Topic: Stickman and Privacy Issues

[Uncle Che]

It seems like the venerable Stickman has been outted by the notstickmanbangkok website. This is very sad that one person had nothing better to do than unmasked a long term webmaster in Thailand. Because of the laws in Thailand, things that may not be a problem in the west can be very dangerous there. It seems like there is a lot of this going on around Thailand. What is going on? Are people so intent on staying in Thailand that they will do anything to curry favor with their  taskmasters?

This notstickmanbangkok website showed pictures of his co-workers and information that leads from a simple google search to the school and a picture of what the website owners says is a picture of Stickman. This is plain wrong.

[samvimes]

It's a shame and a step too far. Galt sure does seem to hate Stickman for some reason. 

Stickman was an interesting read most of the time and everything was his opinion; not fact.

Hopefully he will be back at some point in the future...   

[floorpotato]

John Galt’s mission statement is to “provide commentary that is interesting and amusing” but he is neither. Galt’s hubristic, pretentious, mean-spirited drivel shows that he is just another pathetic white man in Thailand playing the game of one-upmanship with his peers. Why is Thailand populated with so many of these petty, jealous, little men who are obsessed with demonstrating a superior knowledge of Thai culture and women? Does Galt understand “bpahk-mah” and how disgusted Thais are with those who spend their time smearing others? Galt takes it to the extreme by trying to ruin the reputation and career of a well-intentioned man who has spent countless hours providing free and useful information about Thailand on his website. Galt is not funny enough to be considered parody, so he is also committing major copyright infringement by republishing straight from the Stickman site.  The original John Galt was a fictional character of the detestable Ayn Rand, whose self-centered and humorless philosophy was the furthest thing from the group-oriented, fun-loving, irrational Thais imaginable. Whereas Rand’s Galt founded a Utopia, this pathetic jackass might convince a few dozen gullible farangs to frequent his website for a true misunderstanding of Thai culture. Enough bpahk-mah from me, but this guy really deserves it.

[Uncle Che]

One thing I think is bad that many of those who exposed John Galt by posting his name and picture on various forums complained so bitterly that Stickman was exposed.  They had no problem doing something many times worse than John Galt is accused of. It was bad that Stickman was exposed, but it did take a little bit of google work to uncover him.

I really feel for Stickman on this situation and I think the John Galt character was out of line. I think these other websites that are allowing John Galt's real name and workplace to be published are doing wrong by not allowing people to post Stickman's real name and workplace.

Here, both are off-limits.

[sabai_sabai]

I'm not a Stickman reader, but going after another expat's career because of some mysterious vendetta is just plain wrong.  Yes, perhaps "nightlife commentator" and teacher don't mix, but he posted his website anonymously for that very reason and there is no reason to think that he compromised his professional duties.

Expats in Thailand aren't always the best at helping each other out, however there is a line that has most definitely been crossed by "Galt."  Not many people can say that they have abided by all of Thailand's laws and expectations, and that includes Thais.  The difference is that expats have much more to lose and the curent environment is very anti-foreigner.  Does any expat want another scandal involving a foreign teacher in the press right now?  That's the last thing that we need right now.  Whatever "Galt's" grudge is, this behavior is uncalled for.   

While the discussions elsewhere about this have become a bunch of chest thumping, much of it is defending Stickman's privacy.  That gives me a bit of hope that most expats know where to draw the line in a grudge.   

[Uncle Che]

Unfortunately, some of those beating their chests didn't know where to draw the line in the past.

[sabai_sabai]

 

I'd like to think that most people just got a carried away.  Stickman has been very smart in not commenting about the matter.  Hopefully, not adding fuel to the fire will help a few folks back away from the keyboards.  Are death threats really necessary?

[ajarnnormal]

There are some crazy people out there. You have to watch your backs, fronts and sides I'm afraid.

[Ronaldo]

 

And Rears

[wangsuda]

Just to play Devil's Advocate here . . . . .

Stickman is a public figure. If he gave enough information about himself on his site that a simple Google search could find his name, then the fault is not only Gault's, but Stickman's as well. I am not saying what Galt did was proper. I, personally don't agree with what he did. However, in this information age and the ease of obtaining information from the web, we all need to be careful.

[Pibthong]

   There's a great difference between an anti-social prank and seriously demented anti-social behaviours. Ignoring or willfully obliterating the bounds of societal norms and expectations invites anarchy. I am reminded of St .Thomas Aqinus's question of what would happen if all the laws of society were lain flat. What would be left to protect us--all of us? This is a clear case of lock him up and throw away the key.

[NukeThemSlowly]

I think both of them are complete idiots.  Mixing your real identity and public face with all that dirty laundry is just an invitation for both of them to be deported, or worse.

[floorpotato]

This Galt-Stickman thing in an interesting study in human character. Summers seems to be unravelling during his one-sided pissing match, becoming even more arrogant and vindictive. Stickman may have finally learned that his web site attracted the intense jealousy of unstable white men living in Thailand. It is a creepy subculture that should be avoided rather than catered to. Stickman's reaction to all this has been level-headed and discreet. He may be wiser as a result and the only one of the two who is thriving in Thailand a year from now.

[Speaksoftly]

Truer words never spoken.   

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

If it comes to a street brawl, I'm with Stickman.