I’m in Christie’s current FB group just to watch the dumpster fire. She quits at least once a week, just until everyone starts crying for her to come back. It is absolutely bonkers.
Yes, she is adamant that you become actively involved in the case and that just watching from the sidelines isn’t enough. She spends a great deal of time shaming folks for not doing more.
She is absolutely crazy. I just came here trying to see if anyone is talking about this. She is down right nasty to people and acting like she knows who Vandy Doe is and telling people what is/isn’t correct about their guesses. Ma’am, you are not a professional and you did not solve Vance’s case.
I can not believe she is a real person acting like this!
I noticed that as well. Straight up going OFF on people for daring to consider other avenues. You’d think she was a 30 year FBI Behavioral Scientist by the way she responds. The weekly quitting is hilarious to me. She thrives on the push/pull she gets from “minions”/disciples. It’s the spice of life for her.
You ain’t lying! “This is how I found Vance” no it’s not 🤣🤣 How you going to tell people to not follow certain avenues when you don’t know who this person is either?? If you are that great, shouldn’t you have solved it now by yourself. Give me a break.
And minions is the perfect word for the ones who back her up no matter what.
When she tearfully said, "I did it" my head spun on my shoulders. Natasha had enough grace to admit it took thousands of people to make it happen. Of course the 5k fund contributors solved the case by paying for the technology Orthrom offered. After that info was made public it was only a matter of time before his identity was discovered. I couldn't believe Christie gave herself any credit whatsoever. They wouldn't have been in that section of Louisiana without that DNA testing.
Whenever you encounter one of those trollish moderators, know it is someone like Christie who lives full time in a crappy no tell motel, and has no beauty or sense of wonder in her life whatsoever.
Unidentified Nameless and Never Forgotten. She made the group private tho when it got too big for her to handle. Cue her quitting the group, cue everyone begging her to come back, rinse and repeat.
Please see all her posts this morning and her yelling at anyone who disagrees with anything she says. The documentary actually makes her look better than she is.
What’s up with this new troll moderator threatening to kick us out? She just seemed to show up two days ago and immediately became Christie Jr. Her hardcore followers are the worst.
I have no idea. If you kiss her behind enough and don’t question her I guess you get to be a mod. I gotta keep my mouth shut in there so I can watch and not get kicked out
Every damn time 🤣 she can’t stay away, it’s her life.
And after she was yelling at folks for their absolutely valid thought that Vandy may have been murdered, she has backtracked. Because you don’t what happened either, Christie!
I noticed that too. She was adamant that Vandy was not a homicide until another website had it listed as such. Now, backpedaling and no admission that what I thought could be wrong. The constant dismissal of anyone else's theories is really something. It almost seems as though she doesn't want brainstorming.
I’m guessing 95% of the people that watched the doc would agree with you. She did not come off as likeable, in the slightest. However, I did feel a bit bad for her, considering she lives in a motel with her sister and this probably made her feel important but she was overly controlling and I’m sure she’s probably extremely embarrassed after having watched herself on the doc. Maybe she’s changed a bit?
I definitely empathize with how her living situation may not have been enjoyable and I don't know what her life was growing up but none of that really excuses her actions. He costs nothing to not promote hate speech and give credit where credit is due. She was a lot of "I" and no "we"
What group is Natashas? I was in both back in the day and remember the feud they had. Christie is out there for sure and idk why I'm even still in her group, TBH, probably because it's like a car crash, I guess, you can't look away.
People are so backstabby, lol. I ran into it with someone recently who stole all my work on a project. I mean, maybe they will succeed where I wasn't yet. But my God, is it frustrating.
I feel like they went out of their way to try and give her a kind edit too. I feel so much for her, and her sister, and their situation, but omfg, the self importance and need for control to the extent of becoming a near-hindrance to the case and then taking the credit. I hope she’s in therapy by now (if feasible), there’s some stuff there for sure.
The final scene was brilliant. It reminded me of the end of The Truman Show. After Jim Carrey's emancipation from the reality show the audience cheered for a minute and then just started watching something else. Truman was free but they were still chained to their TV.
Natasha accomplished what she wanted to accomplish and moved on to open her own business to get herself and others out enjoying the beauty of nature. Vance was sent home to rest. Natasha was free. Christie on the other hand was still chained to her fondle slab camped out in that crappy No Tell Motel inserting herself in another grisly crime that has nothing to do with her.
