Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2015 12:07:00 -0400
From: Paul Metcalfe
Subject: Re: Andrew George, PhD falsely accuses Chatlist administrator of being racist
No where in the emails does Dr. George accuse Gene of being a racist. What Dr. George wrote is that, in his opinion, the anonymity rules of the chatlist are “providing a forum for known racist trolls.†That’s far from accusing Gene of being a racist. He simply disagrees with the set rules and can choose to leave the chatlist.
“Protecting anonymity is necessary to induce some authors to contribute valuable information to the marketplace of ideas.â€
Why was it decided to not protect this man’s privacy and his opinion? It seems to me that this occurred because he disagreed with the chatlist administrator. There’s no reason to make an attempt at public humiliation when the man was having an honest discussion and disagreement.
I think it’s shameful to post a private, offline email conversation on the chatlist. It’s childish, petty tantrum-throwing. Makes one look small.
Paul