Clinical / Forensic Observations

This week, I approached my observations through a clinical and forensic lens, focusing on the behavior of an online media figure, Aidan Kearney, who publicly criticized and mocked an interaction between my daughter and me and attorney Hank Brennan. The interaction itself was objectively neutral—a photograph taken out of admiration for Brennan’s legal work defending Lucy Medina, a woman whose charges were dropped following evidence of prolonged domestic abuse. The response, however, was not neutral. It was framed as inappropriate and used to publicly shame us, despite our prior and consistent support of the commentator. This immediately raised the questions: Why target supporters? Who is this behavior meant to serve?