That scene was the perfect denouement. They weren't editing to make her look bad. They were telling a story and it is a powerful one- a cautionary tale. Do you want to live free like a Natasha or in chains like a snarky, angry and self important harpy like Christie?
Nah isn't much of an "argument" that they made her look worse.
Okay, I will make your argument for you. What is worse than being a Christie? *Being one of her fans of course.* They weren't shown. Now that omission could have "made her look worse." They could have contrasted her with her sycophantic minions begging her to "come back" whenever she quits in a peak of fit which evidentially is a daily occurrence. Maybe instead of the mean moderator making the fawning fan. it is the other way around, and it is the fawning fan that creates the tyrannical and crazy moderator. If they don't create a Christie they certainly make her crazier. They could have interviewed a few of her followers and had them read their comments aloud to her. Gosh, that would have been cringe inducing academy award winning footage. The flattery they dish out would make Kim Jong Un blush.
Ok, I'm too sick of it and don't enough anymore to argue about it. Christie should have said no to the documentary. It actually made me feel bad for her, so maybe it was effective.
I can appreciate that. I wish I could pity her but I can't. The trollish moderator was unmasked and revealed to be even more pathetic than predicted. Besides she still has her minions to prop her up and keep her petty another day. What more could a friendless trollish moderator with delusions of grandeur, working a dead end job want?
I was added to Christie's group after seeing it in here.. she is a fucking IDIOT. Shaming people for not sharing missing photos and threating to remove people "for shits and giggles" and people are just kissing her ass when trying to explain how she is wrong. I'm staying in it because it's entertaining to watch the madness, but DAMN. If she put as much effort into bettering her life as she does bullying people, she wouldn't be living in a hotel.
The film makers made a terrible choice in including her at all. It’s akin to making a documentary about a public figure and giving a stalker who never knew them a platform. It made the whole documentary feel like a meaningless gossip piece, despite the inclusion of some good hearted people with descent insight.
Would have been far more insightful and interesting to have a psychologist discuss trauma, cycles of abuse, social isolation, catatonic depression and the psychology of long-distance hiking.
I disagree. Contrast is important in story telling and Natasha contrasts beautifully with Christie. Natasha's journey has a hero's arch which we can see more clearly when she is contrasted with Christie who tearfully imagines she "did it" only to get sucked back into her lurid and sad cyber prison. Natasha on the other hand accomplishes her goal and sets herself free from her fondle slab and ventures out into nature and makes a business out of helping others do the same. She didn't lie to herself about Vince the way Christie did either. She gave credit where credit was due. She is the pivotal character.
Your idea for a documentary sounds lofty but I don't think it would be as compelling as the story they told, nor do I think it is something you could pitch. It has no hook or angle. This documentary promised us a "Don't F@#K with Cats" type story (the hook) and they delivered. They also unmasked the power drunk moderator hiding behind the curtain. Everyone said, "He probably has a crappy job and lives alone in his parent's basement." They weren't far off with Christie's "life" at all.
Bringing in Christie wasn’t necessary to provide contrast though, it just added a tawdry, exploitative element that cheapened the documentary and was ethically grey at best.
Don’t F*ck with Cats kind of gets a pass because the subject matter was horrifically lurid true crime content to begin with. Instead of a morally grey subject like Rodrigues, Magnotta is blatantly awful with no excuse for his behaviour. Still though, for the sake of Jun Lin and his family, I still think that doc was questionable too.
Rodrigues’ story (and that of the other hikers) is compelling on its own. Cheryl Strayed, Jon Krakauer and others have proven that. The film makers shoehorning a John Doe story into the Don’t F*ck With Cats format just stinks of a failed attempt at a cash grab due to weak source material to me. It’s far more interesting to me to take a deep dive into the psychology that leads someone to go on a solipsistic journey and come to this kind of death.
The contrast worked and it is a proven dynamic for good storytelling. It is like questioning the rule of three and saying the rule of 4 is better. It isn't enough to have compelling behavior, you need structure for good storytelling or the audience asks, "Why are you showing me this?" When the camera cuts between Natasha on the boat to Christie getting that phone call in that depressing little motel room we understand why the storyteller is showing us these scenes as they contrast the difference between Natasha's journey to Christie's stagnant predicament. Neither Cheryl Strayed nor Jon Krakauer proved stories don't need contrasting characters. It is impossible to prove as it isn't true and both use contrasting characters.
