Slashdot Mirror
The Rise of Cyber Bullying
santos_douglas writes "The Detroit Free Press has an article detailing the problems schoolchildren now face in the form of online cyber bullying. As if parents didn't already have enough to worry about! Examples include rumor spreading typically via text messaging, threatening emails, invasive pictures taken with camera phones, and the most extreme - creating entire websites to criticize/threaten/harass another student. The article suggests many tips for combating the problem - chief among them being the establishment of specific school policies. I suppose this is another example of an inevitable downside to the interconnected world. Mandatory Google search for your added reading pleasure."
Slander is not a protected form of free speech. You have every right to voice your complaint about someone or some company, but if you start posting lies in a public forum, intending to harm a third-party, then you are opening yourself up to a libel suit.
Bullying is not protected by the First Amendment.
1. I'm sure somewhere a senator/president/judge is figuring out someway to use this to further erode our rights in this country.
;-)
2. Why doesn't the current hate speech laws on the books take care of this sort of thing?
If some kid puts up a site about how I'm a piece of shit and offers to pay anybody 20 dollars to beat me up, don't I have recourse to go to the police?
What's considered a hollow threat and what's considered authentic?
I also stand proudly among the many fellow geeks who were pushed around and told repeatidly that I was going to die either at lunch, in the hall or after school at the hands of [insert random roving band of fucktards].
That's it, my child is going to he homeschooled. I figure the money I save on bulletproof vests and lunch money, I can put towards social interaction classes
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
Learn to ignore it? Since when is the burden of responsibility on the victim of bullying? Do you have any idea how high suicide rates are among victims of bullying? Kids should not have to deal with it. Most of them can't.
how many of you parents taught your kids how to fight? and how many taught your kids how to block, but not fight? and how many of you just dont condone any of that? i wanna know how the 2003 slice rates up.
I know that, with the advent of zero-tolerance, even 'blocking' is considered fighting and grounds for suspension/expulsion. It's to a point where the victim can be half-dead and in a coma and still the administrator can only wring his/her hands, say that s/he has no leeway, that it's School Policy, and that the victim must also be given a three-day suspension (but it can be appealled).
I wouldn't be surprised if this "zero tolerance" extended to cyber-bullying ("You know, Johnny, you also contributed by leaving this E-mail Address out for anyone to find, plus you didn't patch your computer system....")
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
Are today's parents really that bad? Is the government that eager to monitor/regulate every aspect of our lives?
Yes, and yes. I'm not saying I don't agree that it is pathetic, but it is the fact of the matter. All through high school binge drinking (keyword: binge) was a HUGE thing in this lovely little Wisconsin town. And the worse part about all of it was that parents are well aware of this, and in some cases even supply beer to their children. Parents are that bad, and they would be glad to blame the school to not make it their problem. It's sad, but true.
You have an opportunity to file a criminal complaint against those who exploited the security of your system in order to wrongfully damage your property or service. This was very likely a federal felony and deserves an investigation with both local police and the FBI. In addition you also have grounds for a civil suit; should you gain a criminal conviction winning a civil suit is almost assured. I hope you saved your logs.
Want to teach those assholes a lesson? Let them explain their behavior to the police, district attorney, and finally - a judge.
Best,
--Maynard
I am surprised that no one has cited this article yet: Why Nerds are Unpopular.
Paul raises several ideas which are interesting...
Like a politician who wants to distract voters from bad times at home, you can create an enemy if there isn't a real one. By singling out and persecuting a nerd, a group of kids from higher in the hierarchy create bonds between themselves: attacking an outsider makes them all insiders. This is why the worst cases of bullying happen with groups. Ask any nerd: you get much worse treatment from a group of kids than from any individual bully, however sadistic.
Have you ever taken any martial arts? If you had you'd know they teach that mental discipline is just as, or more important than physical discipline. The best way to win a fight is to not be in one. Further, martial arts teach self confidence, so when confronted with a bully one does not show weakness. As bullys prey on the weak this is also a good way to avoid outright violence. And in the worst situations, when violence is unavoidable, they teach you how to deal with that too. I encourage all parents to encourage their children to study martial arts, they teach great values and it's a fun way to stay fit.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!