Patterico's Pontifications

1/25/2012

Incredible Outrage: Tommy Christopher Not Really Tommy Christopher? So?

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 9:23 pm



I have had a few people sending me the link to the big revelation that Tommy Christopher’s real name is not really Tommy Christopher.

Well.

First of all, I think it’s important to say: it’s very difficult to criticize someone who wants to use a pen name to protect their own safety and that of their family. There are evil people out there, and if your real name is known, you are a potential target. Those of us whose identities are known are aware of the dangers and we accept them. But I am hardly going to criticize anyone for using a pen name. I believe it’s actually a prudent move.

Second: if you’re going to use a pen name, you should own up to it. I don’t know whether Tommy has actively pretended that “Tommy Christopher” is his real name. If he has, then I disapprove of that. If he hasn’t, then I can’t see the problem at all.

Now Tommy is someone with whom I have had a rocky relationship. I believe he is capable of some pretty extreme asshattery. As one example — and it’s a rather timely reminder with this year’s CPAC coming up — I just happened to watch (again) Tommy’s confrontation at a past CPAC with my friend Andrew Breitbart:

Sheesh. That video is unfair and ridiculous. And it’s hardly the only hackery I have seen Tommy engage in. He is also at times thin-skinned, flies into a rage at slight provocation, and lashes out often when it’s not warranted.

But you know? Nobody’s perfect. He has also been a stand-up guy at times. A real, honest-to-goodness stand-up guy. And as someone who tries not to hold grudges — and, importantly, as someone who realizes that I am far from perfect myself, and that we are all sinners in the eyes of the Lord — I would like to think of Tommy as a friend. A friend with whom I have had some fights. But a friend.

Tommy may not think of me that way, but he doesn’t get the only say, you know.

And as Tommy’s friend, I say: as long as he’s honest about it, let him use a phony name. It’s a layer of protection against the jackasses. And make no mistake: the jackasses are out there.

They know who they are.

They don’t have the ability to silence good people. And they won’t. Count on it. But they are out there. Don’t forget it.

32 Responses to “Incredible Outrage: Tommy Christopher Not Really Tommy Christopher? So?”

  1. Yeah, this post is a day or two late. What of it? I’ve been a little busy, you know!

    Patterico (d508e7)

  2. Yes…life gets in the way 😉

    Pamela (0f43f2)

  3. Gotta love the useful idiots on the left being afraid of the right doing away with Obama’s godly policies in 2016 and making the bush depression worse.

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  4. And yes I was being snarkcastic.

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  5. My only exposure to Tommy is his “asshat” side. But I think you have a good point, Patterico.

    Even if I disagree with this person, and even if I actually think he’s outright unfair every time I read his work, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be safe.

    And that’s what having a pen name means.

    If I truly believe that the answer to bad speech is more speech, then people who use consistent pen names shouldn’t bother me.

    But friend of Patterico or not, Tommy is an absurd pundit who deserves much of the flack he gets.

    Dustin (7362cd)

  6. if you’re going to use a pen name, you should own up to it.

    Why? Seriously, how is it anybody’s business whether the name under which someone writes matches the name on their birth certificate or passport? A person can have multiple names, each perfectly real; so long as it isn’t done for the purpose of fraud what’s the problem?

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  7. He is also at times thin-skinned, flies into a rage at slight provocation, and lashes out often when it’s not warranted.

    Icy (5ec1bb)

  8. Tommy’s not much of an expert at fake ID as I recall, so I’m surprised he’s able to keep the pen name thing going, although as the D.C. story points out he does use his real name to sign in to visitor logs various places.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  9. Why? Seriously, how is it anybody’s business whether the name under which someone writes matches the name on their birth certificate or passport? A person can have multiple names, each perfectly real; so long as it isn’t done for the purpose of fraud what’s the problem?

    I just think that, generally speaking, one should not pretend a fake name is real.

    Patterico (d508e7)

  10. But is his SS# from Connecticut?

    Pinandpuller (b5accb)

  11. I’ve been reading you for years (mostly attracted to your ripping on :the times”, but the thing that keeps me coming back is your even-handedness. I wish that more people, including myself, had your level approach to dealing with conflict.

    raugaj (805120)

  12. He is a mendoucheous twatwaffle. Regardless of his name. 😉

    JD (48f69a)

  13. He’s almost invariably wrong on a whole host of fronts,

    narciso (87e966)

  14. Amusing video, but I always thought the guy was a women’s clothing designer or something.

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  15. Well, rest assured that I’m really Amphipolis.

    Amphipolis (b120ce)

  16. I’ll prove it by quoting my subtitle:

    Surrender, battles lost, and the ruins of millennia.

    Amphipolis (b120ce)

  17. Your repeating yourself JD.

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  18. Coming late to this battle …
    Who is Tommy Christopher and why should I care ?

