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In regards to the Rabid Puppy affair, one of my Facebook commentors mentioned that the whole dispute reminded him of the arguments among faculty in college departments. These disputes are noted for being long-running and bitter, fought over seeming trivia, but with all the zeal of a knife-fight. I said that the problem with academia is that the knives are too dull to cut. Herewith I expand that thought.
Vendettas, or what in America we call "feuds," tend to be long-running affairs. This is in part because many of the participants forget why the fight started. The Hatfield - McCoy feud started over a pig. The Puppies started over a campaign by Larry Correia to get him and his Hugos. But these original motives are either long forgotten or mythologized by the competitors. For example, because Larry declined a rigged nomination in SP3, he's a hero in Puppydom.
In real vendettas, there's an actual cost - people get killed. In most real-life disputes, there are real costs, from lost friendships, lost jobs and/or broken noses. Not so in Puppy-land or academia. Nobody will loose anything except a bit of dignity.
Also in real life, we tend to have conflict-resolution measures. The police can be called, or somebody's boss can put an end to fighting. The Hatfield - McCoy mess festered because law enforcement, especially across state lines, was too weak. Here, precisely because the stakes are so low, no conflict-resolution mechanism exists. So the war continues.
Vendettas, or what in America we call "feuds," tend to be long-running affairs. This is in part because many of the participants forget why the fight started. The Hatfield - McCoy feud started over a pig. The Puppies started over a campaign by Larry Correia to get him and his Hugos. But these original motives are either long forgotten or mythologized by the competitors. For example, because Larry declined a rigged nomination in SP3, he's a hero in Puppydom.
In real vendettas, there's an actual cost - people get killed. In most real-life disputes, there are real costs, from lost friendships, lost jobs and/or broken noses. Not so in Puppy-land or academia. Nobody will loose anything except a bit of dignity.
Also in real life, we tend to have conflict-resolution measures. The police can be called, or somebody's boss can put an end to fighting. The Hatfield - McCoy mess festered because law enforcement, especially across state lines, was too weak. Here, precisely because the stakes are so low, no conflict-resolution mechanism exists. So the war continues.
