BlogHer - death threats - Comments

Developer of the third party poll application on Twitter

Nordette — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:47:43 -0500

Jesse Farmer is not the person who created the Should Obama Be Killed Poll, but he's had to talk with the Secret Service because he knows who created the poll. Jessee is the Facebook third-party applications developer who developed the application the culprit misused.

He has a Twitter page and told GottaLaff how to contact him. Read more of the update at my blog here.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

Ignorance, Fear, Hatred and...

Candelaria Silva — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:54:27 -0500

the internet's ability to let you hide your true identity all contribute to this. If you've ever read the online comments after any article in a newspaper you have to wade through a lot of vile, virulent and inaccurate comments to get to thoughtful, nuanced ones.

I also know that during times of change people are afraid especially those who fear being left out. Letting go of power - perceived or real - is daunting. Instead of being happy that our government is now more representative of all of us...instead of pulling together as humans...some people would remain divided. Sometimes I wonder if an attack by bonafide aliens is the only thing that will bring humans together. If the world lives long enough, it's going to get better.

What a wonderfully written post. Your passion, thoughtful analysis, and just plain sense always shine through. Thanks, Nordette.

Good will triumph. Right????

http://blog.candelarisilva.com

Good and plenty!

It's really ignorance that

cooper — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:13:22 -0500

It's really ignorance that allows this. The lack of the huge majority to understand, nevermind use, reason and logic, is astounding.

cooper

Free Speech and the Facebook Poll

larraine — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:31:41 -0500

I blame the right wing radio and television as well as many of the so-called "Christian" groups who, angry at not having their man in the White House for another 8 yrs, have said and continue to say vicious and untrue things about Obama. Any attempts by the left to demonize Bush - and I mean TRULY demonize - were met with stiff resistance by the right, aided and abetted by the 24 hours news cycle media. Too much attention is given to these people - whether they are the seniors who scream about getting the government's hands out of "my Medicare" or nuts who bring guns to presidential speeches. Ignorance seems to be bliss on both sides of the political spectrum these days.

Not free speech

Southerngirl — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:35:57 -0500

This is not "free" speech this is hate speech. Who was the brain who thought this was a good idea! WTF? Then there were over 700 people who responded to this craziness. As I said on American Princess's post this is personal.

The scum who do this crap are most likely to be the first to talk about 'keeping America safe' but this sh*t is what makes us weaker as a country. Why would any other world leader take our president seriously when this kind of crap is going on in his backyard? Insane.

Michelle

I blog at http://www.mommycan.blogspot.com/

David Frum

Nordette — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:13:27 -0500

Thank you, Barb. I'm familiar with David Frum (wrote about him before) because I also look for what the right is saying and keep an ear open for the voices I can meet in the middle. If the right would separate itself from people who think racism is a conservative value, they'd discover not only do I agree with them on some issues but also other people of color. However, as you point out, Frum doesn't have the kind of influence some of the conservative pundits have. I'm sure he finds it frustrating at times to speak sense but be shouted down.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

A voice on the right

BarbD — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:20:19 -0500

No, not mine -- but I do try to not limit myself to only progressive points of view. My own brother is fiercely conservative, which makes for some interesting conversations. I felt like I needed to better understand the way he thinks, so I've been reading more conservative points of view.

Last year I stumbled upon David Frum, who is representative of that part of the Republican Party that believes it must become more inclusive and moderate. (He was also GW Bush's speechwriter for a time.) In any case, he's been having a very public and vocal confrontation with people like Limbaugh and Beck. AND getting a lot of heat for it.

Still, I'm not sure people like Frum are the real influencers on the right at the moment; my brother can't stand him. The bulk of the conservative movement appears to be taking a harder right. And their spokespeople appear to be the highly polarizing fomenters of ire and spin -- not the kind of conservatives I remember growing up with. (Although the recently issued National Affairs online is trying to fill that void.)

I don't know how we get out of this ugly place we find ourselves in today. At my most cynical, I wonder whether the ignorance on display-- from the people interviewed at the recent 9/12 rally in Washington which Mata H shared in a recent post, to the rampant misinformation about climate change -- has increased or is simply part of what populism has always been about.

Barb
The Middle Way

"Free" speech

Suzanne Reisman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:44:54 -0500

As always, an excellent and thoughtful post. It reminded me of the comments and discussion over at Dana's post about Acorn (http://www.blogher.com/acorn-sting-gives-me-hope-journalism). One commenter just accused everyone who disagreed with her view of being like "Hitler's apologists." Seriously? I have heard this shit over and over again. The cost of these types of comments is to minimize the horror of acts of discrimination and genocide. Whatever Acorn did wrong, whatever Obama is doing "wrong," comparing them to Hitler is sick. (For the record, I also objected when people compared George W. Bush to Hitler. That is a ludicrous and offensive assertion. He was, though, a lot like an incompetent Mussolini - discriminated against people, took away civil liberties, and rather than improving infrastructure, he destroyed it.) The second anyone throws out "hitler," I immediately dismiss what they have to say unless they are talking about something like Darfur.

I am more disturbed than ever that certain Americans do not seem able to engage in rational discussions about anything. People can say what they want, but the idea that people are not responsible for what they say is outrageous.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Oth

Good For GottaLaff!

Megan Smith — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:42:40 -0500

Thanks for this excellent post, Nordette.