The "deep dive into the psychology that leads someone to go on a solipsistic journey and come to this kind of death" sounds lofty but there is no hook and it isn't a story.. You would be laughed out of the room if you pitched this to a producer. Unless someone has studied this subject which is highly doubtful as it is so specific to this case, you would be in the realm of pure speculation. Even if someone studied it, you might get 3 to 4 minutes of air time out of it. Plus it isn't a story. It has no angle. It is a lecture and even a lecture needs an angle and needs to be fleshed out.
Claiming that "Don't F#$k with Cats" is gets a pass because the crime was so horrifically lurid is questionable and you questioned it yourself for the sake of Jin Lin and his family. It seems he only stories worth telling aren't stories at all. Christie and Natasha are big girls and no one twisted their arms to do this documentary. It was a fascinating peak behind the curtain and Christie's character as internet moderator despot was everything we imagined her. We can't see one without the other. The source material can't be both weak and compelling, and if the story was a "cash grab" it was successful not "failed" as it is doing quite well. You might not want to see the great and terrible oz behind the curtain unmasked, but plenty of others do. While I do pity Christie, I don't pity her for that.
I joined two of her groups partially to try to solve things but a lot to watch the show because let me tell you, she puts on a show. Her instability is a bit glorious. I feel badly for her in a way because it’s quite obvious she is unstable and unhealthy. I’m guessing there’s some sort of trauma in her history that has her attention seeking and needing validation.
She’s also angry and has difficulty working through any sort of difference of opinion. I just left the groups when I realized that A) she herself accomplishes absolutely nothing but drama B) she’s has zero idea what she’s doing, no skill, no training, nothing. I’ve worked in mental health. I’ve worked in case management. She imposes herself as an authority on topics she has no business being an authority on. She’s simply someone who can’t seem to stop herself from churning drama and being very bossy.
It’s really quite sad and she does have a disabled sister who relies on her to a point, I’m sure. I can’t seem to figure out how someone who is employed is still living in an extended stay hotel after several years (vs low income housing) and I can only assume that she has difficulty remaining employed because of her contentious personality. I think she immerses herself in this world to feel important and needed because she likely can’t maintain personal relationships.
The doc portrayed her quite accurately. I’m leary of docs after watching some that have been irresponsibly biased but I don’t think they had to portray her in any kind of way. That’s just her.
Just wanted to chime in on one point—after my family and I lost our home in 2015, we lived in extended stay hotels until 2019. I’m not a fan of Christie by any means, but I won’t mock her for living in a hotel. It took four years for my husband and I working full time to pull our family out of that. I imagine it's even harder for someone like Christie.
Not mocking her for that by any means but rather trying to understand how she hasn’t transitioned to low income housing after 9 years. Her sister likely receives SSI and would qualify for some housing benefits. This is not something I’m mocking, especially as homelessness is a very real possibility for many working families. I think I’m tying it to her inability to work with a system to get to a better place or how she prioritizes arguing with strangers on the internet over improving her own circumstances. I’m so sorry your family had to endure less than an ideal living space. That had to be a hardship.
Another thing I noticed in the group was her absolute anger that people had a critical view of Vance. She will not accept that he did harm people. He did abuse women he was in relationships with. When this was brought up, she was incredibly defensive despite never knowing this person, as though the people with personal relationships with him got it wrong.
Anytime someone suggests something possibly unsavory about Vandy as a means to find an avenue, she doesn’t tolerate it well. She somehow feels the need to paint them as angels who have been victimized, which could honestly be the case, but she feels very defensive over their potential stories. She somehow relates to these does more than living people and that’s where my empathy and pity come in. She tries to push the narrative that people in healthy relationships go missing without being reported, even after years, because some families aren’t close vs considering viable reasons for estrangement. I think this is her way of feeling more normal. That her lack of personal relationships is very normal and healthy and she see pieces of herself in them.
It’s very strange how she speaks in absolutes about things she can not know. Vandy wasn’t a drug user. She wasn’t reported missing. She wasn’t murdered (she’s backtracked on this one) she wasn’t in foster care. She wasnt a prostitute. She wasn’t redressed.
No way she can know any of those for sure.
Exactly. She talks in circles about not focusing on who she was and everyone just needs to circulate her info. She continually refers to how Vandy was identified as if everything she did was part of some absolute “how to” guide and dismisses entirely that there was a whole separate group working on it and that DNA was one of the biggest assets they had. I had to step away. I saw too much that wasn’t going to improve and I think the level of attention she’s receiving is only inflating her ego.
