Mexico Mexico - Jenny Chen, 26, Oaxaca, 11 April 2016 #2

[Lilibet]

I've seen a couple of recent comments on the FB page from folks who understand Mexico. They make the point that in Mexico, politicos and others will tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than lose face by saying "No." JR is warned to be careful as he is an easy target for exploitation.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what is behind the "good news, bad news" cycle referenced very accurately above. Even the sighting of Jenny catching a ride with the Corona driver could be just someone saying what the PI wanted to hear. Because bribing is expected, as he's been told repeatedly, he is possibly being given the runaround because he won't do it. At least he knew where he stood dealing with U.S. government representatives when they said they couldn't help because Jenny is not a citizen. He didn't like it, but he didn't get jerked around the way he is now. It's a tough cultural road for JR to navigate. He needed expert help from the beginning, I'm afraid. JMO

 

[KaaBoom]

I've seen a couple of recent comments on the FB page from folks who understand Mexico. They make the point that in Mexico, politicos and others will tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than lose face by saying "No." JR is warned to be careful as he is an easy target for exploitation.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what is behind the "good news, bad news" cycle referenced very accurately above. Even the sighting of Jenny catching a ride with the Corona driver could be just someone saying what the PI wanted to hear. Because bribing is expected, as he's been told repeatedly, he is possibly being given the runaround because he won't do it. At least he knew where he stood dealing with U.S. government representatives when they said they couldn't help because Jenny is not a citizen. He didn't like it, but he didn't get jerked around the way he is now. It's a tough cultural road for JR to navigate. He needed expert help from the beginning, I'm afraid. JMO

Yeah, that or they just want more money. A lot of the theme seems to be built around bad news, but there is light just over the horizon. JR just needs a little more money so he can finish the investigation and find Jenny.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Yeah, that or they just want more money. A lot of the theme seems to be built around bad news, but there is light just over the horizon. JR just needs a little more money so he can finish the investigation and find Jenny.

I wonder what the end result will be? I don't see contact with the Corona driver (I could be wrong). Does he want more answers of what may have happened to Jenny or to try and locate what may be left of Jenny if she is no longer here...with us? I just don't see him ever getting the answers he desires. sad. I can't imagine where her parents are in dealing with all of this.

Sent from my SCH-I545

 

[rosesfromangels]

Here are the top possibilities in my mind. My apologies in advance to any of Jenny's loved ones reading this. I'm going to be very blunt:

1. Jenny was raped, murdered, and discarded within an hour of getting in the Corona truck.
2. Jenny was raped, and sold to a brothel where she is being kept against her will
3. Jenny is in a Mexican jail for being combative with authorities
4. Jenny is too "hot" due to all the publicity (bad for tourism) and has been quietly disposed of

Those are my top theories. None of them very nice I'm afraid. : (
Still praying for a miracle

 

[tarabull]

I have been thinking along the lines of your #3 Roses, and have wondered if perhaps the timeline JR offered (until there are answers) reflects the 'time' he has been told she must serve before she is released...

:dunno:

Where is Jenny?

:candle:

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Here are the top possibilities in my mind. My apologies in advance to any of Jenny's loved ones reading this. I'm going to be very blunt:

1. Jenny was raped, murdered, and discarded within an hour of getting in the Corona truck.
2. Jenny was raped, and sold to a brothel where she is being kept against her will
3. Jenny is in a Mexican jail for being combative with authorities
4. Jenny is too "hot" due to all the publicity (bad for tourism) and has been quietly disposed of

Those are my top theories. None of them very nice I'm afraid. : (
Still praying for a miracle

If #3 then perhaps we will get a miracle! I do wonder though how safe it is to be in a jail in Mexico.

Sent from my SCH-I545

 

[Lilibet]

This report just came out today from amnesty international. Not very encouraging. And people think it's safe for women to be adventuring in Mexico? Send them this link:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/n...-as-torture-to-secure-confessions-from-women/

If #3 then perhaps we will get a miracle! I do wonder though how safe it is to be in a jail in Mexico.

