# The doxing of Violentacrez: yup or nope? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926 "2012-10-16T20:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/161 "2012-10-19T16:06:48Z")
Yeah, I am sure Reddit has forums that aren’t antagonistic. But…yeah. Right now, for me, it’s kind of a big ‘but’. It’s a personal standard thing, I think. For example: I avoid the Pit here, most of the time, 'cause it’s not my thing. BUT…I appreciate the standards the moderators have here, across the board, and actually really appreciate having a separate forum for that kind of thing. If the Doper boards suddenly had a Jailbait forum, I would dump the site like day-old dog doo without a qualm. Again, just personal opinion. Reddit isn’t losing my pageviews 'cause they never had them to begin with; it’s just a shame they have to put such a tarnish on what’s good there. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/162 "2012-10-19T16:16:49Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > [CNN interview with ViolentAcrez.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6plIjdaVGA) What an asshole, he is. Yes, sir, it’s all Reddit’s fault-- how could you have possibly known that it was a bad idea to make a forum called N\*\*gerJailbait? No one could have known that was bad, absolutely no one. And all of this, “I lost my job. I lost my insurance. My wife is disabled” nonsense? Perhaps he shouldn’t have put trolling the internet above the well being of his family. Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/163 "2012-10-19T16:52:54Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > It’s kinda like dismissing the SDMB out of hand because you think games are stupid and thus dislike the Game Room forum. No, it isn’t. There is a fundamental difference between something stupid (Bronies) and something offensive (N\*gger Jailbait). There is also a fundamental difference between looking at a forum, participating in a forum, and creating/managing/promoting a forum. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/164 "2012-10-19T16:55:32Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > If the Doper boards suddenly had a Jailbait forum, I would dump the site like day-old dog doo without a qualm. Can we all at least agree that the Boo! forum was almost as bad? ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/165 "2012-10-19T16:58:47Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Can we all at least agree that the Boo! forum was almost as bad? No, 'cause I have no idea what you’re talking about 😃 Yes, I cherry-pick the Dope. I could cherry-pick Reddit. But now that I know what’s at the bottom of that lake, that _knowing_ ruins any possible ‘nice views’ it might otherwise afford. It’s just the way it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/166 "2012-10-19T21:35:57Z")
I don’t really have anything to say that already hasn’t been said by one person or another, but I thought I’d drop [this here.](http://twitter.yfrog.com/oem5lpuj) ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/167 "2012-10-19T21:52:38Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > No, it isn’t. > > There is a fundamental difference between something stupid (Bronies) and something offensive (N\*gger Jailbait). > > There is also a fundamental difference between looking at a forum, participating in a forum, and creating/managing/promoting a forum. True, true. The SDMB doesn’t have any content that offensive. But as someone who has used reddit almost every day for years, I didn’t even know of the existence of the offensive subreddit you note. It’s entirely possible to be on the site and never know material that offensive is on it. I’m not understanding the second part of your post - **Taomist** said he/she didn’t want to read reddit because it seemed like it was all offensive, and I noted a part of it that wasn’t. I never asked anyone to post anything offensive, nor was ownership of such material implied. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/168 "2012-10-19T22:03:50Z")
Y’know, I want to point out something that some of the people just being introduced to the concept of reddit are missing. Reddit is not a city run by a city council that does things like infrastructure planning and staffing a police force. Reddit is a chunk of land created by a hands-off being. People from all over stream into the land, but the creator does not participate in any way other than making sure the chunk of land doesn’t sink into the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/169 "2012-10-19T22:09:07Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Y’know, I want to point out something that some of the people just being introduced to the concept of reddit are missing. > > Reddit is not a city run by a city council that does things like infrastructure planning and staffing a police force. > > Reddit is a chunk of land created by a hands-off being. People from all over stream into the land, but the creator does not participate in any way other than making sure the chunk of land doesn’t sink into the ocean. I’m not getting why this matters. