By (O)CT(O)PUS
Let’s face
it. There are times when the
blogosphere resembles a war zone.
Anonymous trolls, predators, stalkers, and comment assassins –
they pop up sight unseen like whack-a-moles. Some merely argue in bad faith; some rise to the level of
road rage; others leave behind taunts and menacing comments. Some incidents are
more memorable – meaning more disturbed and disturbing – than others. For over
a year, a persistent predator has been stalking this community.
Years ago, I recall, another predatory troll visited
my email box early one morning on Christmas Day. On a holiday celebrated by
millions of families, here was one lone predator with
malice on his mind. How strange
(and troubling), I thought. After
reporting this incident - among others - to law enforcement, the stalking
ceased.
What are
the signs and symptoms of a truly disturbed personality behind the anonymous
moniker? Momentary outbursts of
bad temper do not qualify as disturbed behavior. At various times, all
of us have strong viewpoints and our moments.
The
signature trait of disturbed behavior is simply this: a pervasive, pernicious, and long-term pattern of
predatory behaviors that rise to the level of obsession. The predator who stalks this community meets
these criteria. Consider the
frequency and level of vitriol in comments received within the last 24 hours
alone (edited for brevity):
6:59 PM, August 18, 2014: “Not with all the Jew haters on here, smells like shit, group shit”
7:48 PM, August 19, 2014: “You are no liberal defender of civil rights when you help protect and hide antisemitism. You censer those ideas differ from yours and claim it was the troll aspects, or insults that you objected to, yet you allow your buddies to call names to anyone who differs from your thinking, and then you all have a good laugh. What a hypocritical jackass.”
7:51 PM, August 19, 2014: “I've seen Octo on the blogs for years. He is one of the biggest trolls and intentional instigators of blog disruption I've ever read. What a fucking hypocrite he is.”
7:58 PM, August 19, 2014: “To bad you have to lie to make your false points, but it does show your shit character, just as protecting your antisemite buddy does. Yes, your antisemite buddy, documented as such on Shaw's blog, yet you both protect him. Fuck you asshole”
For over a
year, my Spam Box has filled with messages like these, presumably from the same
anonymous commenter who stalks one of our readers across Cyberspace and accuses
him of anti-Semitism.
Is subject
reader, in the crosshairs of subject troll, really an anti-Semite? The
accusations are delusional and irrational – as manifest in all obsessive-compulsive
behaviors of this type:
Recurrent and persistent thoughts and impulses that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and cause marked anxiety or distress;
Thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems;
With poor insight: For most of the time, the person does not recognize that the obsessions and compulsions are excessive or unreasonable.
In these
email missives, the anonymous stalker never offers a single citation - no links,
no quotes, not one shred of evidence, nothing!
The
Internet should never be used as a medium for character assassination or as a
venue for holding Kangaroo Court.
Even more offensive is when a nameless, faceless person levels unfounded
accusations while hiding behind a mask as an anonymous stalker. When the
accused never even has a chance to face his accuser, this is the most gutless, cowardly, and unethical act of all.
I've experienced worse, but I find it amusing that he seems to check the blog every few minutes looking for things he can comment on even when he knows it gets forwarded to the cybercesspool. This post is no exception. You have to admit it's funny.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he's wondering why the anti-Semitism thing seems to get him nowhere, but not only does it seem spurious but to me and probably to most, it's not a matter of concern that many people are uncomfortable on the subject of Jews and it's so ingrained in the public background noise that most refuse to agree that it really exists any more and frankly I don't think most people give a damn. I know I don't. But sure it's cowardice and he knows it because it's a rule that people accuse others of such things as a coverup.
Indeed anonymity brings out the bad wherever it lurks, but the web offers us something "real life" does not: the delete key and if he's reading this, and you know he is, let me say that I don't give a shit whether or not the person in question likes or doesn't like Jews as a group, if in fact you can say Jews are a group. I don't think he is, I think he's a decent guy and I'm sick unto death with our culture of race baiting and witch hunts that's made trolls of us all. I just don't care as long as he abides by the rules, such as they are. I'm far more concerned -- and by that I mean disgusted and annoyed, at the fact that there are so many web vermin like this relentless, obsessive anonymasshole, but being as annoyed and disgusted with humans in general as I am, it's hard to get exercised by one more individual turd in the septic tank.
