Adult Cyber Bullying- Should laws protecting children also be applied toward the safety of Adults? Part I

Below you will find a partial transcript from a chat room session beginning approximately 2:15am central standard time, December 22, 2007 on AOL's People Connection Created Chat Room LIFE/Over Forty. AOL archives all chat logs but does not make them available to the general public without due process, specifically; a subpoena, however, they are available nonetheless.

This chat room log is very disturbing. It is evidence of a woman who is very angry, manic and focused on her attack. This is an actual event so please be aware of this fact as you read below.

As you read this chat room log, please be aware that cyber-bullying does take place with grown adults as much if not more than it does with children. Many of the attacks launched on others are brutal in many ways and have proven fatal in some cases. This assertion requires more investigation from me and evidence of same at this time. However, having been a participant in the chat room scene, I personally have witnessed, have been and I am a victim of the same kind of threats and abuses on a regular ongoing basis, therefore I can and do attest to the harshness and seriousness of this wide spread and increasingly dangerous problem of online life.

The measures in place by ISP's that host and/or provide as a perk or amenity to their software package, such chat room venues are inadequate at best. The host provider of such venues will have in place, measures or "Terms of Service" (TOS) agreements outlining proper protocol and/or behavior specifically required in order to maintain an account with such a provider. However, failing compliance with such TOS rules and regulations, the remedies for breach of TOS agreements are completely inadequate at best and have many "HOLES" that allow perpetrators back in to the very chat room that the offense took place only to pickup where they left off with a stronger anger and vengeance upon their return toward those deemed (rightfully or wrongfully) responsible for turning them in to get them TOS'ed.

Are there laws protecting people in chat rooms? IF so, where does an ADULT turn for help? Does anyone know? Who is culpable? Does anyone hold or have a duty to claim responsibility for abuses taking place in such online forums? There are more questions than there are answers. BUT THE QUESTIONS need to be asked.

Abuse is abuse no matter where it is committed. Verbal abuse is one of the most under reported, under treated and most heinous abuses of all because of the deep emotional and mental scarring it causes cannot be seen or felt by others thereby is subjective in nature. ITS results are manifested and are evidenced by many social ills. The WRITTEN ABUSE as found online or in cyber space is no different than abuse anywhere else. In fact, it can be worse.

How serious does it get? Are there reported fatalities resulting from chat room activity, banter and/or interaction. Yes, I have knowledge of deaths resulting from "something" that either began or happened in a chat room.

When this happens, who is responsible? Are the ISP HOSTS of such chat rooms culpable at all? Where does one go to find help?

In this series I hope to explore all aspects of online cyber bullying and the various shoot-off abuses of same as well as the actual environment these abuses thrive in. IT IS MY greatest desire to bring public awareness to these very abuses, as in the brutality that goes unhindered inside a chat room of GROWN adults: Adults who have the resource to make good on a promise to kick someone's azz that lives six states away from him. The Adult who has the knowledge to finesse and manipulate in-place mechanisms meant to protect members and remedy issues as they arise.

Just as we answer one question, be sure another will arise. Please come along with me as I take you on a ride that may make you angry, cry, sad and ready to blame me for. Again, the best way is to begin at the beginning and the chat log below is a partial log but one that speaks for itself as you will see as you read it.

Thank you for your interest and happy reading ...

The Chat Log:

Zillabea: your the punchboard and the joke Of the Internet people laugh at your Stupid ramblings on your Multiple sites preaching love and light with spaceships floating around. while you send hate and death letters to people in this room

PamiSu392: she see's UFOs ??

Zillabea: youre a phony hypocrite with Nothing but your old worn out darkened light pics of yourself in a Bikini cuz looks dont matter you say but you had to show 80 pics of yourSelf have dressed and in a bed sheet. yeah youre real credible.

Zillabea: take your Meds

Zillabea: pami type in galaxyline617 on google. youll see

Zillabea: and it aint illegal lady you plastered yourself all over the Internet you are such a Fool

Zillabea: if you dont want people readin your junk dont post it . gee that doesnt take a genius to figure out

Zillabea: and it IS junk

Zillabea: because galaxy you do not practice One single thing that you constantly PREACH to Others

Headsclutrd: I gotta figure out how to care this much....Im sure it would bother me if I cared

Zillabea: are we clear

Zillabea: good.

