NEWS: When the Internet Sucks

Umm, at the moment when a random blog site was being criticized on a porn site, for lusting after an 18 year old girl, That's when it turned into teh Silly.

Awesome

No way. Any sort of opinion offends someone, and I'm not going to apologize for offering my opinion on a given subject. Under certain circumstances, I will apologize for things I have said, but if I apologize for every opinion I hold that offends someone, well, I'd do nothing but apologize. I'm not going to apologize to everyone who thinks that evolution is bullshit, and I'm not going to wait for them to ask me for my opinion to offer it. I would imagine that you are not so different.

Is a mess more like it.

Seriously, what TedKoppel just said. You've offended many people at this site alone, for better or worse, and your own belief in your right to do so is enshrined in the very name you've chosen as your internet moniker.

I mean, seriously, at this point I'm just not believing what you're saying.

Since when do you need consent to talk about someone?

By the way...

It sure as hell matters a lot more with regard to having sex than it does for admiring a picture.

We can say that the sportsblog guy overstepped the mark, that he caused her distress that he never meant to, and we can note that he himself is now asking that people back off and leave her alone.

You're suggesting that the issue of "consent" is being trivialised, when you are in fact the one trivialising it.

Surely you're no suggesting that him posting her picture is akin to him "forcing himself on to her" in the way that raping her is in fact "forcing himself on to her", are you?

YEAH !!!

There's a difference between people taking offense, and targeting a specific individual with offensive remarks. I defy you to find something I've said that's done the latter where I wasn't responding in kind.

I'm not sure that the eroticization (making up words here) of female athletes is even very interesting with regards to this case. Would the story be much different if she was some prom queen who got her picture snapped while having a wardrobe malfunction and that picture got plastered all over the internet. The story here is about the ease and rapidity of internet celebrity. And that had little to do with gender or sexiness. I'll guarantee you that more people saw and laughed at the fat lightsaber kid than will ever see this girl.

I'm pretty sure I hate everything about this thread.

Pole vaulting is still really weird though.

Actually, it's not true that online harassment has nothing to do with gender or sex--see this pdf.

That said, one of the reasons I referenced the lightsaber kid in the post was to make the point that internet harassment isn't exclusively a gendered problem.

Love it!

I know I wouldn't have heard of her except for this site and the links provided.

I'll be honest, I'm not even sure why it's of note. Maybe if it was 1980 so she could be the first person ever to have something she didn't like posted about her on the internet.

Besides, I'd much rather leer at the Women's world series of softball.

how about Stuart E. Anderson of Great Falls, Montana: Asshole?

freckle's already replied to your challenge.

I'm more interested in your claim that an individual was specifically and intentionally targetted with offensive remarks.

While that may be your subjective interpretation of what went down, I don't think your interpretation could be established as the only or even most valid interpretation.

I found this story and comments interesting and thought provoking, and that should be the point of an article such as this. What I don't understand is why these turn into personal attacks for people who just are voicing their opinion.

duh! Obviously because unsolicited opinions are frightening harrasment akin to stalking and rape. It's disgusting and sophmorish.

i thought more about this on my run today- Again, I am not sure if the objectionable foundation of the story is that it she is young (although 18), an athlete stereocast as just a beautiful girl, or that a person's image can be so quickly spread without one's permission. As a photographer I have had people express concern how an image of them might be used which inhibits some people's willingness to be photographed and that is frustrating because the concern is so high good shooting opportunities are missed. Not that this is the equivilant situation but, the other day I was at a race- with my shirt off and wearing short tri shorts.. there was an attractive lady with a camera shooting pictures of her husband and their child. When he went to warm up. She stopped, pointed the camera at me and took several shots. She smiled and then moved on. Should I be offended, concerned or flattered? Frankly, i was flattered. But that is me.

You see, she's female. And has tits. And BitchPHD is a one-trick pony who has to stretch really hard to be able to write the same damned article every fucking time.

Ok, we all have to admit that at one time or another we have done or said something boneheaded. What definds who we are is wether we have the heart to appoligize and attempt to correct our mistakes. To repair or minimize the damage when to mistake has been made and to admit ones mistakes.
I also can't help to wonder if this is not a time when the media helped in the spread of the story. I would not have been aware of this issue had I not found it here.

hunh...i accidentally posted a comment.