Attribution Error - more complicated (and IMHO, more likely what is happening on sites where vicious statements are posted): We all make attributions about other people's behavior. Some of their behaviors, we think, are down to their personal attributes - who they are. Other things we think about their behavior, we ascribe (consciously or unconsciously) to their environmental attributes. An attribution error is made when someone over-emphasizes personal characteristics (NC's role as a housewife rather than working mother, for example) and under-emphasizes environmental factors (NC's inability to legally work). A person's comments, i.e. the ugly Twitter comments about NC, actually say more about the person who is making an error in attribution than it does the victim.
this is REALLY great insight. I have read comments that:
--NC was a bad mother b/c her children went to daycare and she didn't work. In fact, her children went to preschool and most stay at home moms enroll their children in some type of preschool experience before kindergarten
--NC lounged around the pool all the time. There are many stay at home moms who take their kids to the pool multiple times a week or most days of the week in the summer...heck, it's too hot to do much else outside.
--NC was lazy b/c her house was not clean in the photos. Nancy had planned to move and had packed some things then did not move so had to dig into those boxes. Keep in mind that when you are in a really bad relationship/unhappy there is not much motivation to clean the house. Not to mention that most families with small children do not have houses that look tidy all the time. If someone walked into your house at a time not of your choosing what would it look like?
--NC was lazy b/c she should have cleaned up the dishes before leaving for the trip w/ her family. I take my two small children on road trips and it takes FOREVER to get on the road. I can easily see leaving lunch dishes and expecting my husband, who is home alone all week w/ no responsibilities other than work, to take care of it.
These are just a few examples that come to mind where I think people judged Nancy and twisted facts. Both the defense and pro witnesses have all said she was an amazing mother. There is nothing to support the theory that she was lazy.