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Death Threats In the Blogosphere

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the way-over-the-line dept.

Several readers have written in about the death threats and threats of sexual harm that have been directed at tech blogger Kathy Sierra. She is the author of a number of books about Java and a popular speaker at conferences. She has now stopped blogging and cancelled her appearance at eTech. She names the names of four prominent bloggers who are backers of two sites on which the threats were posted. Others in the blogosphere like Robert Scoble and Tim Bray have posted publicly in support of Sierra. Scoble in particular emphasizes the streak of misogyny that is still all too evident in the tech world. The Washington Post is also grappling with the issue of vile comment posts that flirt with illegality. One commenter on Bray's post summed it up: "The Internet used to be a university. Then it became a shopping mall. But now, it's a war zone."

3 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. Proving once again. by AltGrendel · · Score: 1, Redundant
    There have been studies about this. Annominitiy on the Internet emboldends people to be stupid and say things they might otherwise filter out. It's a real shame that people can't be mature about differing points of view.

    Gabe and Tyco said it best.

    --
    The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

    - Douglas Adams

  2. Re:Whingebag.. by SpaghettiCoder · · Score: 1, Redundant
    Actually yes I was at one time a relatively public figure and I have published articles too. I have had all sorts of abuse thrown at me, including people accusing me of attention-seeking, blah blah blah just like you.

    You fail to realise - if I'm posting here because I've got too much time, then what are you doing responding? How can I be attention-seeking, if I am anonymous (like now). This tech writer real name Kathy IS attention seeking. FACT. She can't handle life in the spotlight. FACT. She can't handle hecklers/scorn. FACT. Because the experience "changed" her so much she considers herself a "different person", she loozes and she got pwned. FACT (sad but true). She is not entitled to my sympathy or anyone else's. FACT.

    You've got nothing on me because I'm anonymous here. FACT. You're a deluded sucker who sees a "damsel in distress". FACT. Wouldn't want to be you mister looza in shining armour. FACT.

  3. Re:simply unacceptable by bytesex · · Score: 0, Redundant

    It's probably not blogonarcisism; this behaviour is more like borderline Tourette.

    --
    Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.