I get fed up with newsppaper articles whose total first page text is deceiving. That is the case of today's L.A. Times article about the girl who was bullied anonymously on the Internet. She had some insecurity issues and hanged herself while the family were preparing dinner. The perpetrators of this hideous deed seem to have been the mother of a neighboring friend, the friend and an employee of friend's mom's business.
Towards the end of the article the L.A. Times shows an opinion of a jurist concerning a federal law punishing those who anonymously harass and inflict personal injury to others on the Net. So there is a law. I'd be very surprised if there weren't one.
I know I am totally behind in my blogging duties after hunting down the impersonators of Cretinismos, a photolog Fotolog.com hosted and orkut.com let be without even noticing the profile of the divulger of the harassment, impersonation and breach of copyright photos was a duck without a valid profile sitting in Blogueiros do Orkut board. Yesterday I paid a short visit to this board on orkut to realize I was being scolded by the probable responsible for Cretinismos and by the owner of the board for leaving the owner a "weird message" someone else told the owner about. I wrote the owner an e-mail. I have e-mail on my blogs. If a person doesn't want to own a board, don't do it. But please, don't add to the drama already. The likely responsible for this deed, along with his pals, frightened me away from Blogger in August last year. I didn't have to sue. We called his Daddy and the 22-yr.-old prankster had to pull every line off his own board about me. This year his Mommy called me to complain about her firstborn.
A fellow blogger said these anonymous creatures crawling the Internet aren't worth the spit of a mosquito. I can hear my friend, as serious as a Franciscan monk or a German philosopher. Caetano Veloso says German is the natural language of philosophy.
I am glad I am not a fifteen-year-old chubby girl lured into a trap to be led to believe she had an Internet boyfriend who shunned her and humiliated her collectively with other MySpace people. The boyfriend was this friend's mother, so it's reported. Although Brazilian bloggers in the orkut board thought it was funny to see "me" interviewing "them", I believe I stiil own the right to my speech and image in my country, where all Internet companies involved are. The prankster jumped into the discussion to say I had to learn I would never be able to sue anyone in Brazil. But who was talking of suing if all I did before for him to behave was to call his parents?
I had to take a break from VH1 Classics all day today with Bob Dylan. I had to post this for all to know there is a federal law to protect you from cyber-space bullying if you are ever a victim of this cowardly deed. I just had to do this, after I read the Los Angeles Times misleading front page of the article about the teen girl bullied to death.
The Anonymous Bullies of the Internet ought to be punished like evil creatures that they are, without a way out, trapped in a corner.
Back to Dylan on VH1. Happy Thanksgiving to all. I give thanks for my family being well and for having a few great friends; they know who they are.
L.A.Times permanent link, click. Pass it on. With you Bob Dylan and Johnnie Cash. Enjoy.
Comments