UPDATE: Penny Arcade Smacks Down Shady PR Dude

[newwiseman]

This just made my week,

I really feel bad for the maker of the controller accessory.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/inventive-teacher-gives-disabled-student-control/ -just some back story on the development if it isn't already linked.

David Kotkin seams to have partnered with a company that has horrible product management and doesn't keep an adequate watch on it's contracted employees, feel even worse for the guy knowing he is a teacher.

I wouldn't be surprised if legal action was eventually brought against this Paul guy for what is a very apparent case of dreadful mismanagement that has lead to, in all likelihood, an unrecoverable blow to the product's image...

The world would truly be a better place if I knew this Paul guy was never going to be working in customer support or marketing again, sadly this product is small enough (and even more so thanks in no small part to Paul I'm sure) that even with the current press it will not have a lasting impact on his career.

 

[The Philistine]

Well, I am sure a large number of people were raised like I was, with their parents telling them to treat others how they want to be treated.

From the look of all of the emails he has sent to customers it seems like he is getting the exact treatment he wanted.

Go mob!

And how many members of that mob are treating the guy like they'd want to be treated? It seems like he's already reaped his comeuppance before the stalking, harassment, and defamation got involved.

 

[The Philistine]

For a lot of the trolls I know its live by the troll die by the troll, they don't much care if they are treated like assholes, its just the way of life. Cant say I speak for all of em, but I am sure a lot of them work from that viewpoint.

Is sending people snide messages stalking now? Harassment sure, but that's just an annoyance on level that he had given others, one good turn deserves another, as it were.

And the defamation is well deserved, he gave all the ammo to vilify himself and didn't need much of a push beyond that. But really, if you are going to be snarky with an internet icon, you have to be pretty dim to miss what the consequences are going to be.

Dredging up the guy's personal information and tracking down members of his family can very well be considered stalking. And while parody of his emails may be fine, tracking down what may or may not be his other internet personas is just more e-thuggery. The only thing really standing out about this guy and probably a half million or so other internet trolls is that he got posted up on Penny-arcade. It's hardly worth of an eye-roll by the casual observer and whatever real-world consequences he gets for representing his company/clients poorly.

 

[Nemu]

People underestimate nerds and geeks, so it's a real pleasure to see the little guy beat up a bully.

As I told my gf early this morning, I'd be surprised if that guy will even be able to act as PR to a Mom and Pop store in Georgia...


...the COUNTRY, not the state.

 

[Nemu]

ARgh. Sorry for the double post. ><

 

[cthulhumythos]

it would appear gabe is enjoying this turn of events.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

I suggest you go back to TheGuy(wantsobe) and my post before making a completely incorrect statement like this. He did more then just give terrible PR to his company and act VERY unprofessional to his customers, he lied, he cheat, and stole on many different occasions. This douche is going to face many charges and will be sued to oblivion that his jailtime clock will look like a freaking phone number.

I very much doubt that.

I can see that it's tempting to try and build this guy up as some kind of major felon in an attempt to justify what's being done, but that's not what this is. This is a minor nobody having his life ruined for the lulz.

The internet isn't Batman, and even if it was in the real world vigilantism is just another word for lynch mob.

I'm not defending the guy, I'm sure he is an asshole. I'm attacking the mob mentality on show here.

Personally I've gotta side with Sixcess on this one. Yeah, we can all talk about how big of a dickhead Paul is for what he has done, and he most certainly does deserve to get fired over how poorly he represented his company in this whole fiasco. But that doesn't mean we have to absolutely ruin this guy's entire life over this. The thing of it is though that that's the response he was destined to get since he pissed off the gamer community.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

it would appear gabe is enjoying this turn of events.

We've all learned a very important lesson here.

Never.

Fuck.

With.

Penny Arcade.

 

[Saltyk]

I just read all the emails on Penny-Arcade. My favorite part was when he started emailing Mike Krahulik aka Gabe. He obviously had no idea who he was talking to. I loved how he said that Gabe couldn't stop him from getting a booth. Claiming his "connections" could do it. Because we all know that Penny-Arcade has no connections or pull in the video game industry. And that Gabe can't stop a guy or company that he doesn't want to be there from being there. Because other companies would totally be willing to pay to go to PAX and then step on his toes.