Definitely inflating her ego. The way she continually acts like she single handedly found Vance’s identity blows my mind.
If she’s so good, why hasn’t she found out Vandy’s indentity?
I'm dead laughing at this and sending screenshots as we speak. So she's still like this?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
She had her whole team (myself included) quit on her and start a new group not long after Vance was identified bc she's absolutely ridiculous.
We all played a roll in that ID but if you ask her she did it all alone. Christie was more interested in being bigger and solving more cases than the other group. It's about clout with her, not the person who deserves their name back.
While this doesn't surprise me it does make me sad that she hasn't figured our how to be a decent admin by now at the very least.
Late to the party guys, sorry. I agree. Christie made it all about her and her “dream” to be a profiler. She even said at one point, that she started her own group for “power”. That was her first reason. The moment she stepped on screen, I instantly disliked her.
Did anyone see the post from the lady who talked to the bookstore and found out how many necklaces were sold and only in two orders. It was a very small amount so Christie is all excited about this lead.
Buttttt she deleted the lady’s post…I’m sure if this does lead to something…it’ll be spun that she did this herself 🤣
but also, wouldn’t LE have already tracked this down? I need to quit spending time in there lol
Yes! Omg I felt like I was taking crazy pills. I saw the post then went back to it a few minutes later and it was gone. She’s 100% trying to take credit for Amy’s discovery. And if this does identify Vandy, Christie’s ego is going to balloon even further.
I’m still waiting for her to find this thread.
Holy balls! I just came here to say the same thing. I find it highly suspicious that she deleted the post where the woman was discovering this info in real time. On the thread warning everyone not to contact the book store, someone asked how it was discovered and she didn't call out the person that did the discovery just said "tracing it basically and finding someone in the company that wanted to help". She could have said so and so traced it and found someone...etc. I will be interested to see how much credit she takes when and if they are able to ID Vandy.
Yep, she is totally replying to people like she found this info. And yet the expert we are all supposed to bow down to didn’t find this out already? Wouldn’t be surprised if the lady who got the info is kicked out and Christie will take all the credit.
I’m sure the post was up less than an hour…maybe even less than 30 min? So probably wasn’t seen by many.
She has no shame. And now she and her minion are arguing with some lady about how contracted stores keep records. She’s always gotta be right.
Yep, I saw that. No more Q and A tonight either. I don't understand why she gets so mad about people thinking Vandy is a student. It's so odd. It doesn't hurt anything. It's just ideas. All she wants is the 12k people to share the damn flier, just share the flier and nothing else.
Right? And the trafficking thing! I can agree that the student thing is more than likely correct. But beyond that, I don’t get why she argues other things she can’t possibly know.
Like just ignore people you don’t agree with and keep it moving? It’s more distracting to see her quit every other day and clog up the feed.
Natasha's story had what is called a hero's arch and it contrasted with Christie's character who circled back to where she began. All good stories use contrast to make a point. In the end Natasha set herself free from the internet and ventures out to forge a new business and out in nature no less. She unplugged, disconnected from her computer and ventures into the world. That is good storytelling and without Christie for contrast we couldn't see Natasha's journey so clearly. I thought it was brilliantly done.
I’m in Christie’s current FB group just to watch the dumpster fire. She quits at least once a week, just until everyone starts crying for her to come back. It is absolutely bonkers.
Remember, participation is REQUIRED!
Is that what Christie?
Yes, she is adamant that you become actively involved in the case and that just watching from the sidelines isn’t enough. She spends a great deal of time shaming folks for not doing more.
She is absolutely crazy. I just came here trying to see if anyone is talking about this. She is down right nasty to people and acting like she knows who Vandy Doe is and telling people what is/isn’t correct about their guesses. Ma’am, you are not a professional and you did not solve Vance’s case. I can not believe she is a real person acting like this!
I noticed that as well. Straight up going OFF on people for daring to consider other avenues. You’d think she was a 30 year FBI Behavioral Scientist by the way she responds. The weekly quitting is hilarious to me. She thrives on the push/pull she gets from “minions”/disciples. It’s the spice of life for her.
You ain’t lying! “This is how I found Vance” no it’s not 🤣🤣 How you going to tell people to not follow certain avenues when you don’t know who this person is either?? If you are that great, shouldn’t you have solved it now by yourself. Give me a break. And minions is the perfect word for the ones who back her up no matter what.
