Doc Searls posted today a much clearer, first hand version of what I tried to say the other night about those brave souls (be they A-Listers or not) who stood up for Dave Winer in the face of his unpopular (be they justified or not) actions and the blogonslaught that followed.
I’m sure Doc will take even more abuse than I did (via Comments and particularly email), but Doc’s post is example number 1 of someone looking beyond a person’s faults (which Doc admits Dave has) and at the bigger picture.
I don’t know who’s right or who’s wrong in the OPML mess. I don’t know Rogers Cadenhead, though from reading his blog he seems like a pretty nice fellow. Few would accuse Dave of being a nice fellow. But whatever the story is, it goes way beyond one letter from some lawyer and a couple of blog posts.
The fact that I’d rather hang out with Rogers (and, for the record, I would) does not make him 100% right and Dave 100% wrong. The truth is almost always somewhere in between. That’s for someone with more interest and access than me to determine. But we can’t and shouldn’t digg Rogers to victory just because some of us like him better.
Most of us will never know all the facts. Some of us (myself included) don’t care enough about the matter to try to figure them out.
But let me point out again that there are two sides to every story and to act without considering the other side of the pancake is to act too hastily.
Once the discussion becomes politicalized (and this one was from the first minute) right and wrong too often gets lost in the rush to posture and discredit.
Newsome.Org 