Mom creates fake myspace, girl kills herself

mammasan

polaris wrote:

mammasan - i think based on what i read - that there was an intent to cause emotional or pyschological damage ... it is defnitely a fine line but i think part of it also is that we are entering a different age ... i read an article today about street gangs intimidating and recruiting thru the internet ...

It is a very fine line when we allow our governments to define what harrassment is. I really feel for the parents of the dead girl and I wish that there was a way to punish the parents that created the fake profile, but unfortunetly there is not and the only way to punish them would be to step all over one of our constitutional rights.

Skitch Patterson

polaris wrote:

i don't know enough of the criminal code to know ... but isn't impersonating someone a crime?

i don't think its irrelevant ... pedophiles pretend to be someone they aren't in order to give kids a false sense of security in order to at a later point take advantage of that ... i think there are similarities ...

mammasan - i think based on what i read - that there was an intent to cause emotional or pyschological damage ... it is defnitely a fine line but i think part of it also is that we are entering a different age ... i read an article today about street gangs intimidating and recruiting thru the internet ...

Impersonating someone for gain is a crime. Assuming someones identity is a crime. Impersonating someone in a position of power, and then utilizing that power is a crime. Making up a person to fuck with someone online is not a crime. Hell, by that logic, ive said mean things to people online, if they went and killed themselves, have i commited a crime because i am "impersonating" Skitch Patterson?

It is totally irrelevant. The crime of being a pedophile is the crime. Engaging in explict sexual conversation with a minor is the crime. Simply talking to someone underage is not a crime, nor should it be- or every idiot playing Halo would be arrested.

and to your point about gangs intimidating through the internet- if they are making specific threats against people... then THAT could be a crime and they could be prosecuted.

jlew24asu

you would think this type of stuff would happen more often. myspace has something like 200,000,000 people on it? and facebook and others.....

polaris

Skitch Patterson wrote:

Impersonating someone for gain is a crime. Assuming someones identity is a crime. Impersonating someone in a position of power, and then utilizing that power is a crime. Making up a person to fuck with someone online is not a crime. Hell, by that logic, ive said mean things to people online, if they went and killed themselves, have i commited a crime because i am "impersonating" Skitch Patterson?

It is totally irrelevant. The crime of being a pedophile is the crime. Engaging in explict sexual conversation with a minor is the crime. Simply talking to someone underage is not a crime, nor should it be- or every idiot playing Halo would be arrested.

and to your point about gangs intimidating through the internet- if they are making specific threats against people... then THAT could be a crime and they could be prosecuted.

to me the difference is that these people knew the girl and knew she was vulnerable ... yet they performed an act of pure maliciousness ...

definitely a fine line but imo - there was an intent to cause damage and that is not acceptable ...

Skitch Patterson

polaris wrote:

to me the difference is that these people knew the girl and knew she was vulnerable ... yet they performed an act of pure maliciousness ...

definitely a fine line but imo - there was an intent to cause damage and that is not acceptable ...

No one is saying its acceptable... im just saying its not a crime.

and its even scarier that people want to make up laws, or reinterpret laws in order to prosecute something that under any other circumstances are not criminal.

Just cause someone is an asshole, doesnt mean they are a criminal.

polaris

Skitch Patterson wrote:

No one is saying its acceptable... im just saying its not a crime.

and its even scarier that people want to make up laws, or reinterpret laws in order to prosecute something that under any other circumstances are not criminal.

Just cause someone is an asshole, doesnt mean they are a criminal.

if its against the law to jaywalk - then this seems reasonable ...

i'm not necessarily wanting to make up a law but times are changing and the criminal code should reflect that ...

whether this is a crime or not now is secondary to whether or not it should be a crime ...

Heineken Helen

Skitch Patterson wrote:

"she should be charged with something" is a VERY scary sentiment. If the person didnt commit a crime, we shouldnt make one up just to put an asshole in jail.

and the pedophile comment is absolutely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

well creating a fake identity of a child in order to con another child should DEFINITELY be some kind of crime.

Vedderlution_Baby

Skitch Patterson wrote:

No one is saying its acceptable... im just saying its not a crime.

and its even scarier that people want to make up laws, or reinterpret laws in order to prosecute something that under any other circumstances are not criminal.

Just cause someone is an asshole, doesnt mean they are a criminal.

what about harassment at the very least?

mammasan

Heineken Helen wrote:

well creating a fake identity of a child in order to con another child should DEFINITELY be some kind of crime.

It's fucked up but it's not illegal. If creating a fake identity on the web to con someone is illegal, I'm sure there are many people on this very message board who would be in violation. Hell is being an asshole on the internet where illegal most of us would be in prison right now.

jlew24asu

Heineken Helen wrote:

well creating a fake identity of a child in order to con another child should DEFINITELY be some kind of crime.

this is the problem with the internet. lets face it, its still new. new laws will and are going to be constantly written. I think its just a matter of catching up.

for example, up until recently I believe, it was legal to solicit children on the net. now its a felony.

Skitch Patterson

polaris wrote:

if its against the law to jaywalk - then this seems reasonable ...

i'm not necessarily wanting to make up a law but times are changing and the criminal code should reflect that ...

whether this is a crime or not now is secondary to whether or not it should be a crime ...

