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Great. Bullying should be illegal already, and internet bullies should be aggressively prosecuted. This is currently a law enforcement blind spot, but that nee
by Bud 12y ago
Great. Bullying should be illegal already, and internet bullies should be aggressively prosecuted.
This is currently a law enforcement blind spot, but that needs to change.
BTW, putting quotes around the world "bullying" isn't actually effective in mocking it as something actionable; it just communicates to us that you are perfectly ok with bullying.
- brandonmenc 12y agoThe FCC regulates content that it deems "indecent" or "obscene" - legally nebulous terms. "Bullying" could cover incidents like Dan Savage redefining Santorum. The FCC has been trying to get their hands on the internet for decades, and I see enforced net neutrality as their Trojan horse. It's possible I'm overly paranoid. fwiw, we probably agree on the actual definition of bullying, and also that it should be illegal. I put it in quotes to indicate I'm using it imprecisely, not because I'm OK with what I believe to be legitimate bullying.
- thizzbuzz 12y agoThe worry is that "bullying" can be redefined to mean almost anything. A scathing critique of a bad business or politician could be construed as bullying. We should also be careful about criminalizing bullies, since a large portion of them are young (and quite possibly bullied or abused themselves). It's a problem, and it needs more attention, but rushing to criminalize it seems hasty to me.
- dasmithii 12y agoAgreed. Criminalizing antagonism would provide dirt on just about everyone. Hell, half of YouTube [commenters] would be prosecutable. Not all wrongful doings ought be illegal.