Sent from my SCH-I545

BBM

Based on the article linked by roses, it's not safe at all. Sexual violence is routinely used in jails to get confessions. She might be "safer" being trafficked, with more chance to escape. Either one is preferable to being murdered...maybe. JMO

 

[Lilibet]

The latest from the Find Jenny FB page: JR has had serious discussions with his legal and investigative teams to push the Mexican authorities to get moving. His team will start a new media campaign soon to get the word out.

A commenter warned him not to expect any help because he and Jenny are foreigners and there are 28,000 Mexicans missing in the past 10 years. He says that soon the government will try to turn people against JR on FB and in the media.

Of course, that's his opinion and I wonder how accurate it will prove to be. Hopefully, inaccurate. I'm still confused why his team hasn't been able to talk to the Corona driver, since it was practically a done deal according to JR on June 12. On July 1 he said he was waiting for the new prosecutor to interview the drivers and that it had been turned over to the police and he was waiting for a police report. However....

Another person commented yesterday in Spanish that JR won't win against Corona because it has friends in politically high places. So does JR's attorney, so isn't he able to exert pressure?

And what happened to the "special elite task force" mentioned on June 24? Did the teachers' strike slow everything down as the PI told CN on July 1? Is anyone on JR's team REALLY working to find Jenny? I certainly hope so, but it looks like the Keystone Cops at this point!

Anyway, it will be intersting to see what the media campaign looks like. Stay tuned for updates, as our local weatherman likes to say.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindjenny/permalink/636995883142126/

 

[bears10]

Per JRs new update on the Facebook page, the special elite task for has done nothing (shocking). He again encourages everyone to get the word out to the media to put pressure on the authorities.

This roller coaster is making me dizzy.

 

[rosesfromangels]

His best chance is to have his PI work with a local who is in the know, and have th Chinese embassy apply pressure.

 

[slowpoke]

Sorry for being behind, but wanted to comment on the commentary from this link on the 1st page of our 2nd thread (sad we are ON a 2nd thread...).
http://nwasianweekly.com/2016/07/co...pearance-and-the-medias-hierarchy-of-empathy/

An interesting read, but one of the problems I see in Jenny's case for not receiving greater attention in the media:

A case needs to capture the sympathy of a wide audience to have continued presence in the news. To that end, having unusual circumstances can do that, and this case certainly has that. But having a spokesperson who is capable in the media spotlight can be so invaluable. A case that comes to my mind is one I followed here on WS is that of the disappearance and murder of Michelle Le, a young nursing student (same age as Jenny!) who went missing in northern CA in 2011. She was raised by an aunt and uncle, as I recall, though they were scare in the media. She had a brother, but he was the younger brother who was shy and quiet--a bit awkward in public. Fortunately, a cousin who was like a sister to the missing woman stepped forward and took the commanding lead as a family spokesperson and liaison, alongside the brother. She was articulate, and had steadfast passion and focus. I really feel that if she were not there to speak for the family, this case would not have had as much attention as it had. Jenny's case needs that. I wish every case had someone like her championing for their missing loved one.

I do agree with the commentary piece in that if a victim is deemed "worthy", the media attention is greater. That seems hard to get away from. Harsh as it is, the job of the media is to sort through all that happens in the world and community and telling us what they think we want to know about. So the challenge then, is to make the victim in question "worthy". In the same case I mentioned above, yes, the victim was female and attractive, but she was not white, but of Vietnamese descent. In the above case, we learned how the victim's mother died from cancer when Michelle was just a teen, how she was on her way to following her mother in her footsteps by becoming a nurse, how she was looked up to by her brother, and tales of her being fun and silly with her cousin. In Jenny's case we have learned some details of Jenny's adventurous spirit, but not enough to endear her more in the public's hearts. Too many, I'm afraid, can't get past the idea of how unwise and risky it was for her to be traveling alone in Mexico, especially in the manner she did, hitchhiking and couchsurfing her way all across the country. What of her brother and family life growing up in China? Bringing out their qualities that would captivate the reader's attention and empathy through the stories showing slices of their lives can make such a difference in perception, and give a chance at garnering greater attention in the media.