It is against the law to jaywalk. It poses a risk to both the jaywalkers, and the persons driving. Jaywalking is rarely enforced, but is a law that exists for a physical safety reason.

The criminal code should reflect changes in technology... but if this was notes in the mail, id be saying the same thing. They did not hang the girl. They did not threaten the girl. All they did was hurt her feelings, and if you start criminalizing hurting someones feelings, regardless of medium... then we all got bigger problems then some girl killing herself. Perhaps we should charge her parents with accessory to murder because they provided the bed sheets she hung herself with, or Myspace because it allows people to talk. ...

In fact, there was a girl years ago on this board who talked of killing herself (and supposedly did). People told her she was a coward for taking the easy way out... maybe the police should dig up that thread and prosecute anyone who said something negative to that girl.

If you start legislating what people can and can not say to each other... then that is a HUGE problem. A far greater infringment on our liberties than even George W. Bush has managed to pull off.

Skitch Patterson

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

what about harassment at the very least?

If she was corresponding back and forth with them, i highly doubt its harassment.

Heineken Helen

jlew24asu wrote:

this is the problem with the internet. lets face it, its still new. new laws will and are going to be constantly written. I think its just a matter of catching up.

for example, up until recently I believe, it was legal to solicit children on the net. now its a felony.

absolutely! Internet bullying is a pretty big thing these days apparently. They'll have to figure something out.

mammasan, I know it's NOT illegal, I was saying it should be and yep, I reckon there's quite a few here too.

Skitch Patterson

Heineken Helen wrote:

absolutely! Internet bullying is a pretty big thing these days apparently. They'll have to figure something out.

mammasan, I know it's NOT illegal, I was saying it should be and yep, I reckon there's quite a few here too.

So i should be able to shoot someone exiting my neighbors window, but i cant say mean things to people.

Interesting.

mammasan

Heineken Helen wrote:

absolutely! Internet bullying is a pretty big thing these days apparently. They'll have to figure something out.

mammasan, I know it's NOT illegal, I was saying it should be and yep, I reckon there's quite a few here too.

I don't believe it should be illegal.

Heineken Helen

Skitch Patterson wrote:

In fact, there was a girl years ago on this board who talked of killing herself (and supposedly did). People told her she was a coward for taking the easy way out... maybe the police should dig up that thread and prosecute anyone who said something negative to that girl.

really? is this true?

Yeh, I think a lot of people come here and pretend to be someone they're not and look for attention... but my guess is that for every maybe 6 or 7 threads of people threatening suicide, the chance that even ONE of those may NOT be talking shite is enough reason for me and several others to give it the benefit of the doubt and presume they're not talking shite. If they are and if some sick pricks are having a laugh at our expense... well it's better than the alternative of somebody killing themselves over something we have to say.

Heineken Helen

Skitch Patterson wrote:

So i should be able to shoot someone exiting my neighbors window, but i cant say mean things to people.

Interesting.

all I ask and all I want is that people leave eachother alone... live and let live, eh? But if you can't do that... if you MUST fuck other peoples lives up, well you deserve everything coming to you.

Vedderlution_Baby

Skitch Patterson wrote:

If she was corresponding back and forth with them, i highly doubt its harassment.

Yea, good point on that one. I guess the defense would argue that the girl had the means to terminate the conversation at any time, she just chose not to do so.

polaris

Skitch Patterson wrote:

It is against the law to jaywalk. It poses a risk to both the jaywalkers, and the persons driving. Jaywalking is rarely enforced, but is a law that exists for a physical safety reason.

The criminal code should reflect changes in technology... but if this was notes in the mail, id be saying the same thing. They did not hang the girl. They did not threaten the girl. All they did was hurt her feelings, and if you start criminalizing hurting someones feelings, regardless of medium... then we all got bigger problems then some girl killing herself. Perhaps we should charge her parents with accessory to murder because they provided the bed sheets she hung herself with, or Myspace because it allows people to talk. ...

In fact, there was a girl years ago on this board who talked of killing herself (and supposedly did). People told her she was a coward for taking the easy way out... maybe the police should dig up that thread and prosecute anyone who said something negative to that girl.

If you start legislating what people can and can not say to each other... then that is a HUGE problem. A far greater infringment on our liberties than even George W. Bush has managed to pull off.

i think this goes beyond just saying your "mean things" ... if this was simply just some assholes - it would be one thing ...

this was a malicious attack to me based on history and context ... knowing a girl is prone to depression and such - to purposefully, set her up so that she would more then likely hurdle into that depression is far beyond making fun of her ...

well that's my opinion

FinsburyParkCarrots

Skitch Patterson wrote:

In fact, there was a girl years ago on this board who talked of killing herself (and supposedly did). People told her she was a coward for taking the easy way out... maybe the police should dig up that thread and prosecute anyone who said something negative to that girl.

I remember one apparent incident, but I don't know if we're thinking about the same girl. The one I'm thinking of didn't suffer any bullying while she posted: people just shouted about the merits of her "suicide", after the alleged fact.