Using the civil courts as an instrument of private vengeance rather than to compensate or punish injuries corrupts the legal system. Doing so in secret deprives the public and the jury of the knowledge which would create some self-correcting mechanism to limit such abuse. It’s as simple as that. Comparing this to lawsuits brought by the ACLU or a conservative public interest law firm is either silly, dishonest or stupid. (via Thiel Apologists Still Having a Hard Time)
Defending gawker reminds me of defending Too-Live-Crew in the 1990s. I’m cringing but it’s the right thing to do. Thiel seem to think his hurt feelings trump the free speech of others. I don’t see a single difference between that Thiel is doing and what the right calls “Social Justice Warriors” silencing others.
