Cyberbullying Prevention Act

[Rachmaninoff]

I'm sure you all remember the deal of a mother who pretended to be someone else on myspace so she could harass some teenager she knew. The allegation is that her actions lead to the kid committing suicide.

Now the point of the thread isn't that incident, but rather the law they want to put in place that would punish people who are caught cyberbullying. I cited that incident since it's what got the movement started for this paticular law they want to pass. The article on that can be found here:

[URL="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/cyberbullying-ensnare-free-speech-rights/"][U]Cyberbullying Bill Could Ensnare Free Speech Rights[/U][/URL]

The biggest issue I see with this is most states already have laws against harassment, so creating an additional one is overkill. Plus, it sounds like the language of the paticular bill is too broad and would apply to things that aren't cyberbullying.

Also, as the article says, you can't really legislate meanness since it's contextual. It's far to easy for someone to take offense when no offense was intended in the first place. So I think it's unnecessary.

[Jabberwocky]

[FONT="Palatino Linotype"]I just remembered about that woman, and honestly, what kind of adult harasses teenagers? Jesum, some people in this world must be born into that level of immaturity, not influenced into it.

But onto the main subject. I agree with Rach that this law is kind of pointless. Considering the fact that everybody has a different opinion about what's insulting and what isn't, this law is kind of wobbly. Also, to actually take cyber harassment as offensive is kind of pathetic. I mean, unless this person is threatening to take your life, or is actually beating you, just grow up and ignore all the bull that someone's giving you.

But, that's just my opinion of coarse.[/FONT]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I only cyberbully Allamorph. The others are just getting smacked with the haddock I've named "Refreshing Honesty."

To be honest, harassing any minor seems like a bad call. Sure, teenagers are vicious little punks that say the most horrific things to each other to justify their own minimal sense of self worth. Or, if they're jocks, enormous sense of self worth for no reason at all. So if there was such a law, I wonder if it's going to be targeted towards minors, who should have parents intelligent enough to have shielding software anyway.

Either way my mom and I control the young children's computer with an iron grip. There's a password, and only we know it. They get half an hour to go to ONE website. If we catch them on another website they burn in hell. This is where it's beneficial to have a sibling that not only can check erased histories, but also one that will hold you down while you get your behind tenderized. This law wouldn't be necessary if, and this is a big if, people taught their kids to be rude only to people's faces. Duh.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Jabberwocky][FONT="Palatino Linotype"'] Also, to actually take cyber harassment as offensive is kind of pathetic. I mean, unless this person is threatening to take your life, or is actually beating you, just grow up and ignore all the bull that someone's giving you.[/FONT][/quote]The only case where I could see that as an issue, is if it's someone in real life that you actually do know. But that falls back on those handy harassment laws that we already have. So I'm not sure what they think this will accomplish when it's really easy to block or ignore people who would attempt to harass you.

[Pumpkin]

[FONT="tahoma"][SIZE="2"][COLOR="black"][center]I say go to your child's school, and just beat the kid up for them. Problem solved!

On another note, I think making a law is a bit ridiculous. However, I'm suprised anyone would stoop to write mean and nasty things to a kid when your adult on the internet but suprisingly i've had it happen to be before. It's funny how immature older adults can be, and how protective. Teenagers will be teenagers. Let them sort out their own drama. Unless it gets physically, then you get involved. But not by pulling each other's hair or sending hate spam. That's just lame. [/center][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Raiha][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I only cyberbully Allamorph.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]And here I always thought that was your playful side.

Oh, right. It is.

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']The biggest issue I see with this is most states already have laws against harassment, so creating an additional one is overkill.[/quote]
There's a phrase we use here in the engineering world: "overanalysis leads to paralysis". In legal terms, that means making so much legislation to deal with and prevent specific circumstances that you tie your hands in your ability to actually exercise good judgment.

I think the bill was made with people's hearts in the right places. But I also think that there aren't many people at present who can think with both their heart and their head and not pass out from the strain.[/FONT]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Raiha][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman" ]This law wouldn't be necessary if, and this is a big if, people taught their kids to be rude only to people's faces. Duh.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]Or how about teaching them to not be rude period? =P And yes I know some people are annoying as hell to deal with. It just seems pointless to be unnecessarily rude in the first place, which is what most online trolls are.

