Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someone's Legal Name


"George Shirley" <gshirl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g2Xxj.599$rC6.552@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:
In article <fq72gq$5k18o_004@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Little Malice <Little.Malice@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
One time on Usenet, clb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Charlotte L. Blackmer) said:
In article <62n7c9F23urcsU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Ophelia <O@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
<snip>

If you were being attacked in this way, how long could you
restrain yourself from defending yourself?
Do a google groups search on my full name as a phrase - both with and
without the initial - and get back to me on that. I've had one
particular pet kook for over a dozen years now.
Wow. I'm really sorry about that, Charlotte. I witnessed one death
threat to a friend 12 years ago and it scared me enough to stop using my
legal last name. I can't imagine what you've been through. I feel sort
of cowardly now...

You know, I would never think you were. There are a lot of good reasons
to use pseudonyms, as I well know. Anyway, sometimes I am too damn
stubborn for my own good ;). There are plenty of people using screen
names who are "present as themselves" and not doing anything that would
qualify as "hiding behind a keyboard". That last is, of course, a sad
fact of internet life - it's a true mark of character to see what someone
does when s/he is assured of being able to "get away with it", and many
people on the Net fail that particular test.

In places with a good tradition of offline social interaction (like
RFC!), there's less of that nonsense. Long-term also helps. (Mind you,
Asshats Hiding Behind Keyboards are the reason that moderated web fora
are so popular these days. I think most of them have taken to drive-by
comments on blogs, or on news sites these days.)

If my kooks weren't basically cowards, I would have done the following:

1) filed a police report
2) change accounts and disappear for a while
3) target practice for self-defense

Now the thing I won't go anywhere near these days is posting from a work
account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting through
Google Groups). When I was first on usenet, I was on a company account.
(It was early days, so there was no AUP then. But I will note that I was
often there evenings doing system work.) It was, however, scary when I
acquired StalkerBoy by the simple expedient of turning down his request
for a date - he knew where I worked. In later days, I have become one
of those people who sets up that sort of infrastructure at the office and
investigates abuse reports, so I so don't want to go there. ;)

ObFood: Will read and interpret Internet headers for it. Charlotte


About 8 or 9 years ago an elderly woman who was a member of a mailing list
I used to run decided she was going to "get" me. Lots of foul language,
threats, etc. Banned her from the mailing list, started getting emails
direct. Finally called the police where she lived and filed a complaint of
stalking. In a few days they called me, had arrested her, she was
undergoing psychiatric testing. Ultimately they let me know she had been
hospitalized and was being treated for schizophrenia. Some folks on the
internet truly are kooks. Anyway I never heard from her again and have no
idea of the ultimate results of her hospitalization.


That is very interesting George. The police took your complaint seriously
then!!!


I've been on the net for about 16 years now and that was the only run in
I've had. I reckon I'm just lucky. Oh yeah, I use my real name and email.

George


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someones Legal Name
    ... That last is, of course, a sad fact of internet life - it's a true mark of character to see what someone does when s/he is assured of being able to "get away with it", and many people on the Net fail that particular test. ... Now the thing I won't go anywhere near these days is posting from a work account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting through Google Groups). ... Finally called the police where she lived and filed a complaint of stalking. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someones Legal Name
    ... 1) filed a police report ... work account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting ... Will read and interpret Internet headers for it. ... Some folks on the internet truly are kooks. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someones Legal Name
    ... work account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting ... Will read and interpret Internet headers for it. ... Some folks on the internet truly are kooks. ... It does not wear me. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someones Legal Name
    ... work account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting ... Will read and interpret Internet headers for it. ... Some folks on the internet truly are kooks. ... her hospitalization. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: How to NOT feed the kooks was OT Re: Someones Legal Name
    ... work account or through an employer's system (and that counts posting ... Will read and interpret Internet headers for it. ... Some folks on the internet truly are kooks. ... her hospitalization. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)