RSS
Belgian Politician Caught Drunk In NYC Bar; Blames Bloggers
from the maybe-you-should-drink-alone dept
TechCrunch has a story from last week about a top Belgian politician who apparently got drunk in a New York City bar on a diplomatic trip to the US. A bartender at the bar wrote about it, noting how the politician, Pieter De Crem had acted in a way that was embarrassing. Additionally, his aides admitted that they came to NYC despite the fact that they knew the meetings they had lined up had all been canceled due to a UN meeting in Geneva. The whole thing got an extra spotlight of attention when a staffer complained to the bar owner, and the bartender was fired. But what's most interesting is how De Crem responded, going on a bit of a rampage against bloggers:
I want to take this opportunity and use this non-event to signal a dangerous phenomenon in our society. We live in a time where everybody is free to publish whatever he or she wants on blogs at will without taking any responsibility. This exceeds mud-slinging. Together with you, other Parliament members and the government I find that it's nearly impossible to defend yourself against this. Everyone of you is a potential victim. I would like to ask you to take a moment and think about this.The thing is, he doesn't seem to dispute any part of the original report. He complains about this idea that people can publish without responsibility -- but if the problem is defamation, then why not deny the claims? If the report was true, then what, exactly, is the problem? The problem isn't that anyone can publish anything -- it appears to be that De Crem and his entourage didn't do a very good job hiding their questionable behavior.
I have an idea...
5 Things You Should Know About Crowdfunding For Startups
Finding Co-Founders in a Recovering Economy
I’m looking for research...
Who Are App Developers?
Why Data Is The New Oil, With Dan Foreman Of Lumi Mobile
I have an app...
How My First Game Made $28,623
Marketing And Monetization Strategies For Free Apps
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
What about behaving responsibly at a public bar?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Privacy
Politicians and bureaucrats should be held to higher standards than the rest of us. If you're going to elect officers to maintain a system with which you order society, transparency in who and what they are is key. The internet is the great equalizer here, to remove that now would be stupid.
That said I agree that there does need to be an element of responsibility, but if it's true...well, f**k off.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
The fact that the bartender was fired was inevitable, however unfortunate. As we hold politicians to higher standards, I believe there is also a standard for bartenders and service staff as well. There's a thin line here.
Point being, the jackass shouldn't have acting in a manner that would garner such attention.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Sue
If for no other reason than to bring more light on this.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Will he edit Wikipedia
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
The bar/owner
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
AFAIK all bars are privately owned.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Few simple rules
Good thing the bartender got fired, I wouldn't want to go to a bar where the bartender would blog about it if I got drunk. Some basic etiquette is required.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
if
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
However, Pierre Du Fleur La Creme A Tete here has a point. If any action a marginally public figure does ends up permanently recorded in cyberspace, the internet suddenly isn't just a communications tool.
We routinely hear cases of people being fired for information they posted on the internet. We tend to think that's silly on both sides.
The internet would be the greatest surveillance tool ever. No one could ever let their guard down.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
Americans are funny.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
A Disturbing Trend
The internet changed the status quo by bypassing the gatekeeper's 'newsworthy' filters and exposing politicians (and traditional media itself) to ever increasing scrutiny. Gone are the days when an elected official can duck a report in the morning news about public drunkenness in exchange for an exclusive interview with a beat reporter; and with that there's an ever decreasing enthusiasm for truly free speech and press.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/13/mccain-war-on-blogs/
http://it.newinstance.it/2008/11/14/it alian-politicians-against-bloggers-again/
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/547434 .html
http://news.cnet.com/The-coming-crackdown-on-blogging/2008-1028_3-5597079.html
http://thinen dofthewedge.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/eu-proposes-regulation-of-blogging/
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Some Royal Advice.
Seriously, if someone wants to hold a major public office, he's always on duty. It's like "officers eat last" in the Army.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
He needs a law like in Italy...
So instead of moaning about bloggers, they should just implement a law like that and fine 'em...
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Politicans and celebrities seem to think they belong to a class of people that are above scrutiny. They are not and they should be reminded of it as often as possible.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The bar/owner
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: The bar/owner
You voted for Bush both terms, didn't you?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Add Your Comment