Death threats and the Internet
Beware who you threaten...
Thursday, December 30, 2004 by Draginol | Discussion: Home & Family
I get threats of various kinds pretty frequently. Sometimes it's because they really dislike my political points of view. Others because they are mad because I moderated one of their posts. And other times they just plain hate me for reasons that I cannot even begin to fathom.
But I get enough of these that I have to take them seriously. When I was younger and had more free time (and a lot dumber) I'd call their bluff. I'd tell them "Go ahead, make my day, coward." I've met enough on-line people that I've found a very distinct corolation between how nasty and aggressive someone is on-line and how cowardly they are physically.
Now that I'm older, have a family, and know that indeed, while most of these people are just cowards, some of them may be truly violent sociopaths, I use more discretion. So I tend not to try to "egg them on". But make no mistake, someone comes to my house after making such a threat I can't reasonably make the distinction of whether they are coming to "confront me" in person, merely to try to "beat the shit out of me" or to "kill me and my whole fucking family" (as various threats go).
And so if anyone reading this is ever tempted to "confront me", make no mistake, I cannot afford to wait and see which type of assault you're planning to make. I'll do whatever I have to do to defend my home, family and myself and ask questions later. Anyone who threatens me or my family and follows it up with an unwelcome visit can be assured it would be the last action they'll ever take.
And anyone who knows me personally knows I mean that. I am not easily intimidated, certainly not physically. So to anyone thinking of sending me some threatening email or private message or on IRC or via instantt messener realize this - I get threats regularly and you may think making such threats is a form of intimidation that you don't mean very seriously. But you can be assured that they won't instill fear but that I will still take it very seriously. I get some threats that sound pretty serious (and specific).
And so I have to assume that every threat is a serious one and be prepared for. I'm not going to shut down my website or quit going on-line because some sociopath doesn't like me.
So my advice to the rash - don't threaten me. And certainly don't threaten me and try to come over to my house to try "give me a scare". I can't afford to wait and see if you're just bluffing or serious.
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Reply #2 Thursday, December 30, 2004 5:55 PM
Reply #3 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:01 PM
There are loonies out there. It's all in the percentages. If you're exposed to a million people per month, it only takes a tiny percentage of them to be nutcases to end up with a few threats.
Example of a threat from today:
"If you ever get the balls, Livonia is just a drive from Ann Arbor, I would gladly take the time to drive on over and explain to you why I hate your company, then I'd beat the living fuck outta you and make you spit enamel you piece of shit."
This was, in response to me sending him a moderator warning that foul language, personal attacks, and trolling were against the posted rules. What got him mad, I surmise, is that his hatred and such was directed at me and therefore (apparently) I should have had someone else judge whether he should have gotten a moderator warning. Which is, admittedly a bit amusing since my posts on the site in question explicitly have the Moderator badge by my name - i.e. don't attack the moderators is a pretty basic thing on net forums.
But while that was the most recent one, I get ones from my posts here on JU pretty occasionally. I get them from my posts or moderation on WinCustomize and have gotten them because of having to ban someone on IRC.
Since I get a lot of threats, I am a bit numb to the intimdiation affect that they are trying to achieve. I can honestly say that such threats don't install fear. But I do have to take them seriously. The one thing I do fear is that one of these days one of these nut jobs is going to come to my home thinking to try to "scare me" by accosting me not realizing that I have gotten enough credible threats over the years that I won't know that he's just there to try (and would fail) to "scare me" and I'd put him down before he stepped foot into my home.
Reply #4 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:05 PM
| This was, in response to me sending him a moderator warning that foul language, personal attacks, and trolling were against the posted rules. |
He honestly was angry because you basically told him to be more polite? That kind of person...well...they shouldn't have the right to exist...
Reply #5 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:12 PM
Well he was mad that I had the ability to moderate him because his attack was directed at me.
Same thing happens here. I've beened people for creating posts with my name in them savaging me.
But to be clear, I get such threats over a wide variety of reasons all equally insane IMO. There's no excuse to have such hatred over anything in the virtual world. It's a sign of mental instability which is precisely why such threats have to be taken with some seriousness.
Reply #6 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:14 PM
that's why i don't use usernames that only have my first name. someone could probably figure out my last through research but why make it easy to find you.
Reply #7 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:33 PM
Yet more proof that we need to issue Internet Usage Licenses... the test would be part intelligence test, party psychology exam. Weed out the morons and the crackpots.