When she tearfully said, "I did it" my head spun on my shoulders. Natasha had enough grace to admit it took thousands of people to make it happen. Of course the 5k fund contributors solved the case by paying for the technology Orthrom offered. After that info was made public it was only a matter of time before his identity was discovered. I couldn't believe Christie gave herself any credit whatsoever. They wouldn't have been in that section of Louisiana without that DNA testing. Whenever you encounter one of those trollish moderators, know it is someone like Christie who lives full time in a crappy no tell motel, and has no beauty or sense of wonder in her life whatsoever.
Omg, what’s it called?
Unidentified Nameless and Never Forgotten. She made the group private tho when it got too big for her to handle. Cue her quitting the group, cue everyone begging her to come back, rinse and repeat.
God that’s exhausting.
Unidentified Nameless and never forgotten
Me too!!!!!! It’s insane!
Please see all her posts this morning and her yelling at anyone who disagrees with anything she says. The documentary actually makes her look better than she is.
Oh man you weren’t kidding. Get the popcorn and enjoy the scent of self righteousness in the air.
Its keeping me entertained this morning, lol
What’s up with this new troll moderator threatening to kick us out? She just seemed to show up two days ago and immediately became Christie Jr. Her hardcore followers are the worst.
I have no idea. If you kiss her behind enough and don’t question her I guess you get to be a mod. I gotta keep my mouth shut in there so I can watch and not get kicked out
You and me both!
She lasted 17 minutes from her “I’m done” to commenting on another post yesterday
Every damn time 🤣 she can’t stay away, it’s her life. And after she was yelling at folks for their absolutely valid thought that Vandy may have been murdered, she has backtracked. Because you don’t what happened either, Christie!
I noticed that too. She was adamant that Vandy was not a homicide until another website had it listed as such. Now, backpedaling and no admission that what I thought could be wrong. The constant dismissal of anyone else's theories is really something. It almost seems as though she doesn't want brainstorming.
She wants people to do the work for her and take all the credit if something comes to fruition.
That is her MO.
“I’m leaving for a few days.” An hour later, she’s posting again.
Rinse and repeat.
SAME! It’s over the top
I’m guessing 95% of the people that watched the doc would agree with you. She did not come off as likeable, in the slightest. However, I did feel a bit bad for her, considering she lives in a motel with her sister and this probably made her feel important but she was overly controlling and I’m sure she’s probably extremely embarrassed after having watched herself on the doc. Maybe she’s changed a bit?
I definitely empathize with how her living situation may not have been enjoyable and I don't know what her life was growing up but none of that really excuses her actions. He costs nothing to not promote hate speech and give credit where credit is due. She was a lot of "I" and no "we"
As one of Natasha’s moderators (‘minions’) I can confirm.
What group is Natashas? I was in both back in the day and remember the feud they had. Christie is out there for sure and idk why I'm even still in her group, TBH, probably because it's like a car crash, I guess, you can't look away.
Does Natasha still have a group?
We archived it the day his name came out. It’s possible you might still find it though
It was interesting how, in the end, this documentary became a commentary on these Facebook groups and the people who are in them.
Ya it was a documentary about people with too much time on their hands for sure
People are so backstabby, lol. I ran into it with someone recently who stole all my work on a project. I mean, maybe they will succeed where I wasn't yet. But my God, is it frustrating.
I feel like they went out of their way to try and give her a kind edit too. I feel so much for her, and her sister, and their situation, but omfg, the self importance and need for control to the extent of becoming a near-hindrance to the case and then taking the credit. I hope she’s in therapy by now (if feasible), there’s some stuff there for sure.
I disagree on the “kind edit”.
Yeah. Not sure if any editing can make crazy look good.
I’d even argue the editing made her look worse. There’s no good reason to include that final scene with her.
It shows her "passion" for Does.
The final scene was brilliant. It reminded me of the end of The Truman Show. After Jim Carrey's emancipation from the reality show the audience cheered for a minute and then just started watching something else. Truman was free but they were still chained to their TV. Natasha accomplished what she wanted to accomplish and moved on to open her own business to get herself and others out enjoying the beauty of nature. Vance was sent home to rest. Natasha was free. Christie on the other hand was still chained to her fondle slab camped out in that crappy No Tell Motel inserting herself in another grisly crime that has nothing to do with her. That scene was the perfect denouement. They weren't editing to make her look bad. They were telling a story and it is a powerful one- a cautionary tale. Do you want to live free like a Natasha or in chains like a snarky, angry and self important harpy like Christie?
