Comments: On Not Taking Another Spin At Russian Roulette

I am reading your blog with great sadness... indeed, the people who inspire others and engineer social movements often pay with their personal wellbeing. Please know that others care about you as a person, not just as a generator of new insights and perspectives.

Posted by J at June 13, 2004 08:12 PM

you either be creative, or you forfeit that option to someone else to be (anti-)creative for you. don't forfeit that power. you win simply because you didn't give in. it is not true that what goes down must go up. nothing goes up unless creative people cause it to. even the pig-men have to counter gravity, and it's just as hard for them.

Posted by bw at June 14, 2004 08:06 AM

Thanks for the kind sentiments. Unfortunately, the problem remains.

When I was unemployed during the recession, many people deeply regretted I was unemployed. However, that did not get me employed.

If I get sued, many people will deeply regret that I have been sued. However, I will still be sued.

So, I don't mean to be ungracious, but the situation doesn't change :-(.

Posted by Seth Finkelstein at June 14, 2004 10:00 AM

You are right, of course. However, there must be a way for you to bootstrap your celebrity into some interesting projects (books and/or "Visiting Fellow/Guru" positions). I wish I could say that these options would bring in money-- they would barely cover rent. The students who would have you as a visiting prof would be very lucky... unlike the poor blokes who are taught by folks who are not brilliant.

Posted by J at June 14, 2004 01:31 PM

The money aspect bothers me immensely. Remember, part of the attacks on me are avowedly intended to cost me employment possibilities (and once more, there is no downside to the attacker, so they can keep trying repeatedly). Not having made a fortune in the boom, I have to be wary of the next bust.

So again, thanks for the compliments, but I do have to keep on eye out for covering the rent.

Posted by Seth Finkelstein at June 14, 2004 04:06 PM

Why is it that you dont' see the irony of complaining about someone trying to cost you your job -- while at the same time trying to cost Mr. Sims his, according to him at stakedbyseth.com ? Maybe if you stopped doing this, it might quit "blowing back" on you?

[Seth replies, in the comment itself to make a point about tolerating trolls:

Simple. Because it didn't happen.

You've just proven my point. He's lying. He's a DOMAIN-HIJACKER! What more did he have to lose by throwing mud my way, and hoping something stuck?

What did you think he was going to say?

"Seth showed great restraint even as I was threatening him with whatever fabrication I thought people might believe against him"?

Observe the mathematics of it - all he needs to do get one person to act on a lie, and he wins.

If you're not just a troll, think about it. I absolutely make no bones that I wouldn't shed a tear if Slashdot did fire him. But I'm not going to ask them to do it. If nothing else, for the simple reason that if they kept de facto supporting him after he stole the Censorware Project website and trashed the group's mail, they sure weren't going to care about email from me!
]

Posted by x at June 14, 2004 05:35 PM