Martha Stewart Different Perspectives on Term Paper

The 'Martha Loyalist' perspective

This perspective is advocated by fans of Stewart, who see her as unjustly accused, and are sympathetic to her cause, and logged on frequently to her Internet blog that she updated during the trial and from prison.

The 'I don't care' perspective

These people are not Martha defenders, but like Martha's sheets and recipes. They feel that these products will still be just as good as they were before Stewart was incarcerated, and they will be equally as good after her release.

Summary

Martha Stewart is a great brand and a great American success story. The American media loves a fall from grace, particularly the fall of a perfectionist, as Stewart herself as noted, in a reflective moment (Toobin 2003:1). However, there are many successful second acts in American life. Yes, the immediate effect upon company morale and stock prices may be negative. But the real charges facing Stewart are so negligible and so technical that even ordinary, non-Stewart loyalists see a vindictive spirit in the hearts of the prosecutors. Stewart's exemplary behavior during her unjust incarceration, and her advocacy for the rights of her fellow prisoners, in terms of improving their conditions, speak well of her character.Her stay in prison may only help her image.

People who disliked Martha before and wanted to dislike her are unlikely to change their opinions, but Martha loyalists will only appreciate what this struggle shows about her depth of character and her humanity, as she cheerfully rakes leaves in the prison yard, and tries to make the best of vending machine cuisine. Her struggles humanize her, and the one real criticism of her that always 'stuck' was that Martha did not seem 'human' enough.

Works Cited

Anderson, William. (9 Jun 2003). "Martha Stewart: Political prisoner." Mises Institute. Retrieved 29 Sept 2007 at http://www.mises.org/article.aspx?Id=1246

Martha Stewart made most of prison stay." (2 Mar 2005). Fox Business News. Retrieved 29 Sept 2007 at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149218,00.html

McMenamin, Michael. (Oct 2003). "St. Martha: Why Martha Stewart should go to heaven and the SEC should go to hell." Reason Magazine. Retrieved 29 Sept 2007 at http://www.reason.com/news/show/28904.html

Toobin, Jeffrey. (3 Feb 2003). "Lunch at Martha's." The New Yorker. Retrieved 29 Sept 2007 at http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/02/03/030203fa_fact.....