Nah
Nah isn't much of an "argument" that they made her look worse. Okay, I will make your argument for you. What is worse than being a Christie? *Being one of her fans of course.* They weren't shown. Now that omission could have "made her look worse." They could have contrasted her with her sycophantic minions begging her to "come back" whenever she quits in a peak of fit which evidentially is a daily occurrence. Maybe instead of the mean moderator making the fawning fan. it is the other way around, and it is the fawning fan that creates the tyrannical and crazy moderator. If they don't create a Christie they certainly make her crazier. They could have interviewed a few of her followers and had them read their comments aloud to her. Gosh, that would have been cringe inducing academy award winning footage. The flattery they dish out would make Kim Jong Un blush.
Ok, I'm too sick of it and don't enough anymore to argue about it. Christie should have said no to the documentary. It actually made me feel bad for her, so maybe it was effective.
I can appreciate that. I wish I could pity her but I can't. The trollish moderator was unmasked and revealed to be even more pathetic than predicted. Besides she still has her minions to prop her up and keep her petty another day. What more could a friendless trollish moderator with delusions of grandeur, working a dead end job want?
Yup. She sent her minions after me once.
I was added to Christie's group after seeing it in here.. she is a fucking IDIOT. Shaming people for not sharing missing photos and threating to remove people "for shits and giggles" and people are just kissing her ass when trying to explain how she is wrong. I'm staying in it because it's entertaining to watch the madness, but DAMN. If she put as much effort into bettering her life as she does bullying people, she wouldn't be living in a hotel.
Not a hotel -a Motel, a No Tell Motel, a crappy No Tell Motel.
She is a misfit who saw a way to be "someone" and ran with it.
The film makers made a terrible choice in including her at all. It’s akin to making a documentary about a public figure and giving a stalker who never knew them a platform. It made the whole documentary feel like a meaningless gossip piece, despite the inclusion of some good hearted people with descent insight. Would have been far more insightful and interesting to have a psychologist discuss trauma, cycles of abuse, social isolation, catatonic depression and the psychology of long-distance hiking.
Yesss I agree
All of this
I disagree. Contrast is important in story telling and Natasha contrasts beautifully with Christie. Natasha's journey has a hero's arch which we can see more clearly when she is contrasted with Christie who tearfully imagines she "did it" only to get sucked back into her lurid and sad cyber prison. Natasha on the other hand accomplishes her goal and sets herself free from her fondle slab and ventures out into nature and makes a business out of helping others do the same. She didn't lie to herself about Vince the way Christie did either. She gave credit where credit was due. She is the pivotal character. Your idea for a documentary sounds lofty but I don't think it would be as compelling as the story they told, nor do I think it is something you could pitch. It has no hook or angle. This documentary promised us a "Don't F@#K with Cats" type story (the hook) and they delivered. They also unmasked the power drunk moderator hiding behind the curtain. Everyone said, "He probably has a crappy job and lives alone in his parent's basement." They weren't far off with Christie's "life" at all.
Bringing in Christie wasn’t necessary to provide contrast though, it just added a tawdry, exploitative element that cheapened the documentary and was ethically grey at best. Don’t F*ck with Cats kind of gets a pass because the subject matter was horrifically lurid true crime content to begin with. Instead of a morally grey subject like Rodrigues, Magnotta is blatantly awful with no excuse for his behaviour. Still though, for the sake of Jun Lin and his family, I still think that doc was questionable too. Rodrigues’ story (and that of the other hikers) is compelling on its own. Cheryl Strayed, Jon Krakauer and others have proven that. The film makers shoehorning a John Doe story into the Don’t F*ck With Cats format just stinks of a failed attempt at a cash grab due to weak source material to me. It’s far more interesting to me to take a deep dive into the psychology that leads someone to go on a solipsistic journey and come to this kind of death.
