Gawker Gone

Gawker is gone.

I've been reading Gawker for years. I've always respected the site because I believed in what it was, a collectively written blog that didn't protect anyone. It exposed things and people that no one else would talk about. It did so in a mocking way, yes, and it wasn't fun to be on the receiving end of their stuff, but it never lied. It was always the truth.

Sometimes they took things to a shitty conclusion. They were assholes about Amanda Palmer, mostly because I don't think they really understood her, but what they said about her was stuff that was true. In fact, in most cases, it was stuff she said herself. I didn't always agree with them, but who ever always agrees with anyone.

I would be sad if Gawker died on its own. Websites die. News outlets die. Usually when they die it's because the lost their readers or vitality. Gawker was vital and it had great readership. It was doing fine.

Gawker died because of Peter Thiel. Thiel is a tech billionaire who hated Gawker for daring to treat him and his ilk with the same critical eye as they treated everyone. They never said anything about him that wasn't true, but it wasn't the way or in the time he wanted it said.

He secretly conspired with a sue-happy lawyer to bankroll any suits against the site. Anytime people wanted to take on Gawker, he would finance them. When Hulk Hogan decided to take them on, Thiel kept the moneybags open so that the man could sue and sue and sue, even after he kept losing. Eventually, he sued them in his hometown and won a massive judgement.

Now Gawker is gone and I'm not sad so much as I am really disturbed by this. This person silenced a media voice because he had the money to do so. I guess in a way I should be grateful for this. So often we allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking that there is some kind of justice that can keep the rich from doing whatever spiteful thing they want. Thiel just reminded us all that so long as people are allowed unlimited funds, they have unlimited power.

Scary thought.

Goodbye, Gawker,  you magnificent bastard. You will be missed.