More cuteness! A teeny-tiny shit storm
posted by bitchphd
How fun. Apparently I've become the latest "proof" that leftist professors don't tolerate dissent. I'm not linking the posts in question, b/c why reward attention-seekers? Just scroll down the technorati rankings and look for links that use the incisive and meaningful label "lefty."
In contrast to my brilliant critics, at least my logic skills enable me to distinguish between an unsupported inference and an actual argument. E.g., the comments to this post. Since when, o my readers, do comments like the following constitute substantive debate and/or discussion?
If you can be bothered to look at the dumbassery linked to the technorati results, you'll notice that I am being held up as "proof" that lefty professors are totalitarian in the classroom. Let me point out, first of all, that even if you completely ignore the fact that not everyone who comments here regularly is politically liberal, a classroom is not a blog: so that even if this blog did censor comments that disagree with its arguments, that constitutes precisely zero evidence as to my behavior in the classroom. Moreover, I am hardly representative of "the professoriate" or "the leftist professoriate." One piece of (very poor) evidence does not an argument make, my friends.
And finally, this stupid-ass meritless threat of a lawsuit that's been brought by the commenter in question. Saying that someone is "spoofing" their i.p. does not constitute slander or libel by any stretch of the imagination--look up "spoofing" in a dictionary, and take note of the fact that it has multiple definitions. Like most words, it also lends itself to casual use. Furthermore, by repeating and publicizing this stupidity on his own blog, said commenter has publicized it far more than a comment made deep in one of my old comment threads ever could have, demonstrating that the supposed slander is not only unobjectionable to him, but is in fact something he wants talked about and pointed to. It seems clear to me that, having been banned, Mr. How-Dare-You-Ignore-Me has decided to make a huge stink designed to "punish" me for the crime of not taking him seriously. His foolish sexism is clearest, perhaps, in his statement that he won't sue me if another commenter, who he also claims to be "suing," apologizes--notwithstanding the fact that I am in no way responsible for what someone else does--a fact that, along with his comparison of said commenter and me to "Bill and Hill[ary Clinton]" demonstrates that what's really going on is an attempt to punish an uppity woman by attacking a man who took her side.
The most salient part of this fool's threat (which was also made in a now-deleted comment on my own blog) is that he intends to find out my identity and publish it, notwithstanding my obvious desire to remain anonymous. His proposed mechanism is unlikely to work in any case, as the means he's taking to find out who I am involves a third party that is in no way involved in his spurious "lawsuit." Furthermore, his guesses about my location are as illogical as everything else: apparently he's completely unaware of the fact that professors do, sometimes, travel--and that pseudonymous bloggers might not always publicize their travel plans. More to the point, his "threat" clearly demonstrates a desire and attempt to damage the professional standing and reputation of whoever-it-is-that-writes-this-blog; ironically, this is precisely what his "defenders" are accusing me and another commenter of doing to Mr. HDYIM.
Given that the person publicizing this incredibly minor incident is doing so under his own name, I find it laughable that he claims to find it "damaging." And I find it laughable, too, that those who have picked up his "cause" feel free to make ridiculous sweeping assertions without a shred of evidence, on the word of someone so clearly driven by a desire for vengeance over a non-existent slight.
So. Those of you who are surfing over here to call me a bitch, or to point out how very much I am abusing Mr. HDYIM, or to argue with how I run my blog, or to find "evidence" that "the left" is ganging up on the right--y'all might want to think a little bit about things like "evidence" and "argument" and "research" and "logic" before you leap to stupid conclusions.
In contrast to my brilliant critics, at least my logic skills enable me to distinguish between an unsupported inference and an actual argument. E.g., the comments to this post. Since when, o my readers, do comments like the following constitute substantive debate and/or discussion?
"Your linking talking points w/o analysis. Already I see several points that are exaggerated and misconstrued without even needing research" "Have you read this?" and "The question of the day, 'Can pro-choice activists be drawn out into a rational discussion of the Alito nomination and issues even more to the core?' The answer goes to determining character and capacity."Note, please, that other comments in that very thread offered debate, discussion, argument, and disagreement. And that these comments were, in fact, not only allowed but encouraged, responded to, and engaged: see contributions by Equality, Andrew, and Josh, for example (there are others). Notice, too, that my reason for banning and deleting comments by a particularly annoying commenter were given, in accordance with my clearly stated comment policy.
If you can be bothered to look at the dumbassery linked to the technorati results, you'll notice that I am being held up as "proof" that lefty professors are totalitarian in the classroom. Let me point out, first of all, that even if you completely ignore the fact that not everyone who comments here regularly is politically liberal, a classroom is not a blog: so that even if this blog did censor comments that disagree with its arguments, that constitutes precisely zero evidence as to my behavior in the classroom. Moreover, I am hardly representative of "the professoriate" or "the leftist professoriate." One piece of (very poor) evidence does not an argument make, my friends.
And finally, this stupid-ass meritless threat of a lawsuit that's been brought by the commenter in question. Saying that someone is "spoofing" their i.p. does not constitute slander or libel by any stretch of the imagination--look up "spoofing" in a dictionary, and take note of the fact that it has multiple definitions. Like most words, it also lends itself to casual use. Furthermore, by repeating and publicizing this stupidity on his own blog, said commenter has publicized it far more than a comment made deep in one of my old comment threads ever could have, demonstrating that the supposed slander is not only unobjectionable to him, but is in fact something he wants talked about and pointed to. It seems clear to me that, having been banned, Mr. How-Dare-You-Ignore-Me has decided to make a huge stink designed to "punish" me for the crime of not taking him seriously. His foolish sexism is clearest, perhaps, in his statement that he won't sue me if another commenter, who he also claims to be "suing," apologizes--notwithstanding the fact that I am in no way responsible for what someone else does--a fact that, along with his comparison of said commenter and me to "Bill and Hill[ary Clinton]" demonstrates that what's really going on is an attempt to punish an uppity woman by attacking a man who took her side.
The most salient part of this fool's threat (which was also made in a now-deleted comment on my own blog) is that he intends to find out my identity and publish it, notwithstanding my obvious desire to remain anonymous. His proposed mechanism is unlikely to work in any case, as the means he's taking to find out who I am involves a third party that is in no way involved in his spurious "lawsuit." Furthermore, his guesses about my location are as illogical as everything else: apparently he's completely unaware of the fact that professors do, sometimes, travel--and that pseudonymous bloggers might not always publicize their travel plans. More to the point, his "threat" clearly demonstrates a desire and attempt to damage the professional standing and reputation of whoever-it-is-that-writes-this-blog; ironically, this is precisely what his "defenders" are accusing me and another commenter of doing to Mr. HDYIM.
Given that the person publicizing this incredibly minor incident is doing so under his own name, I find it laughable that he claims to find it "damaging." And I find it laughable, too, that those who have picked up his "cause" feel free to make ridiculous sweeping assertions without a shred of evidence, on the word of someone so clearly driven by a desire for vengeance over a non-existent slight.
So. Those of you who are surfing over here to call me a bitch, or to point out how very much I am abusing Mr. HDYIM, or to argue with how I run my blog, or to find "evidence" that "the left" is ganging up on the right--y'all might want to think a little bit about things like "evidence" and "argument" and "research" and "logic" before you leap to stupid conclusions.
Posted at 11:06 AM
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