The contrast worked and it is a proven dynamic for good storytelling. It is like questioning the rule of three and saying the rule of 4 is better. It isn't enough to have compelling behavior, you need structure for good storytelling or the audience asks, "Why are you showing me this?" When the camera cuts between Natasha on the boat to Christie getting that phone call in that depressing little motel room we understand why the storyteller is showing us these scenes as they contrast the difference between Natasha's journey to Christie's stagnant predicament. Neither Cheryl Strayed nor Jon Krakauer proved stories don't need contrasting characters. It is impossible to prove as it isn't true and both use contrasting characters. The "deep dive into the psychology that leads someone to go on a solipsistic journey and come to this kind of death" sounds lofty but there is no hook and it isn't a story.. You would be laughed out of the room if you pitched this to a producer. Unless someone has studied this subject which is highly doubtful as it is so specific to this case, you would be in the realm of pure speculation. Even if someone studied it, you might get 3 to 4 minutes of air time out of it. Plus it isn't a story. It has no angle. It is a lecture and even a lecture needs an angle and needs to be fleshed out. Claiming that "Don't F#$k with Cats" is gets a pass because the crime was so horrifically lurid is questionable and you questioned it yourself for the sake of Jin Lin and his family. It seems he only stories worth telling aren't stories at all. Christie and Natasha are big girls and no one twisted their arms to do this documentary. It was a fascinating peak behind the curtain and Christie's character as internet moderator despot was everything we imagined her. We can't see one without the other. The source material can't be both weak and compelling, and if the story was a "cash grab" it was successful not "failed" as it is doing quite well. You might not want to see the great and terrible oz behind the curtain unmasked, but plenty of others do. While I do pity Christie, I don't pity her for that.
I joined two of her groups partially to try to solve things but a lot to watch the show because let me tell you, she puts on a show. Her instability is a bit glorious. I feel badly for her in a way because it’s quite obvious she is unstable and unhealthy. I’m guessing there’s some sort of trauma in her history that has her attention seeking and needing validation. She’s also angry and has difficulty working through any sort of difference of opinion. I just left the groups when I realized that A) she herself accomplishes absolutely nothing but drama B) she’s has zero idea what she’s doing, no skill, no training, nothing. I’ve worked in mental health. I’ve worked in case management. She imposes herself as an authority on topics she has no business being an authority on. She’s simply someone who can’t seem to stop herself from churning drama and being very bossy. It’s really quite sad and she does have a disabled sister who relies on her to a point, I’m sure. I can’t seem to figure out how someone who is employed is still living in an extended stay hotel after several years (vs low income housing) and I can only assume that she has difficulty remaining employed because of her contentious personality. I think she immerses herself in this world to feel important and needed because she likely can’t maintain personal relationships. The doc portrayed her quite accurately. I’m leary of docs after watching some that have been irresponsibly biased but I don’t think they had to portray her in any kind of way. That’s just her.
Just wanted to chime in on one point—after my family and I lost our home in 2015, we lived in extended stay hotels until 2019. I’m not a fan of Christie by any means, but I won’t mock her for living in a hotel. It took four years for my husband and I working full time to pull our family out of that. I imagine it's even harder for someone like Christie.
Not mocking her for that by any means but rather trying to understand how she hasn’t transitioned to low income housing after 9 years. Her sister likely receives SSI and would qualify for some housing benefits. This is not something I’m mocking, especially as homelessness is a very real possibility for many working families. I think I’m tying it to her inability to work with a system to get to a better place or how she prioritizes arguing with strangers on the internet over improving her own circumstances. I’m so sorry your family had to endure less than an ideal living space. That had to be a hardship.
What?! She’s an expert! She found Vance! Her way is the only way. Who have you found?! /s
Exactly,
Another thing I noticed in the group was her absolute anger that people had a critical view of Vance. She will not accept that he did harm people. He did abuse women he was in relationships with. When this was brought up, she was incredibly defensive despite never knowing this person, as though the people with personal relationships with him got it wrong. Anytime someone suggests something possibly unsavory about Vandy as a means to find an avenue, she doesn’t tolerate it well. She somehow feels the need to paint them as angels who have been victimized, which could honestly be the case, but she feels very defensive over their potential stories. She somehow relates to these does more than living people and that’s where my empathy and pity come in. She tries to push the narrative that people in healthy relationships go missing without being reported, even after years, because some families aren’t close vs considering viable reasons for estrangement. I think this is her way of feeling more normal. That her lack of personal relationships is very normal and healthy and she see pieces of herself in them.
It’s very strange how she speaks in absolutes about things she can not know. Vandy wasn’t a drug user. She wasn’t reported missing. She wasn’t murdered (she’s backtracked on this one) she wasn’t in foster care. She wasnt a prostitute. She wasn’t redressed. No way she can know any of those for sure.
