vainglorious

I feel there is little I can say and have it taken with more than a simple, single grain of salt. But I am utterly disgusted. I am currently off the grid on vacay but as I can’t quit you Tumblr, I am online pretty often on my time “away.” Yesterday, I saw a few posts referring to the censorship nonsense and seriously thought nothing of it. Coincidence? Unfortunate bullshit? I couldn’t say, but it all seemed very inconsequential. I worried a bit about my little porn blog that could easily be construed as a violation to whatever policies that did away with the snark, so surely they could soon do away with my little venture as well. The more I read about the whole clusterfuck that has gone down, the more I want to puke.

No matter what David Karp says and no matter what the party line is, it is grossly unfair. We are cogent and intelligent people, we know when we are being manipulated, and I find it all disgusting. The internet is a battlefield, much like love and war, what are the rules? Are there any? Maybe not actually, but whose job is it to say who can pander their opinions on these pages and who cannot? The investors? The head of the company? The users? The staff?

I understand the concept of a company and a legal right to delete whoever they wish, but if they want a foster an environment that is inclusive and open to growth, they would not feel the need to censor. I feel for those whose feelings were hurt, but I do not support them. Tumblr Inc. may be well within its rights to delete whoever it sees fit, but it is pathetic and bizarre that they have taken on an “anti-harrassment of people we adore” bent. Pick a cut and dry way to define harassment and maybe we wouldn’t have such an issue. They have yet to do so though, they have created a situation that will certainly bite them in the ass.

As a child of an attorney and a future law school superstar, I’m not entirely sure if anyone deleted has any legal recourse. But the term “harassment” connotates restraining orders and physical, emotional, and mental abuse — not internet distress. Sullying a good name is only libel, and you must prove that you have somehow been injured (not physically) to actually have a case.

All in all, bullshit begets more bullshit.