4 ms·

It's disappointing that nobody seems to support what Julian Assange was trying to do with wikileaks. This Swedish rape accusation bullshit is a distraction and

It's disappointing that nobody seems to support what Julian Assange was trying to do with wikileaks. This Swedish rape accusation bullshit is a distraction and a smear campaign. I was hoping for more insightful comments from HN.

CJefferson 14y ago
I can support what Julian Assange was trying to do, while not liking Julian Assange himself particularly. Actually, I find it unfortunate that what I view as sich a good idea, is attached to such an apparently dodgy individual.
- mike-cardwell 14y ago
  Some would argue that the smear campaign has worked on you in exactly the way it was intended.
  - CJefferson 14y ago
    So then the question is, how can we tell what is a smear campaign, and what isn't? Personally, I don't care overly much, as I care more about wikileaks than about Assange. However, I realise that many people will not be able to separate the two. This story ( http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/01/assange-goes-off-deep-end-blaming-jews-and-guardian-in-private-eye/ http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/01/assange-goes-off-dee... ) - I read the original print copy, is what convinced me Assange at least seems to be becoming unstable (perhaps understandable), as I generally trust Private Eye (which is a British political magazine).
    - eli 14y ago
      He comes off rather poorly in Bill Keller's account of Wikileaks' dealings with the NYTimes as well.
  - eli 14y ago
    Can I moot that argument by being on the record as finding him disagreeable long before the rape accusation?
eli 14y ago
I think wikileaks is interesting and powerful, but Julian Assange strikes me as a creep. At best he distracts from the cause he champions and at worst he really harms it. And I'm not talking about the rape accusation.
philwelch 14y ago
Assange is the one who inserted his own narcissism into the question. Believe it or not, some people actually do commit rape. There's no epidemic of false accusations--hell, even true accusations bear an enormous emotional cost for the victim.

CJefferson 14y ago

I can support what Julian Assange was trying to do, while not liking Julian Assange himself particularly. Actually, I find it unfortunate that what I view as sich a good idea, is attached to such an apparently dodgy individual.

mike-cardwell 14y ago
Some would argue that the smear campaign has worked on you in exactly the way it was intended.
- CJefferson 14y ago
  So then the question is, how can we tell what is a smear campaign, and what isn't? Personally, I don't care overly much, as I care more about wikileaks than about Assange. However, I realise that many people will not be able to separate the two. This story ( http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/01/assange-goes-off-deep-end-blaming-jews-and-guardian-in-private-eye/ http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/01/assange-goes-off-dee... ) - I read the original print copy, is what convinced me Assange at least seems to be becoming unstable (perhaps understandable), as I generally trust Private Eye (which is a British political magazine).
  - eli 14y ago
    He comes off rather poorly in Bill Keller's account of Wikileaks' dealings with the NYTimes as well.
- eli 14y ago
  Can I moot that argument by being on the record as finding him disagreeable long before the rape accusation?

eli 14y ago

I think wikileaks is interesting and powerful, but Julian Assange strikes me as a creep. At best he distracts from the cause he champions and at worst he really harms it. And I'm not talking about the rape accusation.

philwelch 14y ago

Assange is the one who inserted his own narcissism into the question. Believe it or not, some people actually do commit rape. There's no epidemic of false accusations--hell, even true accusations bear an enormous emotional cost for the victim.