5 ms·

These days isn't receiving death threats on the internet kind of par for the course? How many internet death threats have actually resulted in deaths? I think t

These days isn't receiving death threats on the internet kind of par for the course? How many internet death threats have actually resulted in deaths? I think the answer is zero. Why even pay them any attention?

hrktb 12y ago
It would come down to who wants to be the first. Also the people making these death threats are not in a sane state of mind from the start, judging from the published samples.
- DanBC 12y ago
  People can just be assholes without also having mental illness.
  - hrktb 12y ago
    That's way passed the level I'd call being an asshole: https://mobile.twitter.com/femfreq/status/504718160902492160 https://mobile.twitter.com/femfreq/status/504718160902492160 Also, no one talked about mental illness.
    - DanBC 12y ago
      You talked about mental illness! > not in a sane state of mind Stop stigmatising people with mental illness by associating them with violence.
archagon 12y ago
Not only do these women receive orders of magnitude more death threats than your typical online celebrity, but people do in fact come to their homes, contact their relatives, harass them at work, mail them stuff, etc. Consider also that some studies have shown that more than a third of all women have been sexually harassed or assaulted at some point in their lives, which is mostly invisible to guys like me[1]. That must be a pretty terrifying place to be. If that was me in Anita's shoes, I doubt I'd be able to just wave off these death threats, especially if friends and family were being targeted as well. [1]: You can start reading at this comment — http://www.metafilter.com/85667/Hi-Whatcha-reading#2777344 http://www.metafilter.com/85667/Hi-Whatcha-reading#2777344 — and keep going for a good long while. This thread changed my outlook a few years ago.
- meowface 12y ago
  The comment you linked was quite excellent and changed my perspective a bit. I read the whole thing. However, I'm not sure I'm convinced that someone like Anita necessarily has gotten more death threats than someone like Jack Thompson, and I also don't know if her being a woman plays a significant factor. I'm willing to accept that's true with evidence, but there isn't really evidence (and no easy way to find or gather such evidence). Death threats are unacceptable but the kind that have been sent to Anita seem to be more of the Internet troll variety than anything else.

hrktb 12y ago

It would come down to who wants to be the first. Also the people making these death threats are not in a sane state of mind from the start, judging from the published samples.

DanBC 12y ago
People can just be assholes without also having mental illness.
- hrktb 12y ago
  That's way passed the level I'd call being an asshole: https://mobile.twitter.com/femfreq/status/504718160902492160 https://mobile.twitter.com/femfreq/status/504718160902492160 Also, no one talked about mental illness.
  - DanBC 12y ago
    You talked about mental illness! > not in a sane state of mind Stop stigmatising people with mental illness by associating them with violence.

archagon 12y ago

Not only do these women receive orders of magnitude more death threats than your typical online celebrity, but people do in fact come to their homes, contact their relatives, harass them at work, mail them stuff, etc. Consider also that some studies have shown that more than a third of all women have been sexually harassed or assaulted at some point in their lives, which is mostly invisible to guys like me[1]. That must be a pretty terrifying place to be. If that was me in Anita's shoes, I doubt I'd be able to just wave off these death threats, especially if friends and family were being targeted as well. [1]: You can start reading at this comment — http://www.metafilter.com/85667/Hi-Whatcha-reading#2777344 http://www.metafilter.com/85667/Hi-Whatcha-reading#2777344 — and keep going for a good long while. This thread changed my outlook a few years ago.

meowface 12y ago
The comment you linked was quite excellent and changed my perspective a bit. I read the whole thing. However, I'm not sure I'm convinced that someone like Anita necessarily has gotten more death threats than someone like Jack Thompson, and I also don't know if her being a woman plays a significant factor. I'm willing to accept that's true with evidence, but there isn't really evidence (and no easy way to find or gather such evidence). Death threats are unacceptable but the kind that have been sent to Anita seem to be more of the Internet troll variety than anything else.