In the end, like Darren said, we have anti harassment laws and the rest is covered by handy ignore functions. I certainly have no trouble ignoring someone when it's clear they're just trying to get a reaction from the safety offered behind a computer screen. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Jabberwocky'][FONT="Palatino Linotype"]Also, to actually take cyber harassment as offensive is kind of pathetic.[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]I could let this go, but I won't. During my rather messy divorce with my ex husband his new wife both had myspace accounts where she would constantly post dumb things about me. She would say that I was a terrible mother, [B][U]that I beat my daughter[/U][/B], that I deserved to rot in sewage because all I was was garbage and that her and my ex would do a better job raising my daughter than I would. He personal file included how she was a great step mom and I was the evil mom who wouldn't let her have time to bond with her step daughter. Later on she even attacked my lawyer in her blogs.

She'd also sent me two emails when my grandmother had died (the day of and the day after mind you) telling me how I should feel sorry for her and that it was my fault that my ex had cheated on me. She went on to say that I was this terrible person who deserved what was happening to me and if I died then everything would be better.

We won't even go into the IMs because those are just too screwed up.

Sadly because there are really no laws on cyber bullying or harassment in New York state and only if her blogs or her actions prevented me from keeping my job or getting a promotion, things like that would there be any action taken against her. And MySpace only made her remove the blogs and other parts when my boyfriend emailed them annonomysly to let them know she was breaking their rules. Nothing else was done to her.

I'm not saying we need a broader law seriously we hav enough of them at times, but I am disagreeing that online bullying between adults does exist and maybe they need to do a little more than say that unless the blogger's posts hit you in the wallet they're inconsiquencial. So ends my rant, now to breakfast![/color][/font][/size]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]My understanding is that the new law they want to enact is targeted at protecting minors though, ChibiHorsewoman. Though I've dealt with my fair share of nasties online in the past, nasties who were parents and not kids, so I know what you are talking about.

Anyway, I think this article here sums up what I think of the law they want to add on top of already existing anti harassment laws: [URL="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30751310/"]Cyberbullying laws won't save your children[/URL] There are two parts that really fit my thoughts on the matter:[quote][FONT="Arial"]Still, if our government representatives insist we continue to consider preposterous proposed laws while keeping our faces straight, how about a law that mandates parents to actively engage in the lives of their children? Too much? Maybe then the government can outlaw gravity next so my poor babies don't have to worry about falling down and skinning their knees.[/FONT][/quote]And this bit here:[quote][FONT="Arial"]And as long as there are bold souls out there creating shiny new media we can use for communication, some maladjusted jackass is going to go ahead and be, well, a maladjusted jackass with whatever they dream up. Laws, as much as possible, should leave the question of the medium aside and focus on the spirit of the issue. If they don't, lawmakers will forever be playing catch-up.[/FONT][/quote]So though I understand the sentiment behind the law, it's unnecessary, especially in it's current form, which leaves things wide open for it to be used on people who aren't cyberbullies. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]I get what you're saying Indi. Personally I think there needs to be some kind of softwear installed in all computers that releases a mild electric shock to whomever is doing the cyber bullying. That way they don't have to have all these new laws.

ANd why does it seem like the older you get sometimes the dumber you get? Seriously now, my ex's wife said I should be abducted by aliens... and she was like thirty-six at the time[/color][/size][/font]

[Sangome]

[SIZE="1"]Oh gosh. This law could get abused SO easily, it's not even funny.

But, the article Indi posted sums up my thoughts quite nicely. But it would also be really easy to abuse such a law, since someone could easily take something and blow it WAY out of proportion. [Oh, if I had a nickel for everytime I heard a kid go OMFG UR SO MEEN at a person that's trying to get their point across in a nice manner...]

That's not to say cyberbullying is bad, it can be, as with the case with the MySpace incident. But that girl also, as said, had suicidal tendencies prior to the incident.

Also I too would rather be bullied online than off. I sound more intelligent online and can rebut them in a heartbeat. =D [I]*bricked*[/I][/SIZE]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Oh gosh, the language of that bill is so vague that it's not even funny. =_=

To a certain extent, attempting to protect children from every little problem they'll run into, is doing them a real disservice. It's better to be more involved with kids and teach them how to use the tools at their disposal to ignore those who would attempt to bully them online.

The sentiment is nice, but ultimately flawed. Anti-harassment laws already exist and it would be more problematic, than helpful, for them to attempt to clamp down on every little thing that just might offend someone. [/FONT]