This may sound crazy, but after watching American Idol earlier tonight, and then reading Arrington's post, I kind of drew a connection between him and the AI judges, albeit a loose one.

The folks who are mediocre-to-horrific singers who get up in front of the judges are kind of like the people who assaulted and threatened Arrington. They think that somehow, some way, they're special, and if the person with the clout to pluck them from obscurity and make them a success would just look past all the insignificant surface-level drawbacks -- lack of singing talent, gaping holes in the business plan -- they'd see that special something and make them rich.

When it doesn't happen the way they'd planned, they get angry and blame everyone but themselves for their lack of success. Top of the list of blamees: Arrington, Simon Cowell, etc. Now, I don't know, maybe the guy who spit on Arrington had a really great business plan, or maybe he was doing it for some other reason. But once you have successfully established yourself as a respected tastemaker in a super-competitive industry partially made up of obsessed techies who feel entitled to own you, you're going to have run-ins.

I'm certainly not saying I like it, or that it's by any means deserved...just saying I don't blame Arrington for taking a break and getting some perspective on things...sounds like a tough gig.

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