« Follow the bouncing mail | Main | Thinking about a code of conduct for bloggers » The dark sideI don't know that I have anything to add to the ongoing conversation about the death threats against Kathy Sierra. It's like something from prime time television, which is really sick, when you think about it. We've evolved from Mayberry RFD to a steady diet forensics heroes tracking serial killers through mounds of gore, so we shouldn't be too surprised to find casual threats of violence in cyberspace and elsewhere. Some anonymous jerk has practiced a random (or not) act of terrorism without considering the real effect on a real person. On the other hand, it appears that a few good people (Jeneane Sessum, Frank Paynter, and Chris Locke) have also been affected because Kathy S., understandably rattled, associated them with anonymous comments posted on a prank site they'd set up. I don't know the whole story here, but I know Frank and Jeneane, and I sort of know Locke, and they're not scary people or misogynists. Locke has posted a response, so has Frank.
jon posted this at 11:37 AM |
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Actually, Jon, your addition to this (mad) conversation is probably the most clear analysis I've read today. I don't know any of the people involved, although I have all of their RSS feeds in my reader, and I never pictured them as criminal or even "mean kids".
Probably the blogosphere lives in a dream bubble, everybody know (or think they know) each other, comment each other posts and often write sardonic criticisms. But when someone, especially someone "famous" like Locke for example, crosses the bubble membrane, the Internet goes ape. Would have this happened if the only "threat" Kathy Sierra received was from an anonymous comment on her blog? I don't think so.
I'm sorry for her, 'cause the situation seems to have really upset her. But I hope this will be a good wake-up call for everybody, reminding that the Internet is not, was never and never will be a safe social haven.
Posted by: Gillo | March 27, 2007 1:56 PM
Thanks... great comment, Gillo.
Posted by: Jon Lebkowsky | March 31, 2007 8:31 PM
Thank you for this kind acknowledgment, Jon.
Posted by: Frank Paynter | March 31, 2007 9:04 PM
thank you, jon.
Posted by: jeneane | March 31, 2007 10:23 PM