The dark side of the cookie

Though much of the world has been happily united in support for Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey Jo Zilletti, the two teenage bakers who gave their goodies anonymously to neighbors, the reaction has been quite the opposite for the Young family - who sued the girls for $900 in medical bills for a panic attack Mrs. Young apparently experienced following the nighttime delivery.

I've read quite a few of the awful things being posted online about Herbert and Renea Young, and if even a tiny fraction of the people threatening to call or harrass them have followed through, I hate to think what a hellish experience this has been for them. They don't deserve that.

Unfortunately, an interview with the Denver Post seems to suggest that at least Herbert Young (wrongly) blames the girls for the vitriol of the world that is now directed squarely at his family:

The Youngs said that they have been inundated by insulting and threatening messages.

'I don't believe the girls meant for this to happen,' Herbert Young said. 'But they could have prevented it from happening if they had just shut their mouths when they came out of court.'

The original Post story was based almost entirely on court records. The girls had declined to comment immediately following the case.

Renea Young spoke to The Post soon after the hearing, saying that she hoped the girls had learned a lesson. Both she and her husband have declined or failed to respond to repeated Denver Post requests for follow-up interviews.

So the story, when it broke, had nothing to do with the defendants playing it up to the press... however, Mrs. Young was almost immediately on the scene preaching about "lessons" for the local reporters.

*sigh* Two things are clear to me: The Youngs have behaved rather poorly (and foolishly); but the outpouring of nastiness from the Internet hordes is far worse behavior than even the original pettiness that started this whole lawsuit.

If only the world's reaction could have been simply to cheer for two girls and encourage them to persevere in kindness no matter what. Instead, I'm afraid that a bunch of keyboard-pounding vigilantes are going to turn a story of kindness into a case study in how to destroy two lives.

I'm still cheering for Taylor and Lindsey. But I'm ashamed of the ugliness this story has unleashed against the Youngs.

Herbert and Renea - hang in there. The Internet has a very short attention span. You don't deserve this, but it will blow over eventually. Just as I encouraged Taylor and Lindsey not to give up on the good that they do just because of a negative experience, I hope that the good that you do (and by all accounts you do volunteer in your community) will not dry up in bitterness over this.