Captain,
DeleteAs you already noticed, there is another missive in our mailbox from subject troll, which I intend to quote later as one more example of outrageously delusional behavior.
Why the anti-Semitism thing gets him nowhere? Because, as I tried to point out in my comment yesterday: Even within Jewish families, the word is used and abused as a means of stifling criticism. There are numerous conscientious objectors within the Jewish community who do not always agree with the acts of the Israel government. And there are numerous neo-cons in the same community (such as Benjamin Net-N-Yahoo - the Dick Cheney of Israel) who accuse his critics of anti-Semitism.
No doubt, however, anti-Semitism DOES exist, and it has been on the rise in Europe as a consequence of the latest Gaza crisis.
With regards to the accused, a friend and reader of this blog, this person is NO anti-Semite. Like a great many people, the accused person wrote an opinion - one expressed by many people - over which subject troll has been harassing him ever since. There is more to subject troll than appearances suggest. I have every reason to believe there is a seriously disturbed person behind subject troll.
I've enjoyed watching him progress from an ordinary unidentified blogging object to some slimy swamp creature from planet Bozo you might encounter in some cheesy Ed Wood movie. Sometimes he's obvious, sometimes it takes a few posts before the zippers on the rubber suit get noticed. Plan 9 from Cyberspace.
DeleteBut that sound you don't hear is me giving a damn about his opinions.
"there is another missive in our mailbox from subject troll, which I intend to quote later ..."
DeleteOn second thought, I decided NOT to publish the latest diatribe. No point. Accomplishes nothing. Time to move on.
And here we have Anonymuss
DeleteHe makes a stink
He makes a fuss
I hold the keys to his defeat
Delete, delete, delete, delete.
There seems to be many individuals suffering from this behavior pattern. I suspect I know who the subject troll is, apparently he is off his meds.
ReplyDeleteIt is troubling there are so many gutless unethical jerks blogging and the internet is the ideal hiding place for the Anon to lurk around in and launch their attracts.. One the internet's huge drawbacks
Who? I had to deal with just such a person (possibly the same person) on my blog for awhile, but he seems to have gone away. When I switched my commenting to with a registered account only, he created one and called himself "Steve".
DeleteIt appears there are two votes for "Steve" (the second tip came from a friend via private email). Frankly, I can't recall this person by name in my travels through Cyberspace. Whoever he is, his sick obsessions speak louder than words and reveal everything we need to know. Nevertheless, a name is always good to have as a "clue" in the event any of us need the intervention of law enforcement.
DeleteProbably a million to one that Steve is his real name, but if you have something like Sitemeter, you can often find his IP address or at least his internet provider. As you know I've been able to track people down, but I prefer to flush.
DeleteAll too true, but if you let them get you down, they win. If you wanna beat 'em, you gotta delete 'em.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are right Captain. Not always easy to do, but it certainly does render their attack (as opposed to attract) activities impotent.
ReplyDeleteThat's always been my opinion; ignore the slimy trolls and delete their poisonous spewings without comment. Feed the beast and it will grow, starve it and it will go away.
ReplyDeleteThis post is not the first time a liberal cephalopod has come to the defense of conservative friend. Years ago, I wrote this post:
ReplyDeleteA BLESSED KRISTALLNACHT TO ALL
What crime did my conservative friend commit to bring on the opprobrium and rage of reactionary voices from the Far Rightwing Fringe? The fact that we were, and remain to this day, “friends.” There is a partisan subculture that accuses liberals of political correctness. In rebuttal, this is what I wrote 4 years ago:
“Yet, the same rightwing critics employ a far more sinister version of political correctness. They make use of litmus tests to enforce ideological orthodoxy in thought, speech, and personal associations. They will not hesitate to browbeat fellow conservatives into submission with condemnation and excommunication. How ironic! The rightwing accuses the left of using political correctness to impose social conformity; yet, the same rightwingers use coercive means to enforce groupthink within their ranks …
In short, reactionary ideas and talking points have infected public discourse to such a degree that it is poisoning how we treat each other in our daily lives. It is a political subculture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas in favor of outright elimination of the opposing side through suppression, condemnation, ostracism, or extermination.”
