Threats, violence and libelous comments written on websites.
Today was a “slob” day, I had a busy weekend working. I haven’t ventured far from my bed and couldn’t make it out of my pj’s. What a sexy image, eh gents,lol.
Anyway, I’m just watching Living TV on Sky at the moment (if you’re in the US, think Lifetime, it’s very similar). I’ve just finished watching Dr. Phil. I like watching Dr. Phil. Although I feel he can be a little judgemental sometimes, he does talk a lot of sense. Today’s episode dealt with gossip, and the outcome of those who were affected by it, and those who started it.
In one case a picture was taken of a young school-girl without her knowledge. She was in the shower and a classmate came in from behind, snapped a picture, then proceeded to show it to the whole of the school football team.She now feels her life is in ruins.
Another segment, which seems to have had more serious repercussions, is where another couple of schoolgirls, Mandie and Nicki, posted threats on MySpace.com directed at another young lady Crystal, threatening her with all sorts of violence, all because Mandie thought Crystal was coming on to her boyfriend. Friend Nicki was in the background, fanning the flames and making things a whole lot worse. Another pupil saw what was being written and it was brought to the school’s attention.
Now Mandie has been convicted of a misdemeanour and her parents are being sued. Whilst they’re making mortgage payments on their house it’s in the back of their minds that they can still lose it, along with the shirts on their backs. All because of what a couple of stupid teenagers wrote on a website.
Dr. Phil also spoke of his involvement in gossip surrounding the time when he went to see Britney Spears as he basically feared she was on a downward spiral to god knows where. Remember that period she went through? “”I wanted to take time today to tell you what you don’t know and what you should know, because it’s been discussed in the tabloids, on television with every kind of expert and commentator weighing in, but very few facts anywhere in sight.”
There was even a website, which was dedicated to spreading gossip, “where unlike other social networking sites, you do get the opportunity to come on and defend yourself”. Well, I guess that’s okay then.
I was very interested in that side of human nature rearing its ugly head. The thing is though, it’s not just silly school girls who are still mentally developing that gossip and threaten gossip is it. Does anybody remember the case where a guy, a grown man, was actually convicted because he’d gone one step further from message board threats, and actually hunted down and found the house of a person he’d disagreed with on-line. He was ready to commit violence. I understand it was the first type of case of its kind, where he was actually charged and found guilty. I can’t remember for what exactly. It was a very new crime then so they had to call it something. Wish I could remember now.
I did find this piece in the Guardian though, when a former Conservative party member sued a female fellow chatroom member after she got personal. She started calling him names like Nazi and much worse, saying that he was on the sex offenders register and that kids shouldn’t be allowed near him. All because they were discussing the Iraq war.
We’ve always lived in a world where gossip and libel reigns. Before you could sue for libel or slander, as long as it’s proven. It was hard to do that on the internet because the www isn’t owned or governed by any one body. But now things are changing. Now, as long as you can prove you’re being harrassed or threatened, you can go to the police. It’s good to know.
Just like how escorts can now report to the police whether they’re being stalked or harrassed by a client or ex-client, as happens all too often in this job. *Touch wood* it’s never happened to me to that extent. But I have had one or two guys calling me incessantly on the phone or sending me inappropriate texts, to the point where I’ve had to threaten them with the police. I think they forget that this job is actually legal, and social stigmas notwithstanding, any type of harrassment is something that the police do take seriously. I know I wouldn’t hesitate in going to them if the case called for it.
It’s one of the few pitfalls of this illustrious job, the strange mentality that it seems to attract.
Anyway, back to my duvet.x