This whole situation unfortunately reminds me of the rhetoric from the pulpit and from ultraconservatives during the worst of the public debates over Roe v. Wade. Remember how it was okay to kill doctors who performed abortions? Or bomb family planning clinics? Or terrorize the families of anyone associated with doctors that were deemed evil?

This feels the same way to me. Scream the rhetoric as loud as you can as long as it gets you what you want politically. But as soon as someone takes a shot at Obama or God forbid, kills him, run away like rats from a sinking ship, saying how you had absolutely nothing to do with it.

This Facebook poll, no matter who did it, isn't really the problem. It's the irresponsible pundits and politicians who will do and say anything to get votes and ratings.

If I sound angry, it's because I am.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

My Personal Entertainment Blog: Megan's Minute

My Review Blog: Meg's Rad Reviews

Twitter:@MeganSmith

Oh no, they can't!

Willful Woman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:30:23 -0500

Nordette,

Thank you for writing on this issue. I am grateful that a proactive FB user notified the Secret Service about this illegal poll and that they are acting swiftly. It is illegal to threaten the life of the President.

Freedom of speech is not the issue here. At least, not as I see it. Is it exercising one's freedom of speech to threaten someone or is it harassment? Is it using freedom of speech to hurl racial slurs or is it a hate crime? Do we call it freedom of speech when people's very own ignorance is used against them to stir up even more fear and hatred or is that called inciting a riot? Is it freedom of expression when the word FED is scrawled on a census worker's bare, lifeless body or is that just plain murder?

There has to be some accountability for the hate that is being stirred up and by those who are doing the stirring. I agree with you, Nordette, that not only conservatives "waltz strategically down the color line." We have to push our Senators and Representatives to stand behind our President and not allow anything that looks like racism to stand unanswered.

Where are all the folks who said, "Yes, we can"? We need to get back out there and say, "Oh no, you can't!" You can't take this country back to the 1950's. Oh, no, you can't divide us by race. You can't make us turn on each other. We are in this together. We want change for all of us. We're not going to listen to your hate speech any more! As beautiful as that day was, our work didn't end the day the First Family entered the White House. That was just the beginning. We've got a lot of fighting left to do.

Sorry I wrote so much! You touched a nerve! Thanks for a great story!

Willful Woman www.besidethestonewall.com

Trolls and the Dark Knight

Liz Henry — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:28:13 -0500

I didn't like the way gender was used in The Dark Knight. The male characters treated women as property to be fought over. What's her name, the utterly forgettable paragon of virtue who Batman and Two-Face struggle to own, only speaks up to deny that her life is worth anything or to try and decide which patriarch gets her (and the city) as a prize.

And the potentially great character of Barbara Gordon was reduced to a weepy dishrag of a gullible mom and wife, with no agency or voice of her own.

Anyway, about trolls, they'll do whatever they please; if they take it over the line to direct and imminent threats of harm then report it to the police just as you would in regular non-online life.

I disagree with attempts to make the net "safe space" or to ban hate speech by law though I think setting community standards on a site, or your own standards on your own site, are just fine. We get to call out attempts to intimidate us based on our gender and just have to keep pointing out how screwed up they are, and carrying on whatever it is we talk about in public and not be intimidated.

-----------------
Liz Henry
lizzard@bookmaniac.net
Contributing Editor, World and Latin America

Believe it or not

alyssaroyse — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:38:07 -0500

Between the P-I and I, I think we've deleted about 50 or so comments. And I have now closed comments on it, so that pretty much stopped it. I actually would have left them all up just so that people can see, first hand, the kind of stuff that happens. It's hard to be outraged by something that is just hypothetical... well, here it is. Unfortunately, the ones that got taken down were the worst ones - the most violent and threatening and gross - so they were also the most powerful ones that might enrage and inspire others in to action!

____________

Alyssa Royse

Just Cause It: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A Blog for Women Entrepreneurs

moderating

The Blog That Ate New Jersey — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:31:49 -0500

doesn't anyone moderate those comments?

GREAT ARTICLE

alyssaroyse — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:18:04 -0500

I read that yesterday, and it's HORRIFYING! I never took any of the threats a statements personally or seriously, but am horrified as to what this says about people...... In the light of the 2 kids they cite in the articles who committed suicide over the cyber bullying, and Kathy Sierra giving up her blog and speaking engagements..... It's crazy. What can we do?

I put out a query on a PR list and got more than a dozen responses in an hour of people this happened to.... what's wrong with these trolls?

____________

Alyssa Royse

Just Cause It: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A Blog for Women Entrepreneurs

i don't mind disagreement

alyssaroyse — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:37:40 -0500

In fact, I usually hope for disagreement, because that's where conversation and growth happen. What is astonishing to me are the calls that I should be staying at home having babies and / or raped and shot. Or simply irately calling names. That isn't dialog, that's just verbal violence.

It's also interesting to me - and this i could have made more clear - that people assumed I was looking at box office return of the movie, I wasn't, I was looking at the quality of the film, which is totally subjective. But that's not here nor there because my objection isn't to being disagreed with, it's to being berated and threatened and harassed as a result of a disagreement.

Truly frightens me as to what filth and grim lurks below the surface.

____________

Alyssa Royse

Just Cause It: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A Blog for Women Ent