Zillabea: ~

PamiSu392: hahaha Heads

Zillabea: Heads shes a freak. no more no less

Zillabea: lots of them on the Internet. they stick together

Zillabea: water seeks its own level

Headsclutrd: then again Ive never tried to discourage women from posting scantilly clad pictures of themselves

PamiSu392: LOL

Zillabea: wabs is in bed and caveman must be too Mary also so Gals kind of all alone right now. usually she has several other Bullys screeching at people with h4er

Zillabea: Head its just Cheap

Zillabea: and Desperate

Zillabea: all three of them did it. dans mary and gal

Zillabea: geee the common denominator .. no class

Zillabea: desperation

PamiSu392: ok i'm going in search of breakfast... play nice

Chaos196: wow what was that noise ? sounded kinda like some white trash slobs butt puckering up

Zillabea: nite pami:)

Zillabea: LOL chaos

Zillabea: enlightening chaos thank you

Zillabea: try findin me genius. you cant even find reality. but spell my name right ok Gal.. its Carroll M Edwin:) got it?

Zillabea: lol

Zillabea: do you really think i would stupid enough to use my real name in this forum.

Zillabea: lol

Chaos196: oh well just screen names here, there's no real people behind them, we can say anything we want, galaxy said so last night, if it's funny to teen it's prefectly alright, after all she owns this room, just ask her

Zillabea: Chaos shes jumped the shark. even her own people are embarassed by her Stupid remarks

Chaos196: zilla can't say i blame them

Roseann2530: Zill............ignore it

Zillabea: she cmes in here blows alotta hot air threatens people acts like shes in charge of the Internet. its hard to watch i call her Brittany ;)

Chaos196: hi rose

Roseann2530: Hiya Chaos

Chaos196: hello

Zillabea: Rose .. i usually do i put her on ignore. she has 4 other bully pals.. youll see them Caveman Wabt Mary and Sam

Chaos196: how you doon ?

Zillabea: all bullys. all pathetic

Roseann2530: true but ignore it

Chaos196: all the bullies i've met in my life are really ignorant

Headsclutrd: I feel like Im anxiously anticipating daylight..yet I have absolutely nothing planned for the day

Zillabea: sandra is a 50 year old very emotionally fragile woman living on welfare in an expando trailer. who absolutely LIVES for the Internet and this room it is her life...

Chaos196: heads could always go play golf

Zillabea: and that is plain to see by the amazing number of blogs forums and websites she has decicated to her insanity. one has a dam flying saucer with Music lmao

Headsclutrd: true..never played it before..

Zillabea: then if someone Sees her websites she calls them stalkers lol

Chaos196: golf is really a lotta fun

Roseann2530: where you live Heads?

Zillabea: shes such a fool

Chaos196: i used to play when i was a kid

Zillabea: i see she finally shuttup:)

Headsclutrd: Adlanna metro area..in jawja

Zillabea: yooo whoo Sandraaaa i didnt get TERMED arnt ya embarassed now:) keep logging galaxy lol

Chaos196: zilla she's running to tos to cry and whine

LINBRQQK75: ty Z for getting her to shut up

Zillabea: stupid broad

Zillabea: chaos. i know shes such a follower

Zillabea: doesnt matter she cant do a thing. she has NO power

Zillabea: i know something about her that she doesnt think i no:)

Zillabea: matter of time

Chaos196: yup zilla obvious by how she smooches up to teen, the lowest common denominator on aol

Zillabea: your welcome LIN

Headsclutrd: listen...do ya want to know a secret..

Chaos196: sure

Zillabea: shes a suckup chaos.. Teen absolutely verbally attempts to obliterate people he is atrocious and she laps it up . makes you wanna vomit a woman with no self esteem haning with Trash like teen

Roseann2530: was asking so I could know the weather.....beach or movies

Zillabea: she crossed the line with me.

Zillabea: that aint good

Chaos196: zilla well put

Galaxyline6l7: shutting UP lmaoooo

Galaxyline6l7: LOLLOL Keeping you going is easy to do

Galaxyline6l7: please continue

Roseann2530: Hi Drunkin

Zillabea: im easy goin:) i love to laugh but you know when i get mad which is seldom i do something about it

Galaxyline6l7: melting down has never been so real

Galaxyline6l7: ty

Headsclutrd: no beach..movies not really my bag...Ive almost semi-mastered the unicycle..

