Because there are no sweeter words than "I was right."

[lolaraincoat]

Yes, yes, I will post my vacation pics and Deep Thoughts any minute now (I know you desperately await) but first:

So I was away from the internet for a few weeks - that would be approximately three lifetimes in Internet Years - and when I came back this whole Laura Hale thing was happening, which you of course are bored of already, but just in case you've been away too, the deal is, Laura Hale is a fan who has insisted on linking the real-life names and fannish identities of a number of people, and now there's a big fuss about it. So something bethbethbeth just posted about this mess reminded me that not so long ago, I got in trouble for outing Laura Hale. My hand to God.

It wasn't very much trouble, I have to confess, and it isn't a very exciting story. This was just about two years ago, during the last iteration of the whole Cassie plagiarism mess, and I posted something about why I wasn't too worried about it, and ... well, here's the relevant passage from my post:

Someone who then called herself "Michelle Ecks" and later went by [name deleted at the request of the LJ Abuse team, sorry, the full name gets thrown around enough on journalfen that I didn't think ... my fault, very sorry, gah], or "halegirl," or more recently purplepopple, seems to be central to the whole story. Halegirl was on my f'list for a while -- she's the person who posted last year sometime boasting about helping to teach highschool students how to write smuttier smut -- and she's ... let's say that her worldview and my worldview are not closely congruent. Now, that does not mean that she was wrong on this particular matter. But it does make me feel cautious.

Yep. Somebody called in LJ Abuse! Because I wrote Laura Hale's name in the same post as her username! Right at the same time as she was claiming (as we now learn from Beth's post) to have outed Heidi to her employer!

(The full post is here, for the sake of completeness.)

I suppose I should be more indignant than entertained, but somehow I'm not. Oh internets, how I've missed you.

Comments

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Welcome back to the wankpit! *waves*

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

So very pleased to see that they haven't changed a bit in my absence!

Also, you gave me some helpful thistle-removal advice in the comments to the post from two years ago that's referenced above. My weed problems are so much worse now - chamomille! morning glory! augh! - that seeing this gave me a warm nostalgic feeling. So ... hello!

[cordelia_v]

Damn. I read the opening line here and got excited because I thought that yes, this was going to be the Deep Thoughts. Alas.

I live in hope.

But then, there was this lovely consolation nugget:

let's say that her worldview and my worldview are not closely congruent

That's a lovely phrase. I'm going to have to remember it for future use. It explains everything, and in a way that is hard to take offense at.

Although if someone really were that wackadoodle, I'm sure that she could take offense at it. If she tried. Anyway, a nice way of putting it, and I'm going to steal that sometime.

And you outed Laura Hale? Wow. Of course, that assumes that you did know it was her actual RL name and not just another pseud (of which she has several). I wasn't sure myself 'til yesterday that this really was her RL, but someone who claims to have met her posted that she was sure it was.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Please! Steal that line! It's especially apropos that you should ask, considering that the original wank, in the two-year-old post, was about plagiarism.

[stillwell.livejournal.com]

I've been deep in the throws of school/head up my ass, and have been away from lj.

Just sending a hello and a hug to you (up there - from down here :)

[cordelia_v]

Oh, and did you see the new trailer for HBP?

It's completely squee-worthy, esp. the young Tom Riddle here.

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

*boggled*

Despite the fact she says she is always open and out with her names?

I was wondering if I would be contacted and told to take Laura Hale out of my journal (I didn't even know it was her offline name until told--I thought it was another fan pseud!).

Nothing yet.....

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Well, we don't know if it was her who complained to LJ Abuse about my use of her name, and it was two years ago, so ... who knows?

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

Give me an I; Give Me an R,...

How to we spell I-R-O-N-Y???

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, um, I think that's how you spell it.

*runs*

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

of course it's not how we spell "do". *bg*

[jcalanthe]

Welcome back! I desperately await news of your trip. :) But in a nonpressureful way. ;)

I am greatly amused that you got in trouble for outing LH - thanks for sharing that.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

I'll get to it! Any minute now! It's just ... see, we got back and ALL the apricots were ripe, so we had to gather them and cook them and get jars and put the cooked apricots in the jars, and then the cat threw up again, and, well, you know.

[jcalanthe]

Mmmm, apricots! Our friends have a very prolific tree and gave us some (in exchange for a little help harvesting) - very yummy, and while bearfairie did can some, I'm not sure it'll make any will make it to winter - we can't stop eating it's so good.

With 4 cats, I have a lot of sympathy on the vomit front. Like I say, no pressure (I haven't managed to post since June I think, so no trip report from me either), just nice to see you in these parts & hear what's going on with you.

[blacksquirrel.livejournal.com]

OMG apricots? *so jealous*

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

Huh. When she posted her epic rant against plagiarism (http://web.archive.org/web/20020824020259/writersu.s5.com/steal.html) she did it as Michela Ecks (Laura Hale). That was in 2001. I don't think anyone could have outed her if they tried because she has always been out.

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

Huh. I wonder, then, if it was someone other than LH who reported me to LJ Abuse? Anyway, no big deal either way.