Character Assassination

Is Still Assassination

Let’s name what it is: when a person, often under the guise of professionalism, politics, or power, enlists others to smear someone’s reputation, sabotage their livelihood, and discredit their character, it’s not a disagreement. It’s destruction.

This is not interpersonal conflict.

This is coordinated harm.

This is soul destruction.

And here’s the kicker: these campaigns rarely happen in isolation.

They require complicity.

Silence.

Cowardice.

They require people who look the other way.

And worse - those who willingly play along to protect their own status.

This week, I commented on a post that read:

“It’s ok to dislike someone… but to lie, to destroy their character - well, that’s just fcked up.”*

And I wrote:

“Absolutely. Disliking someone is one thing. But orchestrating a calculated effort to destroy their professional life - by enlisting a group of people, including union bosses - is beyond f*cked up. It’s not just damaging. It’s soul-destroying.”

I stand by every word.

Because here’s what no one tells you:

The aftermath of character assassination is invisible.

You can’t always see the injury, but it lingers.

In the body. In the nervous system.

In the quiet loss of purpose.

In the way your confidence shatters without anyone hearing it break.

It silences futures before they begin.

So to anyone who’s been the target of a whisper campaign, a professional takedown, a betrayal from within:

You are not imagining it.

You are not overreacting.

And you are not alone.

The Reckoning Room was built for you.

To name what was done.

To speak the truth others are too afraid to utter.

To reclaim what they tried to bury.

There is power in telling the truth.

There is power in refusing to go quietly.

There is power in breaking the unspoken rules that protect the powerful.

And to those who ask me to play nice, to be diplomatic, to “let it go”…

I say:

F*CK THE RULES.

Reckoning Room Recommends

“Moral Injury: The Effect on Mental Health and Implications for Treatment”

This article from The Lancet Psychiatry explores how moral injury arises when individuals experience events that violate their moral or ethical codes, leading to profound psychological distress. It discusses the mental health implications and potential treatment approaches for those affected.

This piece offers a comprehensive look at the psychological and emotional toll of moral injury, providing valuable context for understanding the experiences shared in this edition.