<<Well being a netcop and stalking someone online like this can be
seen as personal abuse. And that is the problem. Not enough
people minding their own bussiness[sic]. Seems like someone always
has to stick their nose into others bussiness[sic].>.
I think if you take the time to investigate the defined prohibitions,
you'll see that "stalking" has a pretty narrow definition when applied
to the web. All I did was tell someone who used language that is a
violation of both his ISP and this NG's charter, as
non-confrontationally as I could, that it was inappropriate and
actionable (in the narrow range of action one can bring on the net), and
that it wouldn't surprise me if someone turned him in to his ISP for
email abuse. I further cautioned him to not flame me, as I would be just
as likely to turn him in to his (and MY) ISP as anyone else -- that's
not a threat, it's a fact. That's called "fair warning". As he then
decided he would show his disdain for both the rules of the ISP to which
he's subscribed *and* for my request to lay off, he sent me a private
email full of a whole-order-of-magnitude-greater load of obscenity and
abuse, and told me he had "turned me in" to our mutual ISP for
"threats". He also said that his right to free speech specifically
included whatever language he wished to use, in open forums or anywhere
else. While it may comfort him to *think* that's true, it simply is not.
First, there is not a single ISP whose Terms Of Service don't
specifically proscribe the use of such language, both in open forum and
in private email. Second, it has been discussed here before that the
nature of the subject of this NG is such that there are a large number
of adolescents (and NOT just in the chronological sense, although THAT's
the point) who frequent the group. There is no place and no reason for
profanity in this or any other newsgroup, simple as that. If you do not
think that's true, you can look up the charter of the newsgroup, and
look at Concentric's Terms Of Service -- the language is very simple and
very clear.
As for "sticking [my] nose into other people's bussiness [sic]", the
newsgroups and private email are everyone's business. You don't own this
Newsgroup, nor do I, nor does anyone else -- but I know I don't have to
accept wading through a cesspool, just because someone thinks it makes
him seem like a big boy to use cesspool language in an open forum. I
don't think I'm exactly alone on this issue.
Maybe if more people took responsibility for their own actions, the
world would be a kinder, gentler place. As long as there are people who
have such fragile self-images that they have to bolster their egos by
being a public nuisance, there will be people like me who will remind
them that it's not right, and they signed an agreement wherein they
AGREED that being a public nuisance is not right, and that they would
not act in such a manner -- specifically in the defined terms of abuse,
spam, foul language, fraud -- as to constitute a public nuisance, on
pain of forfeiture of their ISP accounts.
By the way, except for my single post taking this person to task for his
use of foul and abusive language, I have not communicated with him in
any way, although he has emailed me privately, as noted above, and has
further attempted to bait me on this NG with childish taunts that
reflect more on his maturity than anything else -- as he has publicly
made it clear that he enjoys these barbs and the reaction he gets to
them as some sort of game that satisfies his need to feel important,
there seems no percentage in feeding an already overstuffed ego, does
there?. If you wish to do the same, by all means, rail and rant to your
heart's content -- just don't expect me to play along.
Barton Spencer Brown
BTW, sorry some folks don't like my name -- blame my mother.
