Hi All!
It has been almost four months since I've hit the keyboard. Partially due to the seasonal nature of my income and partially due to my lack of passion for the whole blog writing experience. I did manage to take part in a small way on the Great Canadian Debate site and as always have dropped the odd comment with friends and foes alike.
That said, I have been inspired to take to the keyboard again by none other than The Canadian Cynic. As you may or may not have noted, I provide a link to Cc (Canadian Cynic, not to be confused with Chucker Canuck or CC) under the category Leftardtopia. I also include Robert Mc of My Blagh fame and Pal of The Stormy Days of March in the same category.
Philosophically, ideologically and logically speaking these folk are at the opposite end of the spectrum from myself, yet I read their thoughts to try to understand what might motivate their perceptions and comment on rare occasions. As a result I have become aware of the surprisingly logical and impassioned position taken by Cc regarding blogger anonymity.
Those are the last kind words I will speak of the Cynic. Therefore I will begin the deconstruction and lay bare the hyper hypocricy.
Some excerpts:
I hate to interrupt your determined efforts to ignore all of the exciting developments on Canada's political scene over the last week or so, but I have something I'd like to chat about.Apparently, over the last several days, I have, in my own quiet way, infuriated one Mr. Patrick Ross (and, by really creepy association, his good buddy, the ego that walks like a man, Werner Patels), to the point where he has furiously promised to track me down and give me a stern spanking. Well, OK, actually, he's promised to track me down and reveal my identity on his blog to all of those misbegotten cretins who have the necessary lack of taste to read his blog.
Reality check here Cc. In your own quiet way......Wha????? Anybody who has ever dropped in on Cc would hardly call this entity quiet,. Don't take my word for this, check out the body of the Cynics work. Some more of this self preservationist drivel:
Now, I'm well aware that neither of those two misfits is a member of the BTs, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to at least come to an understanding on an absolutely minimal level of civility that we should be prepared to uphold in the Canadian blogosphere
O.K. Now do I understand this statement correctly? The Canadian Cynic, who's chief claim to fame on the blogosphere is consistent and vitriolic attacks on Blogging Tories is now seeking an alliance with the same to protect his anonymity from a personal attack from other bloggers?
Breathtaking!!! But it gets better.
As I'm sure you know, I choose to blog anonymously. That's my choice and, regardless of what others might think of what I write, I typically expect those people to respect my privacy. Critics of mine are more than welcome to leave dissenting comments at my blog (within reason), and are just as welcome to write scathing denunciations of me on their own blogs, and more power to them. But, regardless of how heated things get, I've always considered one's bloggy anonymity to be sacred and not to be trifled with.
Well, that does sound plausible, considering The Cynic does allow comments. Although he does refer to any and all Bt'ers as the Wankosphere and more personally has called Kate at SDA any number of filthy names. Incidentally on the very thread that he pleas for respect for his anonymity he allows this comment from noted intellectual and Cc fan Ti-Guy regarding another of his enemies Richard Evans.
I've never been interested in the personal lives of bloggers or commenter's. Even Richard Evans of Beddington Crescent, Calgary...
By Ti-Guy, at 5:35 PM
So to summarize: So far Cc has written an open letter to a blogging aggregator whom he hates, to help him maintain his anonymity in the face of attacks from independent bloggers and at the same time allows a devoted reader to out the address of his stated enemy. yep that seems consistent with the logic and integrity that I've observed from the Cynic. Of course there is more, so back to Cc:
Consider your own BT blogroll -- it clearly has a number of anonymous bloggers and, while I've taken exception with a number of them over the lifetime of my blog, it's never occurred to me -- not for a second -- to spend any time tracking them down so I can expose their real identities. My preference is to link to what they write, use my vastly superior intellect and reason to tear it to bloody shreds, and leave it at that. Once your credibility has been taken out to the parking lot and beaten senseless, it really doesn't make any difference whether you sign your name to it or not, don't you agree? So here's my point.
Uhhhhmmmm....Cc....Were this a parking lot you'd be laid out somewheres between the 73 Pinto and the dumpster, but I would love to hear the point......tell me....tell me!!!
