There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
– MacBeth, William Shakespeare
I cannot pretend to know the intricacies at work in the hearts of men. But in the baffling world of words, in our attempts to convey sentiment, we have thrown together a shorthand to bridge the digital gap. In reading the chat logs between Manning and Lamo, Manning’s use of emoticons is particularly striking. One sees no malice in her actions, rather, she constantly expresses, sadness, confusion, and regret.
(10:36:46 AM) bradass87: living such an opaque life, has forced me never to take transparency, openness, and honesty for granted
(10:59:07 AM) bradass87: <– [this person is kind of fragile] (10:59:29 AM) bradass87: :’(
– Excerpt from the Manning-Lamo chat logs. [link]
Trying to handle her sexual identity, her daily life in a hot foreign land, and her role in a government operation that she finds more and more horrific. Throughout this intense period of multi fascited dysphoria, she expresses a frequent, emotional refrain: “:'(”
I have not met her but that feeling is out there.