Comment by Lucy on January 15, 2009 10:11 pm

Hi Karen,

I hate that you are not offended by the show United States of Tara. I bet you will if they write a book on the show without recognizing Switching Time. How would you feel if a book came out on the show, sold a million copies and wasn’t real. Would you hate the show then?

Lucy

Dear Lucy,

Why should I be offended by a show that is not real? We need to remember it’s just a TV show and doesn’t represent the reality of MPD, like Hogan’s Heroes didn’t represent the reality of prisoner of war camps.  I love the actress, Toni Collete, and she is doing a great job trying to portray a woman and mother who is a multiple.  However, she is acting, and a character in a show. Real MPD alters are not so dramatic and flamboyant.  There job is to protect, not to attract attention.  If a book is written on “The United States of Tara”, it will be a fictional book on this show.  My story, Switching Time, is non-fiction, and a true story of one woman’s life, therapy, and integration as a multiple.

I do think we need to bring more awareness to MPD/DID, and not mock this illness.  Having multiplicity was not fun and it continues to be my hope that everyone will learn the facts, not the TV fantasy.

Karen