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Part One
I originally wrote the first draft of this article a few days ago and have since had to completely rewrite it after I became the most recent focus of what some would consider food for a ‘troll’, or prey for a predator. You be the judge. What I write is simply my opinion although everything I have to say can be substantiated by supporting facts.
I thought long and hard about how I could effectively address emotions I felt while members of a writers group I belong to were ‘literally’ terrorized on our forums. Trying very hard to be supportive and not fall into the ‘feeding of the trolls’, I simply kept about my business and tried to steer myself away from my urge to respond. A new writer came on board and posted an innocent question having to do with correctly submitting a piece of work. Directly after I offered a suggestion, I too became one of a group of the few that were being verbally abused on the threads. I received an email that had automatically added my name to an email list from another group with a link attached to it. When I followed the link, what I found not only shocked me, but confirmed my belief that what was happening went far beyond simple trolling or flaming. It was clearly evidence that we had a predator amongst us. While the remarks he directed toward me were not nearly as damaging as the attacks he launched on others, I was compelled to break my silence and speak my mind. I was not willing to become the next assault victim. While simply a member of an online writing group, I could not overlook my responsibility to share with you my own thoughts and professional experience in dealing with people who commit predatory crimes. Certain members of my group were being hurt. Yes, hurt. Just because they are words on a screen does not mean they can’t harm, frighten or terrorize another. Others could not tolerate the ugliness they were reading and left the group altogether. Some were truly in fear and expressed those fears openly and rightfully so. When I expressed my desire to help by giving my knowledge and experience to others, I was violated and attacked in a manner that I am compelled to address, and have a responsibility to pursue in any way I can to make even the smallest chances of this happening again somewhat preventable. Should I be afraid? That is possible. Could the person who maliciously delivered these attacks be dangerous? That is without doubt. While I don’t want to be fearful, or see anyone else afraid for that matter; it is wise to overestimate someone who is publicly and without shame committing various crimes against others. If you think you are blowing something out of proportion but have a feeling in your gut that you are not, follow that feeling. The worst that can happen is one might feel silly for thinking the worst and then feel relieved when facts prove it was just a bad feeling. On the other hand, if you underestimate acts such as these that have recently taken place, you could be making a very innocent assumption that could be potentially dangerous as opposed to something simply unpleasant to read.
How can you tell the difference between a troll and a predator? How do you know I am not just some freaked out survivor who felt victimized again? How can you discern what it is that separates ‘trollers and flamers’ from someone who is an unbalanced, dangerous predator who is engaging in stalking behaviors, harassment and any other number of crimes that are prosecutable in a court of law? I’d like to offer my opinion to you. I hope that you can take something from it and protect yourself. Writers and speakers are a precious breed of people. We carry messages to anyone who reads our words either accidentally or intentionally. We write stories, we speak truths. We create fiction and give facts about our lives through writing nonfiction. We are creative inspiration used to entertain, educate, enlighten and invoke thought in the minds and lives of others.
There are those however who write things that are not beautiful or pleasant. As long as those writers are not breaking the law, there has been no crime committed. The right to freedom of speech is often misunderstood. Many hide behind that right, believing that they are protected from consequences if they abuse what they consider to be that privilege. I disagree with that belief.
There are those that are quick to cry censorship if an author’s offensive content is removed from a forum, believing their right to free speech has been violated. This is untrue when offensive content becomes something that constitutes a crime. There are also rules and policies that group members are asked to adhere to and comply with when joining a group. If those have been violated, the manager/owner of that group can remove such content at any time.
I’ve heard such common phrases as ‘If you can’t take the heat, get out of the fire’, or even so much as someone telling me I personally put myself up for public ridicule and at risk for attack by posting a query letter I wanted to send an agent. Well, if my writing is about my life and I am in a writers group designed to help new writers, what did I have to be afraid of? Constructive criticism is one thing. Any number of offenses that constitute a crime is another story in itself. This article is not intended to defend my own work however. It just happened to become viciously attacked in what became much more than a simple menacing troll visiting our forums.
While it is true that a troll may come and go, cause trouble and move elsewhere, a predator will not. While a troll may use ugly words and send a vile message, a stalker will personally identify and target an individual in an attempt to use whatever means it takes to inflict harm, fear and terror on its recipient. While a troll can even in his/her own ignorance and/or arrogance appear entertaining and even offer a few laughs at times, a disturbed cyber stalker will take careful measures to prove that he/she is very capable of giving it’s target reason to believe there is actionable reason to take measures against that person and to protect themselves.
If a forum visitor who only reads what is put before them onscreen defends the actions of someone attacking another without full knowledge of other actions that took place, they are misinformed. If one can say there was no harm done, but was not a recipient of injury or was unaware that the incidents went far beyond the walls of the forums they are making a call that is based on what the predator has chosen them to see. It is what only a select few were subject to, exposed to and attacked with that will ever know the true nature of the very real crimes that were committed against them.
There are several sites on the internet that are helpful in educating people about the laws meant to protect us from cyber stalkers and predators. There are sites to laws and statutes. There are numerous stories told where attacks went far beyond cyberspace and became very real. In the next part of my article, I would like to address some of those issues. I’d like to first invite you to take a look at the following links as a good start.
I am not writing this because I was attacked in my group. As I stated at the beginning of this piece, the article began when I saw a few of my peers viciously attacked. I just happened to be the next on the list when I expressed a desire to help. The reason I had that desire is because I am a survivor myself. I went on to devote my life to the education and prevention of abuses such as this. I am a credentialed and certified expert in the field of traumatic stress and abuse management. I am working on a book that directly addresses the issues of stalkers and predatory crimes. I simply thought I had something to offer my peers when I saw the signs and markers that showed me a person who fit the clinical profile of a predator. It is my hope that my knowledge will help those who were harmed and inform those who weren’t. Deleting posts that were damaging was a good thing and a kind gesture. However the damage that was done is not as easily deleted.
We should not have to be silent in order to avoid ridicule. We should be able to tell our stories without fear. Offensive behavior can be tolerated to a point. When such behavior crosses the boundaries that separate one’s own right to speak and a criminal act is another matter.
Here are a few links for you to look at. I hope you can benefit from them.