Draw Breath

It seems that one nightmare result of blogging has manifested itself for a chap called Scott Eric Kaufman, who got into a flamewar over someone else's spot of irresponsible blogging, in retaliation for which another commenter sent an email to the members of his faculty and some politicians saying that he is a white supremicist. I'm not enthused about linking there for Google stats reasons, but John Holbo has all the relevant links over on Crooked Timber.

I suppose this is a major fear for an academic. Especially for a grad student. Even if we avoid the sort of daft public bitching about work that really ought to limit our pity, we risk ending up with someone deciding that it would be a great wheeze to gun for us through our employers.

Of course, this is a risk for anyone who uses their real name on a blog. But I think the risk is slightly more stark for academics. Our employment chances are largely rooted in reputation and, as Kaufman said, even if you're in the right, "there's a stain attached to someone who acquires multiple mentally unsound stalkers. People wonder whether they're really the issue, or whether it's you." Especially at the beginning of a career, if a potential employer takes a moment for googling you, you might be finished before you've begun.

I blog under my own name partly because it disciplines me to only say things that I won't regret (more or less). But as this particular piece of nastiness highlights, saying things you don't regret isn't a defence against a determined prick with a chip on their shoulder.