Well People

I don’t mean to be a prima donna. I really don’t. But at this point, there’s really no other way for me to be. Naturally, I think, I notice when wagtheslate gets the shaft. The first time was here. In that instance, I gave Geoff the benefit of the doubt. He was just the middleman, and if I’d known he was going to take my request to the actual Editors (when the fuck has that every happened?), I’d have moderated my tone. So I made myself not resent Geoff. The key word in there is “made”, because no matter my mistakes, Geoff could have been more helpful.

Both before and after that incident, Geoff appended quite a few posts to articles--a few of mine and more than a few of august’s--without the links to wagtheslate we’d put in them. I didn’t have a problem with this. It was a slight, but perhaps for a somewhat good reason. Nevertheless, it’s within their discretion to include links, if they so choose.

Jump forward then to Dkos vs. “the fray”. Now you all know that the real action didn’t take place in “the fray”, but took place here on wagtheslate. But did Geoff work wagtheslate in his fraywatch column? No.

Then comes the fraywatch Easterbrook smack down follwed by the oh so original fraywatch My Two Cents. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I could have sworn I’d seen both of those things somewhere else. Hmmmm… where oh where I wonder?

But you know what, not a big deal. Really. The ideas are obvious ones and I really don’t think we need fraywatch or appends recognition. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not noticing.

And then today Geoff deletes my wagtheslate post in the fraywatch fray. I ask him why? He replies Solicitation.

So clearly this has been building for some time. Sure, I had suspicions, but nothing definitive, or actionable, or worth wrongly fracturing what I felt was a decent relationship with Geoff. But I have to say, “Solicitation”? Since when is that particular rule enforced? Don’t get me wrong. Geoff is on solid ground. It says right there in the rules of the road that you’re not allowed to solicit. But I have to say, the fray editors is given full discretion, and they’ve all exercised that discretion liberally over the years, including Geoff and including with regard to wagtheslate (and bestofthefray).

Bottom line people, I no longer give Geoff the benefit of the doubt. He purposely showed wagtheslate to the Editors at Slate in a less than flattering light. He is actively working to undermine wagtheslate while simultaneously taking liberties with the creativity and interest it is generating. He’s threatened. And like a little twerp, he’s not upping his game, he’s playing dirty. Geoff is a dick. A dick. He’s not acting on orders from above. He’s acting of his own volition. And it’s malicious.

I could accept not having an ally in Geoff. He has his own vision. But in its absence, I did expect benevolence. But I can no longer convince myself that Geoff’s slights are all purely coincidental. I’ve ignored the pattern as long as I can, and this latest incident really is sufficient in and of itself to convince me the guy is an insecure, belligerent, duplicitous jerk.

Knowing this. Knowing that this guy is going to take the credit for our good ideas to further his own pathetic existence really does bother me. Not only has he certainly sabotaged our efforts with the staff at Slate, he’s going to continue to use us as long as we let him. I think it’s time to seriously discuss our relationship with Slate. I don’t mind doing them the favor, but I do mind bloodsucking leaches getting ahead thanks to our efforts. It really just leave a bad taste in my mouth. I’m sure I’ll get over it, but fuck man.