An Open Letter to @Leolaporte

Dearest Leo Laporte,
    First, I want to start with the usual spiel about being a big fan of the work you do. I admire the hell out of the way you've built up your network. You do good work, and you've got a lot of great people over there. You and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but that's alright. We may have reached an impasse on one issue, though.

    I know you like Jason Calacanis. I used to think he was alright, too. His Dvorak impressions were pretty good, and his punditry usually made a decent amount of sense when he appeared on TWIT. I was extremely disappointed with the "iPad Prank" that he pulled, however, and I'm disappointed with everyone who didn't call him out on it- particularly you, Mr. Laporte.

    I've heard you make the case that Jason's claims were too ridiculous to be believed, and that anyone who believed them is an idiot. Thanks for that. Go back and read his tweets, Leo, and tell me that this was anything other than a calculated troll maneuver designed to fool as many people as he could manage. It was not a good natured prank; it was instead using his reputation and his voice in a form of shameless self-promotion. He wanted to be THAT guy, the one that fooled CNN and a bunch of other people into believing that he wouldn't outright lie to them.

    But of course, that's what he did. The lies that he posted toed the line between Completely Implausible and Just Plausible Enough In Context; and then he followed up with the cincher:

Off to bed, but I assure you I'm not joking and the specs are real.... Most of all that this is best gadget ever made and NOT overhyped.

    Is that sarcasm? Who could really tell? If you've ever listened to Jason rant about something that he likes, that's exactly what he sounds like. If Apple really had done something crazy like give him a preview unit, this is exactly what he would say, from what I know about him. This statement is the cincher.

    Jason built those tweets very carefully, so that he could troll and then act indignant when people didn't "Get it." I got it, and the real joke is taking Jason seriously. Which brings me to how this affects you.

    I've been tipping you $2 a month on a subscription payment for a long time now. Today, I am canceling that subscription. Any month in which you have Jason on one of your podcasts, I'm withholding my two dollars from your tip jar. I won't be dramatic and say that I'll never listen again, because I will. I like TWIT. I'm not willing to unsubscribe because you ocassionally field a troll; so I will vote with the Tip Jar, just as you yourself have suggested.

    I like the TWIT network, Leo. I want to support you guys, so I listen and I tip. Maybe if enough people share my sentiment, you'll stop inviting Jason; That's the best case outcome for me. For now, it's satisfying enough that I have some kind of voice; and that you know Jason's jackassery has had a tangible effect on your business.

    Sincerely,
    Thomas Alley
    @tma