Silence Dogood, Ben Franklin, and Sophia Walker

Does it surprise me that the NY Post thought that outing Sophia Walker was front page news on Monday? No — I mean really, are you surprised by anything the NY Post does?

Spreading across the blogosphere, Twitter, and Facebook, the Sophia Walker franchise is a mix of pop culture, sci-fi, style, and politics. It is often hilariously profane, but always very well done with a very distinctive voice and personality. On Monday, the Post revealed that Sophia Walker is not a person but a persona created by Sheldon Silver staffer Bill Eggler.

But Sophia Walker’s mistep — as is so often the case with people who write anonymously — was letting things sway too close to work, in this case commenting on blogs in defense of Sheldon Silver. One thing leads to another and the gig is up.

The Post seems to relish the she/he aspect of this story, making cheeky wink-wink-nudge-nudge references about Eggler, to which I say, “Benjamin Franklin.” Not only did Franklin regulary write under pseudonyms, he adopted numerous female personas to do so, most famously that of Silence Dogood. Ben Franklin would have loved the internet.

So annywho, bravo to Mr. Eggler. If this is the death of Sophia Walker, she will be mourned.

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