My Malignment Mess

I’ve been having extended correspondence with a gentleman I appear to have upset. Nothing unusual there you may say.

Apparently I have ‘maligned’ him through some ‘offending articles’. He feels so incensed and because of my actions he can no longer contribute in public to debates or discussions lest I dare comment. He also congratulated me for effectively ‘gagging’ him, which apparently had been my purpose.

Interesting.

So, I dutifully and very carefully re-read the things I’d written during which I had mentioned him to discover how I’d managed to exert such power over a fellow human.

Scratching my head some hours later I was still at a loss to put my finger on exactly what it really was. I even asked the gentleman for guidance and direction, but he declined to assist me with specifics.

See, here’s the dilly: He gets mentioned a few times as a side-player in one of the projects I’d been writing about. My mentions of him split into two main categories. Firstly, I accurately report on his publicly known status and involvement in the project, as well as his statements and pronouncements in public about the project. All of which of course cannot be disputed. They are events that actually happened. Secondly, I offered some minor conjecture over the motivation and outcome during one of the factually reported episodes. It is fairly obviously my own conjecture, and no rebuttal is ever offered in private or in public. Also it’s not exactly an earth-shattering set of minor conclusions I logically arrive at, as the tale I’m telling and evidence I’m giving is completely factual.

However, both I and who knows who else, am told this is all unacceptable. He wants me to remove all references to him.

Now, I don’t get this. I mean, right, I’ve not talked about his activities outside of the particular project I’ve offered critique about (In fact, I don’t know anything about him). I’ve certainly not invaded his privacy, put his home or family in danger, nor have I tried to start innuendo and rumours about his past or private life.

The private and personal attacks I’ve listed are all things that a few of his internet friends have tried to do to me, of course, whilst being things I’ve never ever done to or about anybody else, let alone considered doing. I actually take quite a moral stand on privacy and bullying. That’s why I just offer commentary on their public activities relating to projects I wish to comment on, but never stray into private areas.

So that’s even more confusing. Had my ‘bits’ that included mention of this gentlemen suggested he eats babies, given out his address or phone number, or discussed his private collection of bat droppings then I could fully understand his request to remove mention of him. But my ‘bits’ about him dealt only with the stuff he was doing or writing in the public eye for his project. And, as I said, they were not cruel or full of innuendo, just reporting facts.

Now then, were I to capitulate to his demand to have all mentions of him removed, surely I’d be re-writing history or pretending things hadn’t happened? It’s bad enough when the Government or organised religion does that!

I mean, let’s talk about my favourite subject for a minute, me: Can I selectively get mentions of what I’ve done in the public eye removed from record? No, and why should I? I’ve done what I’ve done with (radio) projects, and so what. That puts me in the public eye, and fair game for fair criticism, let alone fair game for the simple reporting of ‘what Christopher did’.

Blimey, there are nutters out there so obsessed with my public persona that they create websites of hatred about me. I don’t even bother chasing those, let alone demand the retraction of scary unflattering pictures or audio files of me from radio stuff that happened 30 years ago (which I find far more offensive than people trying to make out I have a banana fetish or whatever their odd mind dreams up).
Now, up to this point I’ve been very caring about the gentleman, and tried to understand what his problem might actually be. I’ve tried to help. But, there is a growing part of me ready to say, “Get over yourself” to him. What can I do, eh? Give in to his request to assist erase him from his project’s history, or honour the truth? When will it stop? Will everybody want to re-write history at a whim? It’s such a difficult one. I’m sure the saga will continue. Sigh.