Then, when he finally realized who he was fucking with, he tried to apologize and get Gabe to side with the company over the loyal reader who contacted him. When Gabe responds simply "Please remove me from this mailing list" he jumps down his throat and begins insulting him. And this is where the threat of a smear campaign comes in. It's like watching a train derail. Then, somehow, perhaps through douche magic, pick itself up and smash its face into a mountain. Repeatedly.

Seriously looking at his spelling and behavior, who thought it was a good idea to put him in charge of customer service? Especially since he appears to have a history. At least, now we know why customer service is always so bad.

 

[Lieju]

?You have the power Mike Please make it stop?

That just makes me laugh.
He has no idea how Internet works, evidently.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

-snip-

Y'know... i could say something.... but i think you're getting enough...

OP: Wow, that guy's a douche, and this has been blown up a bit too big...
I mean, some of the stuff he has been getting is a bit overboard, but for the most part he deserves it, and it's teaching him a VERY valuable lesson.

 

[Saltyk]

it would appear gabe is enjoying this turn of events.

Of course he is. Did you catch the update after the post with the email exchanges?

I just wanted to post an update with some of the stuff that has happened over on my end with regards to all this Ocean Marketing stuff.

Around midnight last night Paul sent me a mail saying that I could expect to hear from their attorneys. As of right now that still has not happened and honestly I don't expect it will. Our attorneys (who are real people with an office and everything) are ready should it get to that point though.

At 7:12am this morning I got another mail from Paul. It was one line and simply said:

"You have the power Mike Please make it stop"

The reality is that once I had posted the emails I didn't have the power anymore. The Internet had it now and nothing I said or did was going to change that.

An hour later I got a more complete apology:

Hey Mike,

I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed I didn't know how big your site was and I really didn't believe you ran Pax , So for what's its worth I am very sorry. Your post has obviously made my life very difficult and I have not slept yet dealing with all the spam and personal information intrusion as well as my family being smeared on the internet.

If you can please accept my apology and anything you can do to help if not me my son and wife please do. I have apologized to Dave and apologized to you what else can I do please tell me so I can make things good. I obviously care or I would not be emailing you.

I think there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught. I have a real problem with bullies. I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of everyplace I landed. I feel like Paul is a bully and maybe that's why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets and even bigger bully and maybe that's me in this case. It's the same thing that happened with Jack Thompson. It might not always make the most business sense and it is a policy that has caused us some legal problems, but I really don't give a shit about that. When these assholes threaten me or Penny Arcade I just laugh. I will personally burn everything I've made to the fucking ground if I think I can catch them in the flames.

-Gabe out

I tend to agree with Gabe here. This guy isn't sorry for what he did. He's sorry that he got caught. He's sorry that he angered one of the most powerful people in the industry that doesn't actually work within the industry. He's sorry that he is in trouble, not that he did anything wrong. And I tend to agree with Gabe about that. Feeling sorry that you are in trouble is not the same as being sorry for your actions. Gabe states that he doesn't like bullies, which is what he feels this guy is, and acknowledges that he might be one in this case, too. But at least he's a bully of bullies. Or a vampire that feeds on assholes. Whatever you like better.

 

[darkknight9]

There was an unscrupulous firearms parts dealer named Dana way back at the golden age of dial up that got hosed by a faithful small following who would promote all of the people he ripped off and tried to warn anyone not to buy anything (even healthcare styled products) from him. Given the way the usage of electrons has changed in the past two decades (or so) and the sheer size of the fanbase involved, I'd almost feel sorry for this Paul guy. If he wasn't such a tool.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Wow this guy is an asshole and is deserving of the repercussions of the actions he's done. The death threats are a bit far, however in the Era of the Internet it's becoming a bit of a common and inevitable practice

 

[Skyy High]

We've all learned a very important lesson here.

Never.

Fuck.

With.

Penny Arcade.

Yeeees, yeeessss, your tears are so yummy, yeeeeeess!