WotC Is Mike Mearls still in WotC?

[Ixal]

The excuse that "innocent until proven guilty" is just a legal concept is very silly. It is there for a very good reason and should be followed even outside the courts as the alternative to that are medieval witch hunts which can easily be abused.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

And don't forget about free speech! We're all entitled to say what we want about anything anytime anywhere!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess we need to add "Mike Mearls" to the list of topics that will send a thread right off the rails.

 

[Charlaquin]

The excuse that "innocent until proven guilty" is just a legal concept is very silly. It is there for a very good reason and should be followed even outside the courts as the alternative to that are medieval witch hunts which can easily be abused.

No, it shouldn’t, and that is absolutely is not the alternative. Witch hunts are the alternative to the presumption of innocence in court. And for that reason, it is a very important part of the legal system. I absolutely believe Olivia Hill’s claims, but I would not support Mike Mearls facing legal consequences for it, because that would set a dangerous precedent given the absence of evidence. Doesn’t mean I personally need to give the guy a pass.

 

[Ixal]

No, it shouldn’t, and that is absolutely is not the alternative. Witch hunts are the alternative to the presumption of innocence in court. And for that reason, it is a very important part of the legal system. I absolutely believe Olivia Hill’s claims, but I would not support Mike Mearls facing legal consequences for it, because that would set a dangerous precedent given the absence of evidence. Doesn’t mean I personally need to give the guy a pass.

Non-legal consequences like losing your job are as real as legal ones which is why why they need to have the same standard. Everything else is a medieval understanding of punishment where a simple accusation is enough to shame someone and ruin his live without there being any way for him to defend himself.

 

[OakenHart]

I think a lot of that went down on Google+ and as such isn't available anymore. This is one of the more concrete things I've seen about Mearls being dismissive of the accusations.

Mearls was dismissive of the accusations, yes. It was all handled terribly.

That's a related but separate thing from "he gave names/emails to the accused", which is the point people are saying there was never any evidence for, just someone who said that's what happened but they themselves don't even have evidence of such. It seems to be just an assumption that person has made, and it has been erroneously passed around as a fact.

 

[Jahydin]

For me, blindly following either accuser/defender isn't a great idea. Relationships are complicated, dysfunctional ones even more so; most of the time the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Looking over all of Mearl's social interactions over the years leaves me with the impression he would in no way knowingly support an abuser. What's a shame, I think, is that he's not allowed to talk about it at all. Understanding his mindset at the time and learning what exactly he did or didn't do would be a good lesson on how charismatic people can blindside those around them.

Regarding controversial artists, I don't understand the need to boycott those who think differently then you. If making art that people enjoy is the only positive contribution someone makes in their life, why take that away from them?

Personal opinion of course, and curious for those that do boycott over actions, why? I even know one player that wont buy product from a guy who rudely killed their character at a Con. That just seems crazy to me if you really like their product, haha!

 

[Morrus]

The excuse that "innocent until proven guilty" is just a legal concept is very silly. It is there for a very good reason and should be followed even outside the courts as the alternative to that are medieval witch hunts which can easily be abused.

I hope you stood up before posting. Court rules must be followed outside court, after all!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Innocent until proven guilty is a legal concept. And an important one! As you rightly observe, to not presume innocence in court could easily lead to a lot of false imprisonment. And if this matter was being litigated in a court of law, I would wholeheartedly agree that there is not sufficient evidence to merit a conviction. But since there is no legal action being taken, there is no need for such a standard of evidence. The question is not “should Mike Mearls go to jail?” it’s “do you think Olivia Hill lied about Mike Mearls passing personally identifying information on to Zak S?” And for me, the answer is a clear and resounding no. I believe Olivia Hill.

I do believe her, don't take me wrong.

Edit: last I heard, is that we don't know how much Mearls said/wrote and what he gave away accedently... but I could be not up to date.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I don't think anyone is suggesting Mike Mearls goes to jail

But having your reputation damaged can be very bad too. A lot of people suggest that he gets fired...