Truth via fiction

Sometimes, fiction does a better job of conveying the truth than mere reality. Such is the case, it seems, with a blog called Anonymous Lawyer. The angsty online journal of "a petty, cynical, sexist, miserable, overpaid corporate creep" is fictional yet the New York Times reports that it has struck a chord with many real lawyers who identify either with him or the co-workers whom he despises:

It is not surprising that a group of highly verbal computer-bound professionals who are paid to complain would gravitate toward the blogosphere. ... Anonymous Lawyer is a chance to admit, anonymously, an uncomfortable truth: The money and status may not be worth all the sacrifices.

The Times unmasks "A.L." as Jeremy Blachman, a third-year Harvard law student who offers what could be considered a ringing indictment of the legal profession:

"I was just writing satire. ... The stories I'm telling, to me, feel so outlandish. In a way I've been disappointed that I've been able to pull it off. I've painted a picture based on a few months of observation and the worst things I saw, heard about or could imagine about law firms, and experienced lawyers are chiming in, saying, 'This is exactly what it feels like.' "

Blachman, incidentally, makes it clear that he really wants to be a writer; the law degree's just employment insurance.