Bret Stephens's claims that although "people" do, he woul...

Bret Stephens's claims that although "people" do, he would never never use an official position to retaliate against someone who had annoyed him are worth what you think they are. His promises are worthless because, somewhat paradoxically, his claim that people do retaliate is wrong. Most people, and sane people, have considerable tolerance for those who punch up. someone who claims people don't is telling you who they are:

Laura McGann: NYT Columnist Bret Stephens Inadvertently Explains Why Women Don���t Report Sexual Harassment: "In an exchange about the price of rude emails, Stephens confirms retaliation is real.... Stephens explains... if someone like Kalaf.... offends a person who is important or ends up important in the industry, he risks being blackballed from jobs and prizes���even years later.... 'Imagine, for instance, that one day you are up for a big journalism award. Imagine, next, that someone you���ve insulted sits on the prize committee. Or suppose you apply for a dream job at a major publication, and your CV gets passed around. It���s fine to make unnecessary friends, but extremely unwise to make unnecessary enemies.' Stephens writes in a postscript to Kalaf that he���s judged the Livingston Award and the Pulitzers, but he���s ethical and wouldn���t behave this way...

#noted