Julian Assange Okcupid
The industrious netizens of Reddit.com have discovered what appears to be a dating profile created by Julian Assange. The profile is written under the fake name 'HarryHarrison,' describes what Assange is looking for in a woman, and includes a slew of unmistakable pictures of the WikiLeaks founder. Is it authentic? It's impossible to know for sure. The reason so many bloggers are taking it seriously is because the account was last modified in 2006, long before Assange become a household name and before people would likely create a fake account for him.
140 votes, 38 comments. 213k members in the OkCupid community. Featured below are several images from what appears to be Julian Assange's own OKCupid dating profile. Obviously the authenticity of such an account is a subject of great debate. Under the user name HarryHarrison, the page shows several webcam pictures of Assange and has been out of use since 2006. Dec 13, 2010 Not only women.' Further clues that 'Harry Harrison' is Assange's dating pseudonym: The OKCupid profile hasn't been accessed since December 2006, long before Assange was worthy of hoaxing. Assange's OKCupid Profile Sounds Like Assange Sex Musings (Updated) It's not clear if the florid, self-aggrandizing OKCupid profile with Julian Assange's photo is. 140 votes, 38 comments. 213k members in the OkCupid community.
In the self-summary section, 'Harrison' describes himself:
WARNING: Want a regular, down to earth guy? Keep moving. I am not the droid you're looking for. Save us both while you still can.
Passionate, and often pig headed activist intellectual seeks siren for love affair, children and occasional criminal conspiracy. ...
I like women from countries that have sustained political turmoil. Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane. OK. Not only women! ...
I am DANGER, ACHTUNG, and ??????????????!
Later on, he describes himself as being professionally involved in 'international journalism/books, documentaries, cryptography, intelligence agencies, civil rights, political activism, white collar crime and the internet.' He also boasts that he has following of 'asian teengirl stalkers' and a penchant for 'non-conformist' women. Here's what bloggers are making of the profile and whether or not it matters:
- It Sounds Like Vintage Assange, writes Adrian Chen at Gawker:
It certainly demonstrates the self-mythologizing Assange prefers, casting himself as an enigmatic, globe-trotting nerdy sex god... And he boasts that he is currently 'directing a consuming, dangerous human rights project which is, as you might expect, male dominated.'
- I Agree, writes Joe Coscarelli at The Village Voice:
Chelsea Manning
Is it real? Barring some expert fan fiction writing and hacking, yes it probably is. If the profile was indeed last accessed in 2006, it seems far too early in Assange's ascent for anyone to be creating a fake profile, except maybe close and playful friends, which Assange doesn't seem to have. Existence of the profile seems to have been first noted at this random Blogspot on Saturday (h/t Hunter Walker) and since, Reddit members have been obsessively looking for evidence to support its authenticity.
- It's a Telling Profile 'The Julian Assange on OkCupid seems like any pretentious outcast looking for love on the Internet, if more arrogant and vaguely misogynist,' writes Mike Vilensky at New York Magazine. 'It's clear, however, that even back in '06, he was pretty sure that he was heading toward serious international intrigue, as he was also seeking a siren for 'occasional international conspiracy.'
- This Is Pure Character Assassination 'All that can really be said about him here is that he has a typical male sexuality,' writes Black Candy at Open Salon. 'There's really nothing embarrassing. I'm sure 6 and out 10 guys have similar dating profiles. The only difference is no one cares because they're not important enough.' Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic adds: 'This is a complete and utter distraction from the serious things going on with WikiLeaks' release of State Department cables.'
Julian Assange Trial
Dec. 14, 2010 — -- The name's Assange. Julian Assange.
The Wikileaks scandal that has unfolded over recent weeks is serious business, a classic 'Revenge of the Nerds' scenario. The information the organization has dumped on the world is explosive stuff: hot, dangerous, darkly compelling.
Increasingly, the Internet has given over to buzzing about whether Assange, the man behind the leaks, is himself explosive stuff. As the brooding, lanky Australian appeared at a bail hearing in London today, an unlikely consensus seemed to have formed on the Internet that this pasty-faced journalist is also hot, dangerous and darkly compelling.
What Assange may lack in classic movie star looks, he apparently makes up for in charisma, brains and a steely sense of personal integrity. He is a geeky James Bond, a nerdy Jason Bourne. Others may debate the man's morals and methods. But a former intern has written about her crush on him, Gawker.com has riffed on his appeal, Glenn Beck has called him a 'player,' and countless Tumblrs have sprung up in his honor. ('Do we all think Julian Assange is hot, or is it just me,' asks lapingris.) It's not just her.
What gives?
'Apart from the hair, and the quiet charisma, he is a contemporary polymath -- activist, tech guru, journalist, historian, punk and a political philosopher in the classic tradition,' writes 'Jane Doe,' the anonymous Australian behind the Julian Assange Fanciers Guild, in an e-mail to ABC News. 'He epitomizes his era.'
He certainly epitomizes something. This week the website Reddit claimed to have unearthed Assange's OKCupid dating profile (the veracity of the profile has yet to be confirmed). Under the pseudonym 'Harry Harrison,' the swinging singleton who may or may not be Julian Assange described himself as an '87% slut' who likes 'women from country that have sustained political turmoil.' How did he spend his time? 'Changing the world through passion, inspiration and trickery.'
Indeed, the main purpose of a recent trip to Sweden was ostensibly to advance Wikileaks' reach. But while seeking out help in hosting his website's servers, Assange met not one but two women who would later accuse him of 'rape and molestation.' The rape charge was dropped, but he was arrested in London on the latter accusation, despite murky details around what actually happened there.
These recent developments may only increase his mystique -- and, in turn, his It-Boy status among normally discerning young women (including at least one ABC News staffer that we know of).
'As the details of his sexual indiscretions unfolded in the press and his photo, with varying bizarre hairstyles, started to appear everywhere, I found myself almost uncontrollably attracted him,' Lora Grillo, 36, an administrative assistant in New York, told ABCNews.com. 'We all have a type, and I have found myself drawn to waiflike metrosexual narcissists for far too long to count. Now, I am not proud or ashamed of this attraction. It is simply there one I deal with and one that sometimes I act on. People tend to believe that WMN's are usually passive in bed, but I find the opposite to be true.'
The nerds, it seems, will have their revenge in more ways than one. The only question left is who will play the man in the inevitable biopic.