Xref: utzoo comp.mail.misc:1452 news.admin:4172
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From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc,news.admin
Subject: Re: Misuse of email privileges (Was: Re: bigoted racist misuse of email)
Summary: Public speech comes with risks as does advocating change.
Keywords: email
Message-ID: <2326@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 3 Dec 88 23:52:47 GMT
References: <10676@ihlpa.ATT.COM> <11242@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <5917@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <2295@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <4340@pbhyf.PacBell.COM>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 68

In article <4340@pbhyf.PacBell.COM> rob@pbhyf.PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo) writes:
>In article <2295@ddsw1.MCS.COM> karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Karl Denninger) writes:
>+Nancy, Mark, 
>+Skyler and others:  If you don't like the fire, get the heck out of the 
>+		    boiler room.  It is a fact of LIFE that people who speak 
>+		    in public on topics such as these WILL be heckled,
>+		    ridiculed, and yes, even slammed in a generally
>+		    obnoxious manner.
>
>Ouch! This comes close to blaming the victim.

(Oh gawd, quoted out of context again.  Ok, here we go! :-)

Please read the top part of the article; I am fully in support of taking the
person(s) who sent this mail to the task for their actions -- IF they can be
positively identified.

HOWEVER, at least one of the mail messages is probably untracable (being
obviously forged), which immediately brings into question the posters'
intent and desired outcome.  The xposting to 10+ groups, and the headline
group (soc.culture.jewish) makes the intent pretty clear and beyond dispute.

I've received mail of this kind before; it's not nice, but I do get it once
in a while.  Usually it comes right after I say something on the net that
really gets to someone -- in other words, I stuck in the knife, and twisted,
and the person who was offended followed up with the harsh words.

One of the risks of being a public person, in any form, is that your
publically-spoken views will be heckled and ridiculed, and you may be as
well.  Ask Jimmy Carter (Mr. Peanut) or Reagan (Ronny Ray-Gun) about this,
or nearly anyone else who advocates a position in public.  

As a person who has often advocated change of some kind or another since
my early school years, I am _WELL VERSED_ in the kinds of harassment that 
this exposes one to.  Those of you would read talk.politics.misc &
misc.legal know that I personally support legalization; this stance has
garnered me more than one really offensive piece of email, including an
indirect threat to take my life!

Being public with your opinions and views, and working for change, is NEVER
easy.  It's almost never risk-free, either.  Email on the Usenet is much
like a public mailbox -- you can certainly send mail without a return
address, and in such an event, you are just as powerless to determine the
origin and take action against the perpetrator.

I certainly don't _blame_ the victims of this kind of email, no more than I
blamed myself when I received similar mail.  But I do (and did) recognize
that the mail would have NEVER BEEN SENT had I not stuck my 2 cents into the
discussion -- and in that sense, YES I did provoke the words that were sent
my way.  I stuck my head up in the crowd and made a statement -- a rather
strong and controversial one at that -- just as Nancy has done, and I
received some strong (and very offensive) words in return.

No, I won't post the name(s) of the people responsible in my case; I
resolved the problem the PROPER way, by taking it to the site admins from
where the messages originated.  They ceased within 48 hours; as my only
desire was to stop the harassment I took no further action and consider the
matter closed.

(Btw: In case anyone cares, yes I did find the email highly offensive, but
      hardly worthy of a witch-hunt.  If I had been the recipient it would
      have gotten the 'd' key without further thought, or perhaps a reply to
      root at the site involved).

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, ddsw1!karl)
Data: [+1 312 566-8912], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.    	"Quality solutions at a fair price"