    [note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]

    Neo (d1c681)

  19. Why Mr. Christopher is almost as big a scoundrel as that Samuel Clements fellow. The one that used the alias “Mark Twain,” while he was a reporter.

    The next thing people will expect us to believe is that certain Founding Fathers used pen names. I mean can you imagine the harm that they could have done to the country writing under names like Poor Richard or Publius. Almost as much harm as maybe some guy named Marion Morrison using a different stage name when acting in movies.

    Mark L (da8bb9)

  20. It seems to me that a name one uses consistently in a particular context or circle is real; just as real as the one that appears on ones government-issued documents.

    Note: the name almost everybody knows me by, the one I put on my resume and introduce myself as, is not the one on my passport. This has caused some occasional confusion, since the HR people at work obviously know me by my documented name, while the people I actually work with know me by my more usual name. Until ID was required for flying, I used to book plane tickets under my usual name; now I have to remember to book them under the name on my passport, or I won’t be able to fly. Which name is “real”?

    Milhouse (d7842d)

  21. Tommy Christopher is still an Obama fellating pig but he does deserve his right to privacy.

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  22. It seems to me that a name one uses consistently in a particular context or circle is real

    However, most people disagree. And Tommy and other pundits know that. So they know that if they present a pen name as though it’s real, there’s a deception.

    We consider one’s legal name to be the ‘real’ name, even though your concept could be argued.

    I used to book plane tickets under my usual name; now I have to remember to book them under the name on my passport, or I won’t be able to fly. Which name is “real”?

    This isn’t really similar to someone deliberately using a pen name to protect their controversial speech from potential violence. It’s totally justified, and sure, in a real way, as a journalist, Tommy’s real name IS Tommy, and Patterico’s real name IS Patterico and Allahpundit’s real name IS Allahpundit.

    But we have to have a linguistic way to distinguish that from the name they are protecting from the ‘jackasses’ (a stunning euphemism, IMO). Anyway, all that P was saying was that folks shouldn’t pretend their pen name is this other name being hidden away.

    It goes to trust. I know a friend who made this mistake, and while I still trust him, I recognize it as a mistake.

    Tommy is fortunate this exposure didn’t occur when many were deeply suspicious of his Weinergate goof, vouching for the validity of folks who were completely fraudulent, among other mistakes. Just because that story has been in my mind recently, the first reaction I had to this pen name news was that Tommy was dishonest (then I learned he didn’t hide that he had a pen name and decided to cut some slack).

    Dustin (7362cd)

  23. I wonder if we gave Tommy Christopher a standardized tests would he call it unfair to students and teachers?

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  24. Why do republicans always put their foots into their mouths?

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  25. I don’t think we can rely on anyone being who they claim on the internet, other than perhaps “official” websites like businesses, government, etc. — and given the amount of hacking that goes on, we can’t even rely on that some of the time. That’s why I try to focus on the substance of what someone says and not who says it. In the long run, what matters is whether the substance is convincing.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  26. Also, Gabriel Malor’s discussion with Jeff Poor on this issue (on twitter) was really effective at changing my mind about this. When someone is outed as payback for something totally unrelated to their identity, that’s not cool.

    If Tommy was reporting on himself or his associate, and pretending to be objective, that would be different. That’s basically the only way I can see outing being justified (other than finding a criminal).

    Dustin (7362cd)

  27. I also understand a concern about holding oneself out to be something they aren’t. But as long as you’re consistent, whether you hold yourself out online as “Joe” when your name is really “Sally” isn’t nearly as important as someone who purports to have special expertise in an area — for instance, as a doctor, lawyer, plumber or teacher — when they aren’t. Names alone don’t give someone special status but purporting to have special expertise (that you don’t have) does.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  28. We consider one’s legal name to be the ‘real’ name,

    What does “legal name” mean? AFAIK the name one is known by in society is ones legal name, regardless of what is ones documents. If one becomes known by a different name, then that becomes ones new name; no paperwork is required.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  29. I blame “George Sand”.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  30. purporting to have special expertise (that you don’t have) does.

    Good point.

    What does “legal name” mean? AFAIK the name one is known by in society is ones legal name, regardless of what is ones documents. If one becomes known by a different name, then that becomes ones new name; no paperwork is required.

    Comment by Milhouse

    Exactly. Tommy signs in under a different name. He even is called by this other name sometimes. But he authors articles and does radio interviews as “Tommy”, his pen name, rather than his actual name.

    Which I originally found deeply suspicious because of my bias against this guy, but like I said, Gabe’s conversation with Jeff showed that was misguided.

    Dustin (7362cd)

  31. It takes work to use a pseudonym well enough to gain protection of your family through its use. Been there, done that … but not well enough. I was young and stupid and knew better than those were were trying to tell me how to do it properly. Of course, I wasn’t trying to be a public a*****e while doing it, either.

    htom (412a17)

  32. Tommy Christopher and Andrew Sullivan are smearmongers.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)


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