 

[Lilibet]

Sorry for being behind, but wanted to comment on the commentary from this link on the 1st page of our 2nd thread (sad we are ON a 2nd thread...).
http://nwasianweekly.com/2016/07/co...pearance-and-the-medias-hierarchy-of-empathy/

An interesting read, but one of the problems I see in Jenny's case for not receiving greater attention in the media:

A case needs to capture the sympathy of a wide audience to have continued presence in the news. To that end, having unusual circumstances can do that, and this case certainly has that. But having a spokesperson who is capable in the media spotlight can be so invaluable. A case that comes to my mind is one I followed here on WS is that of the disappearance and murder of Michelle Le, a young nursing student (same age as Jenny!) who went missing in northern CA in 2011. She was raised by an aunt and uncle, as I recall, though they were scare in the media. She had a brother, but he was the younger brother who was shy and quiet--a bit awkward in public. Fortunately, a cousin who was like a sister to the missing woman stepped forward and took the commanding lead as a family spokesperson and liaison, alongside the brother. She was articulate, and had steadfast passion and focus. I really feel that if she were not there to speak for the family, this case would not have had as much attention as it had. Jenny's case needs that. I wish every case had someone like her championing for their missing loved one.

I do agree with the commentary piece in that if a victim is deemed "worthy", the media attention is greater. That seems hard to get away from. Harsh as it is, the job of the media is to sort through all that happens in the world and community and telling us what they think we want to know about. So the challenge then, is to make the victim in question "worthy". In the same case I mentioned above, yes, the victim was female and attractive, but she was not white, but of Vietnamese descent. In the above case, we learned how the victim's mother died from cancer when Michelle was just a teen, how she was on her way to following her mother in her footsteps by becoming a nurse, how she was looked up to by her brother, and tales of her being fun and silly with her cousin. In Jenny's case we have learned some details of Jenny's adventurous spirit, but not enough to endear her more in the public's hearts. Too many, I'm afraid, can't get past the idea of how unwise and risky it was for her to be traveling alone in Mexico, especially in the manner she did, hitchhiking and couchsurfing her way all across the country. What of her brother and family life growing up in China? Bringing out their qualities that would captivate the reader's attention and empathy through the stories showing slices of their lives can make such a difference in perception, and give a chance at garnering greater attention in the media.

BBM

I agree with your entire post, except that I don't think it's going to be possible for readers to empathize with Jenny or JR. I don't think it has much to do with race and I don't think it can be fixed at this point without expensive and skillful PR. Even that may not help. I have always felt JR needs a better spokesperson though, since he and CN keep shooting themselves in the foot. But people do not empathize strongly with Jenny. Being blonde with blue eyes wouldn't help much or for long IMO. Here's why...

I always read comments on news articles to get a sense of readers' reaction. From the very first articles, no one could get past "how unwise and risky it was for her to be traveling alone in Mexico...hitchhiking and couchsurfing her way all across the country." It was a unanimous "What was she thinking?!!" The general public does not take kindly to risk-takers. And they don't want them to cost taxpayer money and they certainly are reluctant to contribute to fundraising. Example: Eric and Charlotte Kaufman were slammed and shamed by the public for their rescue at sea with their two small blonde daughters. It was another "what were they thinking?" case. In addition, JR's immediate fund-raising (for ransom) did not help people sympathize with either one. It raised suspicions, even if they are unwarranted.

I don't think the public has followed this case closely, not just because the media hasn't covered it, or because Jenny isn't the right race, but because they wrote Jenny off with the initial stories as an extreme risk-taker and JR as a rather unsympathetic character. Angrily shaming your own government, the Chinese government and Mexican LE is not good PR. To overcome all this, if it's possible, would require a PR/marketing professional skilled in spinning stories in a positive direction who has strong media connections. That costs more money. It might work, but I doubt JR will consider it. JMO

In the meantime, Jenny-the-fear-facing-risk-taker is still missing and deserves to be found, even if her own actions may have contributed to her fate. What a sad mess.

 

[slowpoke]

Thank you, Lilibet, for your great post. You are so good at coalescing thoughts and writing about them, you know that?