While you clearly have no influence over the unprincipled douchebags that are Patrick Ross and Werner Patels, you most certainly have some power over the BT membership. So I'm going to throw out a challenge here: I'm challenging you to take a public and unambiguous stand, and denounce, in the strongest possible language, the practise or encouragement of, directly or indirectly, "outing" anonymous bloggers just because you don't like what they write. And, just to be fair and balanced, I'm making that challenge to every other political blogging collective in Canada.
Let me be clear as to what I'm talking out above. I don't just mean condemning bloggers who are actively trying to out other bloggers. I'm also including bloggers who, while they may not be engaging in that activity themselves, are clearly egging on others to do it, either on their own blogs or by way of comments on others' blogs. In short, anyone who is seen as promoting that activity in any way and in any forum should be considered just as guilty as those doing it.
Once again I have to wrap my brainpan around this. In desperation the Cynic calls out to a man he has personally slagged in the spirit of fairness. Check. The Cynic, who has no compunction about tossing filthy diatribe at bloggers who have the balls to eschew anonymity for integrity now seeks their support. Check. The Cynic who holds himself up as a paragon of free speech now calls for a ban on not only bloggers who threaten others anonymity but those who in any way shape or form support "outing" any pseudonymous entity, regardless of their proven crapulence. Check.
A true leftard triple threat. Gutless, spineless, victim. But there is more:
(Naturally, there should be exceptions, as in the case of any anonymous someone who has gone beyond just being annoying and is into actual harassment. In cases like that, outing is simply being defensive, but that's obviously under exceptional circumstances.)
Wow! I guess the Cynic has never read his own garbage regarding Kate Mc Millan. Then again I've never heard Kate cry about any of this crap. Now that poses a whole different set of questions regarding gonads......but I digress.
And finally, the ultimate pile of piffle:
As I said, this will in no way affect Messrs. Ross or Patels since, as far as I know, they don't belong to any aggregator (not surprising, since I can't imagine any aggregator desperate enough to want them.) But if it can be brought to your attention that any of your BT members are cheering them on, I'm challenging you to drop those members from the BTs. And, as I said, I'm making the same challenge to every aggregator in Canada. It's only fair.
So, Stephen, what say you? You and I both know we're never going to see eye-to eye but, regardless of our differences, we should be able to agree that there are some lines that we're simply not going to cross, and we're prepared to punish those people who do.
There's the challenge. Your thoughts?
UPDATE: As RT points out, Weiner Patels is a member of Liberty Blogs, and he's made it clear he thinks the idea of outing me is a terrific idea. So, Liberty Blogs ... how's your level of principle today?
BY THE WAY, I did email Stephen Taylor directly regarding this issue; I'm not just counting on him eventually reading this blog. So far, nothing.IN FACT, I just received a perfectly respectable and thoughtful e-mail from Mr. Taylor, and we're going to chat further. And I want to publicly thank him for being willing to discuss this.
Fairness eh.....some lines WE won't cross eh.....and WE"RE prepared to punish those who do eh. All of a sudden WE"RE all in this together eh. PRINCIPLES eh.
I've seen a lot of crappy things in my life, violent, heartbreaking, confusing, frustrating, infuriating but this is without a doubt the most PATHETIC.
Syncro
p.s. In the spirit of fairness I will crosspost this at Canadian Cynic and as I always do I will not hide behind the cloak of anonymity.
Update
The Cynic has responded to my post in the fashion I expected. Weak logic coupled with poor writing, followed with a healthy dollop of tunnel vision.
Now I'll freely admit that I've been guilty of the same to various degrees, albeit not all at once.
And finally a clarification. After reading my own post I think the principle I'm espousing may well be misconstrued.
For the record I'm not defending the outing of the Cynic, rather I'm pointing out (based on observable behaviour) that he may be the worst example on the Canadian blogosphere for the defense of anonymity. Oddly enough he continues to make the case for me.
Finally, the utter lack, nay, contempt for integrity displayed by the Cynic is my point. Unless being consistently inconsistent falls into the PC/Leftard definition of integrity.
But that's enough of that.
Syncro
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