Peter Thiel and Hulk Hogan aren't the only people whose privacy has been violated by Gawker, they're just the first ones to bite back. Thiel is a hero in my book.
I'll agree, but what gives me pause to call him a hero: he supports Trump. So, like a broken clock being right twice a day, I agree Thiel was right to sue and shut down Gawker, but I don't hold him in any special esteem.
"Around half the country" is an exaggeration. Even with a two-party system, in modern history no candidate has achieved the outright support of anything approaching half of the US population.
Consider that only a portion of the population is eligible and registered to vote, and even among them voter turnout is relatively low in this country. And then there's always a segment of undecided voters who just make a choice on election day, without supporting either candidate prior to that.
In this specific case, add to the math that Trump is doing poorly in recent polls, and is disliked by an unprecedented percentage of his own party.
Math aside, given the sheer number of disturbing, extreme things Trump has advocated over the past couple years... if Thiel supports Trump enough to give an endorsement at the GOP convention, this certainly seems to condone his behavior, which in my mind is a pretty extreme position.
What kills me about Gawker is their unrelenting hypocrisy.
They refused to take down the Hulk Hogan video saying it was their right to share. Then when "the fappening" hit, they started chastising anyone who even looked at the pictures saying that we should all respect people's privacy.