Just last week, one of my favorite anonymous bloggers took the step of “outing” himself during an appearance on WUWM’s Lake Effect with Jane Hampden. Shortly after “outing” himself, the illusory tenant – also known as Thomas Foley – found himself on the receiving end of a couple of particularly nasty personal attacks, one from James Wigderson and the other from Jessica McBride. What I find to be particularly galling about Jessica McBride’s attack isn’t simply the ferocity of the attack, but also the hypocrisy of the attack. Quoted directly from her blog, McBride said (emphasis mine):
People ask me why I don’t blog much anymore. There are a lot of really good bloggers out there. However, it’s sad what the blogosphere has degenerated to in other corners, and I don’t want to be a part of it. At least not with as much frequency as I did before.
Having read that, I wanted to commend McBride for taking the high road, that is until I read the very next passage of her blog entry:
To be blunt: I have more important things to do than debate repeat drunk drivers (3x) on the Internet who, just over two years ago, were in the House of Correction.
So McBride says she doesn’t want to be part of what the blogosphere has degenerated into, only to turn around and write the very same kind of insults and personal attacks that she seems to loathe. That strikes me as more than a little hypocritical, but the hypocrisy is compounded by the fact that Jessica McBride of all people has little room to attack folks for bad or questionable decisions they’ve made in their past, considering some of the decisions she’s made in her past. Sure, she probably didn’t do anything illegal, but people who live in moral glass houses don’t strike me as being in a great position to start throwing stones at others.
The truth is, I’ve been in the HOC twice. Once in February and once in March, to visit a client. Before that, I had never set foot in the HOC.
Well, before she busts me out, I have to confess that I was in the HOC for three and half years. But then I got a different job and didn’t have to be a corrections officer any more.
iT, are you pursuing action?
No, but I’m (somewhat passively) pursuing clients, so I can have an excuse to return to the HOC. The ladies at the reception desk are really friendly and helpful.
Just like capper, I spent some time at the HOC – roughly a year – but thankfully I got an early release.
Hey Zach, what is with your date stamp? I was still sawing logs at 4:22 a.m.
It seems to be an hour off…I adjusted my settings, so let’s see if that helps.
Oh Zachary, you might want to send me an e-mail. I tried to find one on your site but I appear to be out of luck.