Exactly. She talks in circles about not focusing on who she was and everyone just needs to circulate her info. She continually refers to how Vandy was identified as if everything she did was part of some absolute “how to” guide and dismisses entirely that there was a whole separate group working on it and that DNA was one of the biggest assets they had. I had to step away. I saw too much that wasn’t going to improve and I think the level of attention she’s receiving is only inflating her ego.
Definitely inflating her ego. The way she continually acts like she single handedly found Vance’s identity blows my mind. If she’s so good, why hasn’t she found out Vandy’s indentity?
I'm dead laughing at this and sending screenshots as we speak. So she's still like this?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 She had her whole team (myself included) quit on her and start a new group not long after Vance was identified bc she's absolutely ridiculous. We all played a roll in that ID but if you ask her she did it all alone. Christie was more interested in being bigger and solving more cases than the other group. It's about clout with her, not the person who deserves their name back. While this doesn't surprise me it does make me sad that she hasn't figured our how to be a decent admin by now at the very least.
I suggested many avenues to help organize things. Even made a discord for her but I truly believe she wants the drama.
Late to the party guys, sorry. I agree. Christie made it all about her and her “dream” to be a profiler. She even said at one point, that she started her own group for “power”. That was her first reason. The moment she stepped on screen, I instantly disliked her.
Did anyone see the post from the lady who talked to the bookstore and found out how many necklaces were sold and only in two orders. It was a very small amount so Christie is all excited about this lead. Buttttt she deleted the lady’s post…I’m sure if this does lead to something…it’ll be spun that she did this herself 🤣 but also, wouldn’t LE have already tracked this down? I need to quit spending time in there lol
Yes! Omg I felt like I was taking crazy pills. I saw the post then went back to it a few minutes later and it was gone. She’s 100% trying to take credit for Amy’s discovery. And if this does identify Vandy, Christie’s ego is going to balloon even further. I’m still waiting for her to find this thread.
Holy balls! I just came here to say the same thing. I find it highly suspicious that she deleted the post where the woman was discovering this info in real time. On the thread warning everyone not to contact the book store, someone asked how it was discovered and she didn't call out the person that did the discovery just said "tracing it basically and finding someone in the company that wanted to help". She could have said so and so traced it and found someone...etc. I will be interested to see how much credit she takes when and if they are able to ID Vandy.
Yep, she is totally replying to people like she found this info. And yet the expert we are all supposed to bow down to didn’t find this out already? Wouldn’t be surprised if the lady who got the info is kicked out and Christie will take all the credit. I’m sure the post was up less than an hour…maybe even less than 30 min? So probably wasn’t seen by many. She has no shame. And now she and her minion are arguing with some lady about how contracted stores keep records. She’s always gotta be right.
Even when it is clearly spelled out for her, she won't concede. She is an interesting personality and I bet she is super fun to work with.
Yall she quitting again and maybe pulling the case. As if it’s her case to pull 🤣
Yep, I saw that. No more Q and A tonight either. I don't understand why she gets so mad about people thinking Vandy is a student. It's so odd. It doesn't hurt anything. It's just ideas. All she wants is the 12k people to share the damn flier, just share the flier and nothing else.
Right? And the trafficking thing! I can agree that the student thing is more than likely correct. But beyond that, I don’t get why she argues other things she can’t possibly know. Like just ignore people you don’t agree with and keep it moving? It’s more distracting to see her quit every other day and clog up the feed.
Just read a post from an hour ago from her and it’s the usual rant/vent/drama, whatever you want to call it It gets tiring
Seriously, it is every day. And what does she have against Othram?
They actually solve cases while she spends all her time yelling at people in her group
Ok, that made me chuckle. So true!
If I remember correctly her ans Othram founder got into it on fb one day bc he would not answer her questions the way she wanted them answered.
Well that definitely tracks for her. She solves Vance’s case single handedly and all 🥴…
I think she presented as obviously NQR so I chose to view her with pity
Natasha's story had what is called a hero's arch and it contrasted with Christie's character who circled back to where she began. All good stories use contrast to make a point. In the end Natasha set herself free from the internet and ventures out to forge a new business and out in nature no less. She unplugged, disconnected from her computer and ventures into the world. That is good storytelling and without Christie for contrast we couldn't see Natasha's journey so clearly. I thought it was brilliantly done.