Although I may disagree with my conservative friends on the finer points of governance (sometimes even heatedly), there is no daylight between us regarding the core virtues of honesty, integrity, responsibility, and citizenship.
The use and abuse of the Internet is NOT A TRIVIAL CONCERN. There have been numerous documented cases of online bullying and harassment; victims have even committed suicide.
That is why I regard online trolls, bullies, and predators as little more than Cyber-terrorists.
Not enough can be written about misogynistic attacks on women in Cyberspace. Several years ago, our mutual friend and colleague, Shaw, was a victim of online abuse. The offending missive was removed after I posted a condemnation. The perpetrator claimed it was the work of an impersonator. Highly improbable, IMO!
ReplyDeletePlease recall an incident that made national headlines seven years ago (sources: BBC News, and The Washington Post): The story of Kathy Sierra, a best-selling author of books on software design.
What is so controversial about software development, you ask? Nothing, unless the victim happens to be a highly successful woman; but jealousy alone cannot account for the actions of depraved trolls. How reprehensible were the attacks on Kathy Sierra?
"I hope someone slits your throat," one person wrote: On her blog, threats of rape and death by the thousands.
One known provocateur posted her home address and social security number online, thus exposing her to the potential for real bodily harm and identity theft. Under siege, Kathy Sierra canceled all public appearances.
A prominent British journalist received this Twitter message: “ Women that talk too much need to get raped.” Still another wrote: “ Shut your whore mouth now, or I’ll shut it for you, and choke you with my dick.”
More examples:
The Cult of the Angry Young Man.
Nine teenage suicides linked to online bullying.
Partisan hacks and henchmen who label liberals as “Libtards” and wish us dead!
The Cult of Groupthink who assail our conservative and libertarian friends and label them as “RINOs.”
The Internet has devolved into an ugly place that brings out the worst of humanity. Most incredible of all, the predator who tormented Kathy Sierra rationalized and defended his depraved acts as “free speech.” Sound familiar?
Online bullying is NOT free speech. Menacing people with threats of rape and violence is NOT free speech. Defamation, slander, slurs and smears, vilification and vituperation – these are NOT free speech. When comment boards turn shrill, when trolls hijack discussion threads and drive people away, these online interactions can no longer be considered free speech.
As anonymity removes all social restraints, this phenomenon creeps into our public life and changes our culture. The only way to reverse this trend is to do our part – by keeping anonymous trolls away from our discussion boards.
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of Men? These days the Shadow hardly has a monopoly on it. (Yes, by cultural references show my age)
ReplyDeleteMan, the nasty ape. Seems we always have been, or at least too many of us: young, old and middle age. I don't want to speculate on why we're this way and I'm certainly not a psychologist or philosopher, but that we are nasty apes is undeniable. I am inclined to believe that our technology that allows everyone to communicate anonymously with everyone on an almost equal footing enables and encourages nastiness. It depresses me to think of how much anger and hate and jealousy and all the other ugly, evil things about us lurks in the human heart. The Shadow knows. . .
I wasn't aware of that attack you mention. I have a special fondness for people who attack women or anyone else they think is helpless, but sad to say the internet may have made us powerful but helpless at the same time. Anyone can say anything at any time without much fear of consequences and when you couple that with a society which encourages people to depend on others to defend them and discouraged from taking any kind of risk at all, the frustration becomes pretty intense. Some of us go out in the woods and form militias or "sovereign" ranches, others retreat into fantasy politics or play fantasy video games where we are superheroes of a sort, able to publicly punish our enemies with shockinawe galore.
Practically speaking though, we can all be superheroes here. We can make people disappear and their hate all come to nothing. Begone troll - with a touch of a key I delete thee, I erase thee from sight and memory -- and your mamma too.
I am confident that if there were some real thunderdome, where bullies can have the no holds barred satisfaction they seek, not one of them would show up. That's almost a shame, really. Hey, I have my fantasies too.