I didn't follow the Harry Devert case mentioned in the op-ed piece. JR thinks that case got a lot of media attention, though I don't recall hearing about it until Jenny's case. A poster on HFJ suggested he connect with the mother of Harry for ideas. I wonder if JR will. Sounds like a good idea, as from what little I know it sounds like he also was traveling all over in a similar manner to Jenny, and was solo.

An aside to that op-ed article: What does the writer mean by "the empathy that makes toilet paper and home pregnancy tests fly off supermarket shelves"?? Am I dense? I'm not getting the relationship between empathy and those two items!

 

[Lilibet]

Thank you, Lilibet, for your great post. You are so good at coalescing thoughts and writing about them, you know that?

I didn't follow the Harry Devert case mentioned in the op-ed piece. JR thinks that case got a lot of media attention, though I don't recall hearing about it until Jenny's case. A poster on HFJ suggested he connect with the mother of Harry for ideas. I wonder if JR will. Sounds like a good idea, as from what little I know it sounds like he also was traveling all over in a similar manner to Jenny, and was solo.

An aside to that op-ed article: What does the writer mean by "the empathy that makes toilet paper and home pregnancy tests fly off supermarket shelves"?? Am I dense? I'm not getting the relationship between empathy and those two items!

Thanks slowpoke. Likewise to you.

But Harry Devart was a guy and it's not considered as risky for a guy to travel solo as for a woman. Harry wouldn't have thought he was in danger. So he was higher on the empathy scale than risk-taking Jenny, who the public thinks should have known a woman is unsafe traveling solo. Harry isn't viewed as contributing to his fate whereas Jenny is IMO.

I tried wrapping my mind around the connection between TP, pregnancy tests and empathy and came up empty. Maybe it was one of those iPad autocorrect things.

 

[Elainera]

Maybe it's supposed to mean, people can easily emphasize with the need for those items? I don't know ... :shrug:

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

An aside to that op-ed article: What does the writer mean by "the empathy that makes toilet paper and home pregnancy tests fly off supermarket shelves"?? Am I dense? I'm not getting the relationship between empathy and those two items!

Snipped for focus

I think they mean that the news media is primarily concerned with advertising dollars, so they run stories that the greatest number of people will empathize with. More readers means more people seeing the ads means more people buying the advertisers' products (toilet paper and pregnancy tests).

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[DexterMorgan]

Here are the top possibilities in my mind. My apologies in advance to any of Jenny's loved ones reading this. I'm going to be very blunt:

1. Jenny was raped, murdered, and discarded within an hour of getting in the Corona truck.
2. Jenny was raped, and sold to a brothel where she is being kept against her will
3. Jenny is in a Mexican jail for being combative with authorities
4. Jenny is too "hot" due to all the publicity (bad for tourism) and has been quietly disposed of

Those are my top theories. None of them very nice I'm afraid. : (
Still praying for a miracle

Wow. You are a bundle of hope. Lol.

You must be fun at the search parties. Lol

Just kidding Rose. I understand how some may feel of the definite possibles.

Let's just hope that Jenny ran away and had found a way to sneak back in to the U.S while deciding to meet a lover in New Yorks Chinatown or something. Lol

It may be less likely than your suggestions. But let's just hope.

Now we all thought Rachael Lynn was dead too. But she was just found alive yesterday or today.

So. Fingers crossed for now.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Guilty as charged smarty pants. ; )
I'm a bit glum on this one die to the fact I know the area well
BUt you are right. As long as there isn't a body, we should stay hopeful.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

I think JR is trying to be hopeful with each update but it is also sad. The good news, bad news that Kaaboom posted regarding JR's updates is draining on me just as a reader. I do hope jenny is safe and somewhere that she can be happy or will be soon. Again if we or someone could get Nancy Grace involved...Rachael is home!

Sent from my SCH-I545

 

[Lilibet]

Interesting comment by RF that the Mexican government doesn't seem to respond to "bad press." It responds to and protects organized crime groups and is motivated by "special favors."

I hope JR listens to people who understand how things work in Mexico. People in the know keep telling him how important bribes are, but he insists on going with media pressure. I doubt bribes are an absolute guarantee of action or truth, but it would be intersting to know what advice his PI and attorney are giving him.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindjenny/permalink/637151986459849/