Why did both Jeff and Josh believe that they ought to beable to “out” the private information of the wife?

And we should note – NY Mary did not advertise her marital status. A casual observer following the debate would not know that Thers was married to NY Mary.
She was largely uninvolved with this “theory” debate.

I had been commenting on NY Mary’s blog, Thersites blog.

I did not know the real names or place of employment or specific site of residence for Mary and Thers.

Someone had to do some careful research to discover it. Of course, I was not trying to “out” the anonymity of someone who was attempting to preserve it.

I wasn’t in full-contact mode with the tedious shrieking idiots in question.

No, you weren’t. In fact, I’d venture to say you don’t have the slightest fucking idea what you’re talking about.

The “context” was that Goldstein couldn’t take the sort of abuse he regularly dishes out, and went completely around the bend.

See, if someone is really a “tedious shrieking idiot,” you don’t need to do what Goldstein did. In fact, if you have a strong argument, you don’t need to do what Goldstein did. Outing Thers and his wife was weak and small and cowardly, and it’s pretty droll that you’re defending Goldstein’s right to overreact to criticism while accusing him of being a self-serving liar.

BTW, what is “wholesale accuracy,” and how can a statement be “a discredit” to it?

I’ve been validated with the attention I’ve craved for so long. Wife, child, and advanced degree not having done the trick.

Pathetic. Anyhow, pound away.

No doubt you have no doubt. Your knuckle-biting paranoid hysteria throughout this manufactured affair has been a discredit to English PhDs everywhere: and that’s a tough group to discredit.

Goldstein’s statement that I “cleared” what he did is also a discredit — to wholesale accuracy. Here’s the truth:

1) I took it upon myself to contact Goldstein about this affair when it began.

2) Goldstein made his case that the information in question was no secret.

3) I responded that I felt that his actions were probably a violation of OI nonetheless, if taken devoid of context; but that we do not live in a contextless world.

This is not a “clearing” of what was done. I’d like to think I wouldn’t have done it in his shoes; but then, I wasn’t in full-contact mode with the tedious shrieking idiots in question. Haggerty, et al., will doubtless pound their sippy cups on the high chair and proclaim otherwise — that’s what I have “no doubt” about. Their ire doesn’t matter to me, except inasmuch as it affects OI: but as I truly am not synonymous with OI, nor even affiliated any longer, reasonable people won’t make the conflation.

1) Thers and NY Mary did not display specific identifying information on their blogs about their names, workplace, or place of residence.

2) The equivalent situation would be a commenter who claimed to have looked through to archives to find a picture of Jeff’s child on the web site and then said a sexualized comment about this child. Furthermore, the said private information about Jeff and his WIFE’s work information would be posted on the web. And, furthermore, the town in which they live would need to be posted.

Can you now see why this would be a potentially dangerous situation?

3) Would you like to explain what NY Mary posted, either on her blog or Jeff’s, that allows you to rationalize this behavior as being OK?

What is your rationalization that it’s ok to reveal the information about the wife? Would you react the same way if the private information about Jeff’s wife was revealed? Discuss.