Reply #8 Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:49 PM
| the test would be part intelligence test, party psychology exam |
hmmm...would that include pc intelligence? if so...imagine all the ones over...say...40 that for the most part, cant use a pc, much less the internet.
Reply #9 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:11 PM
If it moves in ana agressive manner it can also be shot center-of-mass... but maybe thats just my opinion....Reply #10 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:11 PM
| hmmm...would that include pc intelligence? if so...imagine all the ones over...say...40 that for the most part, cant use a pc, much less the internet. |
Whew...I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. At 41, I've already torn apart and reassembled pcs for fun, been getting in trouble online since the mid-90's, and getting calls from friends and family at various hours for help with this or that.....waitaminnit, is it really a good thing?
...dang it, mother-in-law having trouble checking her e-mail again. When does it end....?
Reply #11 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:12 PM
whoa....
Things are getting crazy, it's driving me a bit crazy. What is it about your site that makes it impossible for me to leave it for good?
Trinitie
Reply #12 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:14 PM
| "If you ever get the balls, Livonia is just a drive from Ann Arbor, I would gladly take the time to drive on over and explain to you why I hate your company, then I'd beat the living fuck outta you and make you spit enamel you piece of shit." |
Wow. Wow. That's crazy. All because you gave him a moderator warning?
Talk about having a scew loose......
Reply #13 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:47 PM
| When does it end....? |
IT doesn't....my grandpa calls me every day...why doesn't the pc go on...why is the screen black...all that stuff...turns out he had the moniter turned off...blah.
Reply #14 Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:54 PM
| I can't afford to wait and see if you're just bluffing or serious. |
thank g-d for carry and conceal laws:)
Reply #15 Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:15 PM
| Yet more proof that we need to issue Internet Usage Licenses... the test would be part intelligence test, party psychology exam. Weed out the morons and the crackpots. |
The Internet wouldn't be as wacky though.
| Things are getting crazy, it's driving me a bit crazy. What is it about your site that makes it impossible for me to leave it for good? |
Me! I'm still sane.
Reply #16 Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:17 PM
I used to get threatened by all kinds of folks. Nazis, militia nuts, religous kooks, and everyday folks who were just having a real bad day. I fear no one, and expect no one to fear me.
The internet makes even the meekest appear frightening because of the anonimity factor. It's not like they're staring you in the face and threatening you. Most of them dont have the cajones to do anything about it most of the time. But there are exceptions to every rule. And every nut has his/her breaking point.
I think i understand where you're coming from Brad. Been there.
And yes Grey...Thank the big man for CC laws!
Reply #17 Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:26 PM
Something to think about here... Maybe its time you lower your public profile? If someone makes a threat to Stardock, they end up threatening Random_Moderator_in_Austrailia_9882 instead of the CEO of a fairly substantial company?
I'm incredibly private, you won't find a picture of me on the internet, you won't find my address anywhere, and you won't find my phone number. We have *GREAT* security measures in place at my home, and everything that leaves my house is shredded in our Xerox commercial shredder. Some consider this paranoid, I consider it good basic habits... We even have a 7 zone alarm system tied to the fire alarms and a panic button in each room too. Nothing scares me, certainly nothing physical, you've seen me, i'm huge.
But I don't like idiots, and I don't like idiots knowing anything about me.You are fairly high profile, and as such, i'd lower your profile a bit, and increase awareness/security overall, and do things to make it much much harder for people to find you. Not out of fear, out of precaution and basic habit.
Reply #19 Friday, December 31, 2004 3:24 AM
Only through determination and never backing down, can your chidren ever be truely safe. This is the problem. It seems that to protect those that you love, you cannot take a stand because if you do, they may be harmed. But if you do not take a stand, then they will be harmed and be in constant fear of harm even more so than they are right now later on. It is just a matter of time.
This sort of reminds me of the premise of "The Invincibles". (I haven't seen it, but intend to... I've read the reviews though
) Litigate greatness into hiding. Threaten greatness into hiding. Same thing, only one is government sanctioned....
Reply #20 Friday, December 31, 2004 7:28 AM
| it would be the last action they'll ever take. And anyone who knows me personally knows I mean that. |
Isn't that a death threat? Made over the Internet? From my humble perspective this article itself looks like an attempt to intimidate.
And in the event of "the last action they'll ever take," a good D.A. could use this article as evidence of premeditation.
| Litigate greatness into hiding. Threaten greatness into hiding. |
The Dark Knight Returns tackled that concept a decade earlier.
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Reply #1 Thursday, December 30, 2004 5:52 PM
I think it's time for some to get a life, seriously.