Well, here’s a funny thing. I was checking the stats for my various websites today when I noticed that one image (from an inactive fan site I created back when I was in lust with a particular actor) was being hotlinked by a forum I didn’t recognize. I’m used to images being hotlinked by other sites devoted to this actor, but this forum was unknown to me. So I followed the referral link and found myself in a discussion about this actor’s facial structure as relating to his possible Nordic background.
Interesting anthropologically, but something felt weird about the way they were describing his features the way a breeder of animals might. I mean, they didn’t exactly use the term “some apparent mongrelization in his line,” but it was close enough.
Turns out the site focuses on “the preservation of Germanic heritage.” And yes, it means what you think it does. They have a subforum devoted to the Holocaust “industry” and threads alleging that the Jews are carriers of schizophrenia, rulers of the U.S., and the real plotters of 9/11 (to encourage U.S. invasion of the Middle East).
Now I’d be disgusted even if I weren’t Jewish myself, but the fact that I am Jewish makes this even more egregious. My first instinct was to rename the image, or just disable hotlinking (I don’t really want to do that, because a lot of other sites do “leech” images and I wouldn’t want to inconvenience them – bandwidth isn’t a problem for me). And yet … and yet, an evil part of me wants to replace it with … I dunno, a big ol’ Star of David, or the Nazis on trial at Nuremberg, or something like that! Of course I don’t want these bastards emailing me with death threats…
Any ideas?
OOH I just had a thought: what if I replace the image with one depicting the actor from a movie where he played a Hasidic Jew??
Do you have (or can you get?) at list of all the other sites linking to your image (the ones you’re okay with)? Just send a message to all of those to link to a different image. (e.g. ActorPic00342.jpg instead of ActorPic.jpg) and explain why. Then remove the old image (or replace it with whatever, as above).
rename the image and change the coding on your website.
do the above plus add an image of, say, interracial sex with the original file name.
As for disabling hotlinking, you’ll probably want to do it in the long run. This won’t be the only example of someone taking something from your website and using it where you’d rather it not be used.
For some true wizardry, you could have the server filter requests for that image and if the referring url is from the racist site, have it send back a different image, like a middle finger with ‘I hate racists’ across it. A lot more work, but much more fun.
I like the idea of changing it to something so obviously Jewish. Like a Star of David, or something that says “Hate sucks. So does bandwidth theft. Fuck you, racist losers!”
I don’t think any of the suggestions have been as good as choie’s original idea of substituting a picture of the actor portraying a Hasid.
Subtle and beautiful – especially since, unlike other suggestions, this one is likely to be interpreted as a misstep of the host of the racist website, rile up the knuckledraggers, and cause discord and embarassment amongst them.
Whereas sticking tubgirl or something outrageous up there will make it obvious what’s happened and no-one is likely to get very worked up about it.
Thanks for the suggestions, guys! Oh, how I would love posting the tubgirl/goatse picture, but then I’d have to look at 'em too. Though I know what they consist of, as far as I’m concerned I’ve managed to survive 10 years on the web without having seen them. I’d kinda like to continue living in that state of happy ignorance.
Guinastasia, the actor is Jake Weber. Until recently, Weber was a fairly obscure actor who’s suddenly become popular thanks to the Dawn of the Dead remake and the TV show Medium. I started the fan page back in, oh, about 1997 or so, after I saw him in American Gothic. Back then, it was the only JW fansite around. I guess he’s popular enough to catch the eye of international racists! Dang, now that’s success!
Larry Mudd’s convinced me to go ahead with the idea of the picture. I won’t post the link of the site because I think it’d be against the rules. But I’ve made a screenshot of the thread (with the URL and forum name obscured) so I’ll have proof before they take it down. Gotta say this prank makes me blush with pride! ;j
Oh man, I’m an idiot. Sorry about that! It’s right here. As I said I blurred the name of the site, but I did include a bit of their top banner so you can see their oh-so-charming slogan.
CynicalGabe, I’ll take you up on that offer!
FWIW, the post is still there, but no one’s commented on the change. I may have caught the thread too late in its life cycle for people to notice the difference. Eh, I’m still giggling anyway.
The picture in question is the one on the far right correct? If so I can barely notice a discrepancy with the other pictures. If you are going to do something like this you have to do something better than that. Then go and bump the thread. I suggest one of the following pictures:
WARNING DO NOT OPEN THE FOLLOWING LINK
I AM SERIOUS EXTREMELY DISGUSTING DO NOT OPEN
COMPLETELY NOT WORK SAFE, HOME SAFE or SAFE FOR VIEWING ANYWHERE!!!
link
