Thursday, May 17, 2007

Questions For Peter Porcupine


It is no surprise or secret that Cynthia Stead is the uber-blogger known as Peter Porcupine on BlueMassGroup.com, and elsewhere. Indeed there seems to be some sort of strange understanding that everybody knows who Peter Porcupine is, yet nobody is supposed to mention it. Just in order to test my assumption, I posted a comment on BMG that referred to Cynthia Stead after Peter Porcupine had posted, yet drew no relation between the two. My comment was deleted, and this was the reply I got from BMG management:

"Hello. I have deleted a comment you posted on Laurel's marriage thread,
in which you used Peter Porcupine's real name. PP chooses to blog
anonymously, and we insist that users of BMG respect that choice, as we
insist that users respect the choice of any other user."

-How can you blog anonymously when you go around letting everyone know you are that person? At the last Republican Committee meeting it was a well talked about point that Cynthia Stead was their most important blogger. Is this supposed to be a secret?

-The "secret identity" you've chosen for yourself, isn't that a little over the top? Is William Cobbett supposed to be symbolic of you, or what you wish to become? I also don't get why you chose a man to be your pen name. What is behind that decision?

-Why do you refer to yourself in third person when you are already in character on your blog? You say, "Porcupine held a very modest...". Isn't it a little pompous to refer to yourself in third person? In fact, the more I read, the more I get the impression that there are delusions of grandeur. Sorry if that stings, but it is just an observation.

-On BlueMassGroup.com, every comment made is logged with a date and time stamp. It is my understanding that "Peter Porcupine" works for the state. Are you using state time to post your more than 1200 comments this year alone? When I review these comments, I can see some that are outside of the 9 to 5, but the bulk of these seem to be happening when you are at work. Why should the taxpayers flip the bill for your ego feeding blog addiction? You can be sure that this question WILL receive an answer, one way or the other.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, and to be able to share them as they please. When they do so, they open the door for others to praise or ridicule what they say. Ms. Stead is no doubt an intelligent woman. However, I question some of her motivations and decisions, and wonder if they are well intended stands for the public, or simply hubris. I do so in open forum with no qualms.

5 comments:

Boston Bud said...

This is a tactic of the Right. They hide who they are. It makes people think there are a lot more of them then there really is.

I'm also not surprised that she chose a man's name since even in her own party women are treated like second class citizens.

The fact that BMG supports this farce is a bit disturbing.

Anonymous said...

Something about this is reminiscent of the Know Nothing Party. How does she feel about Catholicism?

Anonymous said...

I would love to be a fly on the wall at the RSC when they start laughing at the Democratic dupes who are stupid enough to let PP walk all over them. Not even let her, invite her, BEG her to walk all over them.

I wouldn't blame her for wanting to keep her identity secret even if she weren't gaming the dupes because honestly, she sounds like a complete moron. I would be embarassed as hell if anybody knew I was writing her stuff.

Anonymous said...

"I'm also not surprised that she chose a man's name since even in her own party women are treated like second class citizens."

Not true.

http://nfrw.org/republicans/women/11.htm

John Hosty said...

What's your point? All but four of them have resigned under this administration. If you think women are treated well in the Republican Party, let me know how many female Presidential Canidates we have had. That's equal, right?