Logic 101

Yes, you know some stuff about me. As a result of the determined efforts of a number of creepily obsessed people a few years ago, my name has been openly associated with this blog for some time. As has my profession, which is a fairly public one.

This wasn't deliberate on my part - I wanted to be able to discuss things freely and openly without the distraction of my identity being used to muddy the waters. I didn't want the people in my life to get caught up in any "internet war". So I used a pseudonym and called the blog "Anonymous Lefty". Obviously I wasn't careful to the point of paranoia - as, it turns out, anyone who wants to remain anonymous on the internet must be - which is how I came to be unnecessarily "exposed" by people who can't have a political disagreement with someone without trying to harm their offline lives. Oh well - I've long since come to terms with that.

But let me make something perfectly clear: who I am has nothing whatsoever to do with the merits or otherwise of anything I argue. I could be the world's biggest hypocrite on a subject, and it would not in any way logically mean that I was wrong. Any argument I make here - or anyone else makes anywhere, for that matter - deserves to be dealt with on the merits, if you're going to bother responding to it at all.

I'm not sure why this isn't completely obvious but, based on recent efforts by various commenters, apparently it isn't: YOU DO NOT WIN AN ARGUMENT BY ATTACKING THE PERSON MAKING IT.

You could raise all sorts of unrelated evidence that they happen to be a thoroughly flawed human being, and they still could be right on the issue in question. If I say two plus two equals four, you're hardly going to prove otherwise by pointing out that I'm actually not very good at maths; you might be correct in your diversionary point, but clearly so am I, and on the actual subject of our disagreement.

In summary: if you find yourself throwing my profession back at me - you lose. If you find yourself throwing my private life back at me - you lose, and you're also a miserable git.