TechCrunch TV positioned Michael Arrington against John Gruber and MG Siegler in a debate which Arrington was delighted to post as a fanboy smackdown. An, “Intervention.”
The only intervention needed is Arrington’s attitude.
I’m not sure if I should weigh in on this. After all, we’re just a casual mac blog that writes a few good reviews under the nose of a couple twenty-somethings. But the aggressiveness, if not the perpetual hate (literal anger) against Apple, Gruber, and MG Siegler, was both unintelligent and rude. Distasteful. Arrington’s overbearing posture, coupled with his desire to argue, describes the kind of man he is. Somebody that I never want to be. And now I know why I didn’t initially like the guy in the first place.
The sheer level of unprofessionalism is astounding; some might retort I’m an Apple fanboy coming to the defense of Siegler and Gruber, but the conflict was one of personality. I’d probably react the same way if I had a giant, yelling, sweaty man attacking my every statement. I mean, how do you deal with someone who is proudly belligerent? Arrington clearly knows what position he’s in. Gruber is someone who is incredibly thoughtful with every word. With no time for reflection, what do you expect from someone who carefully crafts every word written on Daring Fireball? The man needs room to think. Give him room to breathe.
Arrington kept saying Apple said there wasn’t a problem, yet they’re giving away a free bumper. That’s not what happened at all unless you’re really looking to pick a fight — it’s completely taken out of context. Apple admitted there was a problem. They said other phones have it too, which can be debated. If their customers lived in a region where the exposed antenna is truly an issue, the customer can apply for a free bumper which fixes it. Something that’s optional. Yeah you might have to wear a bumper, but so what? The issue goes away and you can still use the phone’s incredible software. And if you feel that it’s a “band-aid,” Apple even encourages that you return the phone if you don’t like it. It won’t hurt their feelings — they understand. This whole argument is dumb. The desire to pick a fight, call out and mock publicists was childish.
You don’t debate an idea or an issue by talking over someone and getting in their face. Provide a clear and concise idea as a professional and not as an amateur. I’m a kid and I know better than to do this. I know I’ve had my share of rants, some unprofessional that I’m not proud of. I know at times I’m not the brightest bulb on the block. But I would never combat someone with a staged and pre-existing desire to attack someone, nor do I have the want to do that anyway. I believe Gruber understood this and attempted to call it out. Unfortunately it didn’t happen as Arrington got his words in. But at least Gruber weighed in on it while I was writing this piece, and as usual, he was bluntly honest while remaining casually cool. It’s just frustrating to know that this was basically a set-up.
Really, the only reality distortion field present is Arrington’s ego.
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