Even though last weeks botched attempt to firebomb a UCLA researcher's vehicle barely made headlines, I think it's worth looking at. Botched attempts are nothing new, and there are numerous reasons activists get it wrong- ranging from bad information to pure incompetence. And you can bet that as soon as it's reported that they made a mistake, they accuse the targeted organization of lying. But I think I was a little surprised at the nature of the group claiming responsibility and the language they used in their "communique".
"Students and Workers for the Liberation of UCLA Primate Center" sounds like a respectable enough organization on the surface. Names like that give the general public the impression that the activists are legitimate crusaders for a valid cause. But when you mix reckless destruction in the name of activism with inexperience and incompetence it's a disaster waiting to happen. I think this is a perfect example of how faulty the thinking is behind these groups and illustrates how some of the people who scream about researchers with irresponsible practices are even more irresponsible themselves.
My point in all this has a lot less to do with the right and wrong behind the topic - and a lot more to do with reminding people to consider the "dipshit factor".
