: Legal Threats
Satire is the use of the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. And, importantly, it is a form of speech that has greater legal protections.
In the course of writing this satire exposing many "contemporary topical issues" in medicine both my publisher and I were threatened with legal action, including defamation, by the medical establishment. This was designed to frighten us and stop publication of my book. It didn't work.
Ask yourself: Why would they do this? What do they have to fear?
And understand that by using satire, including sometimes offensive and "over the top" humor, my free speech rights to expose serious problems in modern healthcare were protected. Those who threatened legal action never actually sued.
If some of what I wrote offends a few readers, it is a small price to pay to tell my story. It isn't just a marketing slogan: This is the book the medical establishment really doesn't want you to read.
In the course of writing this satire exposing many "contemporary topical issues" in medicine both my publisher and I were threatened with legal action, including defamation, by the medical establishment. This was designed to frighten us and stop publication of my book. It didn't work.
Ask yourself: Why would they do this? What do they have to fear?
And understand that by using satire, including sometimes offensive and "over the top" humor, my free speech rights to expose serious problems in modern healthcare were protected. Those who threatened legal action never actually sued.
If some of what I wrote offends a few readers, it is a small price to pay to tell my story. It isn't just a marketing slogan: This is the book the medical establishment really doesn't want you to read.