Zillabea: fu*k off galaxyline (line fixed and asterisk placed in the position of the “C” --- actual word typed into the chat room)

Zillabea: :)

Zillabea: youre just a nother garden variety NUT

Chaos196: snot nosed jerks come here talking smack and trying to act all bad then run to tattle to tos

Roseann2530: cool,Heads

Zillabea: chaos.. takes 4 or 5 of um to harass one person

Zillabea: lol

Zillabea: she thinks shes cool hanging with Teen and mary and that Rude Sam

LINBRQQK75: gaga is worried now...as she should be

Zillabea: they hav no idea how bad they really look

Drunkincarpets: hello rose

Zillabea: LIN she should be trust me

LINBRQQK75: i know

Roseann2530: where in NJ?

Zillabea: ive called .. several people about the harassment of late
Chaos196: yup zilla, takes that many to combine their vocabulary to come up with anything that would equal a 5 year old

Zillabea: and sent the logs

Zillabea: enough.

Drunkincarpets: carteret

Roseann2530: near Edison?

Zillabea: it will be interestng to see if Fishead goes when Galaxy does

Zillabea: ::smile

Drunkincarpets: not to far from there

Chaos196: you think she puts lipstick on that sphincter on the front of her face ?

Zillabea: anyway Sandra to make a long story short.. the next time you get so excited , you almost we your pants.. laughing at me and saying Ive been Termed and YOU termed me.. ya better make sure i really am Termed:) cuzz obviously Im Not:)

Zillabea: LOLOLOLOL

Zillabea: i rest my case

Zillabea: {S ilikeher

Zillabea: :) see ya

Chaos196: maybe her 'God' idle will come back to rescue her with his 75 word vocabulary

Headsclutrd: guess I could do some laundry...clean my room...might waste a nun..so many things to choose from

Chaos196: and that's being generous

Chaos196: yeah heads i got bored and did my laundry earlier, fun

Headsclutrd: ladies...germs....this stuff is supposed to be fun...perhaps we can try a lil harder next time...ciao

Chaos196: later heads

This log is pertinent because it contains an element of many abuses and TERMS of SERVICE (TOS) violations at least once if not more throughout the log. Cursing, threatening, harassing, stalking, and defamation are all prevalent elements in that log. This log is representative of the normal course of chatting in a chat room and it exposes the normal mode of behavior by those who wish to have power and control over such venues and people who frequent such venues.

How much can a person take of this type of banter and diatribe before it takes a toll? A critical thinker would ask why would a person continue going to such a chat room and submit to that kind of verbal beating day after day. IT is a valid question and I propose that the reasons any person goes back to such a place and takes such abuse day after day has a psychology all its own. However, in most cases one might assume, the chat room cyber-bullied victim usually has a following of acquaintances in a particular chat room that they go to converse and interact with day after day. Additionally, a victim may refuse to give in to being abused and going back is their way of fighting said abuse. THE answers are anyone’s guess and I do not think that the focus should be placed on the victim in any way whatsoever. By placing blame on the victim, the bullying does not get addressed and/or remedied. This fact alone warrants attention be placed on the bullies and not the victims.

When reading this chat log among many others, what keeps coming to my mind is how a bar or a club that serves alcoholic beverages, in many States are held culpable and responsible if a person is served too many alcoholic drinks in their bar and/or establishment, then proceeds to drive and have an accident and or have any other incidents attributed to the drunkenness achieved in their establishment. What makes a host of any ISP, such as AOL, or MySpace or Yahoo or any other HOST for sights that allow communal online communications, socializing or gathering any less culpable? Do these very Online Entities have absolutely no responsibility regarding events like this one?

My answer to this question is YES! Yes AOL, MYSPACE, and YAHOO as well as any other HOST to public online meeting places, all have not only a responsibility but a duty to police the chat rooms or any socializing venues they OFFER to the public in general, in a fair and democratic manner with justice for all. THEY are culpable in part. They are responsible in part. They should be held to task as well as any member or person frequenting these venues. Accountability is absolutely necessary in and should be a mandatory priority to online safety for us all.

In Part II of this series we will review and examine the death of a young beautiful child resulting from the cyber-bullying of a Grown Woman and two accomplices via the MYSPACE site. This case in itself is ominous and foretells a trend if something is not done to stop this horrible act of cruelty.

Thank you for reading…

 

Part II
Adult Cyber Bullying- Should laws protecting children also be applied toward the safety of Adults... Part III 
 http://www.nowpublic.com/crime/adult-cyber-bullying-should-laws-protecting-children-also-be-applied-toward-safety-adults-part-iii

 Part IV

http://members.nowpublic.com/crime/adult-cyber-bullying-should-laws-protecting-children-also-be-applied-toward-safety-adults-part-iv-and-final