I never understood what creates mob mentality and definitely don't approve of it. But that said its very easy to unite few people and lead them if you are cursing a popular person. People don't know what they love but they definitely know who they want to hate and they love to be lead. When they can't do something effectively themselves they go complaining about other people who do it.
What am I talking about? Kathy Sierra's exit from the blogosphere. Although I am not sure what I would have done if I were her, I feel she made the wrong move, she surrendered to some morons. I want to tell her "Come on, Kathy, Thats what people do". I aint no popular blogger but there was a mob that used to post stupid, anti-Badri comments when I started blogging in my company's intranet blog. Since it was intranet I could locate them ,knew very well who they were but I couldnt do much about it and I dint want to "For thats what people do".
Ya I agree that in the turn of incidents that Kathy quotes there is too much misogyny and it just aint similar to a male blogger being maligned but still "thats what people do". If strong people with popularity and support that Kathy's got surrender to these mob what about others who cant even put up a fight. I sincerely hope Kathy is just taking a break , i always loved reading her blog.
Now that said , although there is freedom to wear the dress you want , if u wear a micro mini and go around alone in the night you are asking for trouble. There is no point complaining that people are uncouth , barbarians after something wrong happens. Similarly although there is freedom of speech , with all due respect, when you say stuff like
"“My Life as a Dog…umm, I mean as a pregnant woman"
"“Nothing could’ve prepared me for my pregnancy like the gastric bypass surgery; in fact, I probably would not have gotten pregnant if I didn’t have the procedure done. Ok, Robert had a part in that too, but I digress "
"So to all the inquiring minds who want to know: we think that the baby was conceived in the comfort of our very own home in Half Moon Bay, California.”"
You are asking for trouble. Just my opinion.
Cheers,
--Badri--
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2 comments:
i get that you are going for the idea that folks can't allow the mean people of the world to stifle their creativity (or the terrorists will have already won) but the other side of that coin is that in a decent society, why should folks have to put up with such nonsense? it boils down to whether or not a line can exist between free speech and threatening behavior, and should there be consequences for crossing that line. what's more, she's not doing anything very different than what normal people do who find themselves threatened by random strangers or stalkers -- limit your exposure, get the police involved. how can anyone tell this lady to soldier on when someone has intimated rape, murder and killing her family? fine, if someone signs a name and threatens all this stuff, maybe you have a point about stick-to-it-tiveness, but even that becomes a stretch because these are such off-topic remarks. it's about technolgy and you get threatened with death or rape? free speech gets tossed, and with it the notion that people must stand up to this behavior so it can stop. news flash: people have already stood up, with plenty of free speech law out there. but the anonymity erases all of that. is that the advice you'd give your daughter? your grandmother? stiff upper lip, old gal, don't let the bullies get to you? despite the fact you know jack squat about this person and stalkers can be pretty deranged? despite it not being just some random, once-in-a-while deal but a sustained campaign? it's not bowing to some authoritative censorship, it's accepting life for what it is.
and just because it always grates me, this notion that just because someone wears a mini skirt and walks around at night means they are asking for trouble is barbaric. it's called america. we're supposed to be able to wear whatever the hell we feel like and not feel threatened. a guy was raping men in houston not too long ago, what qualified "asking for trouble" for him? and would you accept the idea that the fact you were walking around bare chested washing your car one day you were asking to be sodomized? why is it just restricted to skimpy outfits? what if leather's my thing, and your aunt happens to shimmy through in a leather jacket, does your logic still hold? your mindset is why female soldiers in iraq don't venture out at night for fear that their fellow soldiers will pounce and rape them (because the males felt the women were too scantily clad, i assume, in fatigues and kevlar). just because someone decides to express themselves in some matter does not give anyone the right to physically hurt them or threaten violence. plenty of little girls are now wearing skimpier outfits, are we to forgive the pedophile who lures them into some van and rapes and kills them? and who gets to decide when someone is "asking for trouble?" some kid was playing in his grandmother's front yard when a couple kidnapped him, sodomized him and strangled him. were they tempted? probably. does it matter? of course not.
i recognize the irony of an anonymous user responding to this situation, but give me a break, i don't read tech blogs often and just came across this situation and your blog.
Anon,
I am not saying someone who does deranged stuff is justified. What I am saying is if u keep sweet among ants and ask them not to eat you are being plain stupid. Instead you keep it protected and it takes time to build the protection.
The society is still being built people are still becoming civilized we are not yet at the ideal state that you are talking about but are trying to get there . But till we get there we got to excercise caution there is a thin line between being free and expressive and inviting trouble. The line is not visible and varies from society to society but as long as there is an other side to the line people must be cautious. Why do you protect airspace in a country when you know freedom allows for anyone to fly anywhere . why is there police as long as crimes exist, maniacs exist dont invite trouble.
And yes Kathy is the only one who can decide how she wants to handle the situation but i strongly feel she should have put up more fight. But yes like u spotted out the results might not have been desirable but then this is just my opinion. Dont let anyone hurt you but you yourself . But then dont also invite someone to hurt you.
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