What's confusing about all this is that Scott Alexander [redacted, see 0] doesn't seem to be in
any way "pseudonymous." A non-profiled Google search autocompletes this, and then links to numerous fan-driven Reddit threads including talk about podcasts and authors.[1]
Given that his name was already out there to the point where it's trivially discoverable, did he even have pseudonymous status to begin with? I still have to work to recover Dril's name, and I confess I never heard Infosec Taylor Swift's name. But I actually had this name in the back of my head for years now. If an NYT reported had asked me to name him, I probably could have in a heartbeat.
A lot is being said about the transgression of the press here, but if you've got a fan-run reddit where they're using your full name publicly, maybe it's somewhat futile to delete your blog and blame the NYT no matter how much your purported genius entitles you.
I am definitely one of those spooky antifa types that folks here label with derision as the "ctrl-left". If anyone wanted to somehow threaten his safety, they're a google search away. That places him closer to discoverability for most folks than any NYT article which will squat behind a paywall.
Far more likely is that few have bothered Scott or substantially transgressed his safety because he's actually a very small niche blogger with a loyal but admittedly small fan community.
I admit I'm a famously uncharitable audience for bloggers, but I'm much more inclined to think that this entire series of events is either a fit of pique that blew up in Scott's face, or a deliberate attempt to create a controversy to gain publicity.
[0]: I've been informed that as there is a central controversy over if this man is in fact anonymous, the mods are going to err on the side of caution, and so I've re-presented this post with the item redacted even though it turns out all it took to find the name was to let google autocomplete the name, populated from content 7 years old.
[1]: I've screenshotted what _I_ see when I use an incog to search for him on this tweet: [redacted], it turns out even THIS is too much of a concession to reality. My twitter account has the screenshot if you'd like to see it. But it consists of typing "scott alexander"
Given that his name was already out there to the point where it's trivially discoverable, did he even have pseudonymous status to begin with? I still have to work to recover Dril's name, and I confess I never heard Infosec Taylor Swift's name. But I actually had this name in the back of my head for years now. If an NYT reported had asked me to name him, I probably could have in a heartbeat.
A lot is being said about the transgression of the press here, but if you've got a fan-run reddit where they're using your full name publicly, maybe it's somewhat futile to delete your blog and blame the NYT no matter how much your purported genius entitles you.
I am definitely one of those spooky antifa types that folks here label with derision as the "ctrl-left". If anyone wanted to somehow threaten his safety, they're a google search away. That places him closer to discoverability for most folks than any NYT article which will squat behind a paywall.
Far more likely is that few have bothered Scott or substantially transgressed his safety because he's actually a very small niche blogger with a loyal but admittedly small fan community.
I admit I'm a famously uncharitable audience for bloggers, but I'm much more inclined to think that this entire series of events is either a fit of pique that blew up in Scott's face, or a deliberate attempt to create a controversy to gain publicity.
[0]: I've been informed that as there is a central controversy over if this man is in fact anonymous, the mods are going to err on the side of caution, and so I've re-presented this post with the item redacted even though it turns out all it took to find the name was to let google autocomplete the name, populated from content 7 years old.
[1]: I've screenshotted what _I_ see when I use an incog to search for him on this tweet: [redacted], it turns out even THIS is too much of a concession to reality. My twitter account has the screenshot if you'd like to see it. But it consists of typing "scott alexander"