Rhythmic Admirer of The Day

Paul “I encourage free speech in the blogosphere by filing risible nuisance suits” Deignan. What Deignan doesn’t understand is that if you say something stupid to another person, that person might actually tell someone else about it; that’s how free speech works. When you’re on the job market, your advisors may talk to other people who have met you, and some people may even contact her! (What “Wally” did in this case strikes me as inappropriate and excessive, but it’s not a violation of free speech or any other rights. As I believe John Stuart Mill once said, if free speech means anything, it’s that you’re allowed to tell person A that person D is a jagoff based on person D’s behavior.) That you write up your puerile rants on other people’s blogs doesn’t provide you insulation from the consequences of social interactions, no matter what your profession. Suck it up.

…More at unfogged. In comments, alameida summarizes Mr. Deignan’s game theoretic innovations: “it’s as if there were a poor man’s steven den beste, and then there was the poor man’s poor man’s steven den beste. and then we had to turn to this guy, later, after the poor man x2 den beste suffered a fatal brain haemmorage brought on by being a fucking eeeedjeet. and we found this guy’s writing rolled up with some used BART transfers in that other guy’s pockets after he passed out.”