Wikileaks and Rape Accusations.

[jamesq]

Capital "A" Asshole or just a plain old asshole?

We can be grown-ups here. We can entertain the idea that Wikileaks is performing a valuable service while acknowledging the strong possibility that Julian Assange is himself an asshole who treats women like they’re objects he can exert his massive power issues on. We can criticize Interpol for treating these alleged sex crimes more seriously than they ever treat sex crimes and maintain sympathy for women who reportedly were quite afraid they had been exposed to unintended pregnancy or worse. Maybe we can even do one better than that, and accept that more than a few men who consider themselves liberals or even leftists---or may even claim to be feminists---still act like women's concerns should be dismissed and our rights can be transgressed with ease. I’m not accusing Assange of anything, but I seriously think it’s silly to think the accusations couldn’t be credible.

The source says it far better then I can, go read the whole thing.

I think it's clear that Julian Assange is a colossal asshole and attention whore. But you know what - that can all be true and he can still be performing a valuable service. Also, being an asshole is not a crime. Rape is a crime certainly, and if it turns out he did what he's accused of (continuing sex after consent was removed) then he's guilty of that crime. That's for a Swedish court to determine.

People who say that he wouldn't have to face his accusers if he hadn't massively embarrassed a world superpower are right in the facts and wrong in the conclusion though. It's not that Julian Assange is being unfairly asked to face the music when other, random accused are not; it's that they should all have to. What Mr. Assange is facing should be the norm, but often isn't.

As for Wikileaks, I think it's a force for good - he's doing what any good journalist should - shining a light on our government's actions. The state does not just need to do good, it needs to be seen doing good. If they're embarrassed over Wikileaks revelations on their behavior, then maybe they should do better.

Would I personally like to get to know Julian Assange? No. He strikes me as exactly the sort of person who would piss me off within the first ten minutes of getting to know him. I'm still glad that he made Wikileaks.

Comments

[lihan161051.livejournal.com]

Sometimes having the sheer nerve to build something like WikiLeaks requires a colossal asshole. Sometimes the thing that needs to be done is so colossally arrogant and against the grain that polite people just can't stomach doing it. Doesn't make the people who do it any more pleasant to deal with, but sometimes it does take that mentality.

Look at what it takes to get oneself elected to public office. The process is not kind to nice, decent, or polite people, even when it's within the law. This process is even less so. (Especially when the media, having largely abdicated their role as public watchdogs in fear of their corporate management, themselves turn on people like Assange for having the gall to do what they themselves have steadily retreated from.)

[snooness2]

I'm glad wikileaks exists. I'm glad some folks have left the wikileaks group and set up their own versions of the same thing. Frankly I suspect like napster wikileaks may become untenable; but I like knowing that there will be other sites that fill the void that wikileaks leaves. Besides the more sites that publish this sort of data the better.

[jamesq]

IAWTC. From what I've heard, Assange is also an old-school cracker, which is something this hacker has always been uncomfortable with.