Practicing Deflection    

Peggy Noonan

  
   The press in Britain looked bad after practically driving Princess Diana to her death. Plus, photographers surrounded her crumpled vehicle before first responders arrived. 

   So, they published faults with residents of Buckingham Palace, and soon the Brits were hating the queen instead of them.

   That's deflection.

   With Hillary Clinton's upcoming run for president a couple years ago, Monica Lewinski faced a certain repeat of her public misery. So, she wrote in Vanity Fair, yes, she was a victim, but the true culprits were the press, the internet and the "feedback loop." Hillary's people needed not smear her again.

   That's deflection.

   If you missed Peggy Noonan's recent column, you also missed her take on the Global Awards.

   "Hollywood has known forever about abuse, harassment and rape within its ranks," she wrote. "All the true powers in the industry ... have been complicit." 

   Therefore, to dodge the subject after a shower of scandals, they redirected. Wearing black for solidarity at the Global Awards, they declared themselves the heroes, the real leaders in the fight against sexual abuse, Noonan charged.

   What they were really upset about, she said, is that you found out about it. 

   "Deflection is brilliant, wicked, and tends to work," Noonan wrote. "When something works, you'll be seeing more of it in entertainment and politics."

      Jimmy