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/170 "2012-10-19T22:09:38Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Reddit is a chunk of land created by a hands-off being. People from all over stream into the land, but the creator does not participate in any way other than making sure the chunk of land doesn’t sink into the ocean. I suspect the majority of us you’re addressing get that, but we are simply pointing out that the above scenario doesn’t remove any moral culpability or whatever you want to call it for Reddit a whole. While the model may be hands off, the reality is that the whole of Reddit has been tarnished by the actions of one small part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/171 "2012-10-19T22:31:46Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > … the reality is that the whole of Reddit has been tarnished by the actions of one small part of it. I believe this to be true, and that’s me, who knew what Reddit was, knew it had it’s bonuses, and still wasn’t interested. For people who are now getting their first exposure to Reddit through such spectacularly negative publicity, it’s more than just tarnish. It’s malovelent rust. Now…unless Reddit has a copyright on the subforum setup, is there anyplace that is like Reddit, but with some social responsibility? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/172 "2012-10-19T22:35:20Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Given that that will always be the case, we need to have an informal understanding that violating people’s privacy on the internet is generally not admirable. I’m not sure what, exactly, is so hard about simply judging each instance of something like this on its own merits. Is it okay to out someone like Brutsch for being a racist, misogynistic, borderline pedo piece of shit? Yes. That’s perfectly okay, because those are all extremely negative things that deserve public scorn. Is it okay to out someone for going to gay bar? No, because there’s nothing wrong with going to a gay bar. And yeah, there are plenty of assholes who think there is something wrong with going to a gay bar - and because they’re assholes, they’re not going to be restrained by your “informal understanding” bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/173 "2012-10-19T22:52:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > And yeah, there are plenty of assholes who think there is something wrong with going to a gay bar - and because they’re assholes, they’re not going to be restrained by your “informal understanding” bullshit. Heck, we have an informal understanding that everyone has a right to privacy in RL. Doesn’t stop TMZ and other paparazzi from going celebrity hunting. They go right up to the line of illegality and not a razor’s edge over. We tolerate them, but are any of us really upset when they get put on the spot (legally) in some fashion? ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/174 "2012-10-19T23:51:18Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I suspect the majority of us you’re addressing get that, but we are simply pointing out that the above scenario doesn’t remove any moral culpability or whatever you want to call it for Reddit a whole. While the model may be hands off, the reality is that the whole of Reddit has been tarnished by the actions of one small part of it. I was hoping to liken it to a city with a really bad neighbourhood and then a world class district. There’s plenty of cities around the world that people love that have a seedy underside. I also want to make it clear I think /r/creepshots and its ilk and the rampant misogyny around the site is horrible and I’m not defending any of that! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/175 "2012-10-19T23:54:03Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I was hoping to liken it to a city with a really bad neighbourhood and then a world class district. There’s plenty of cities around the world that people love that have a seedy underside. > > I also want to make it clear I think /r/creepshots and its ilk and the rampant misogyny around the site is horrible and I’m not defending any of that! We’re not talking about legal or not; we’re talking about right and wrong. And a lot of people have a problem with an entity that does wrong, knowingly, regardless of what else they do right. And that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/176 "2012-10-21T00:04:14Z")
Like kushiel, I am also a member of reddit and have participated in the website for quite some time. I’ve gone to a few meetups and even started my own subreddit. How reddit works is that you make an account and subscribe to the subreddits you wish to read and post to. Anyone can make a subreddit and a subreddit can be on any topic, so there is quite a diversity of opinion there. I was unable to find an approximate number of subreddits, but there are thousands of them. The moderators of a subreddit decide the tone and content. Some subreddits are quite strict, such as r/askscience, where they delete any post that is not scientific. Other subreddits are more relaxed. By subscribing to certain subreddits and ignoring or unsubscribing to others, people see different sides of reddit, just as people subscribing to different news sources will get very different opinions of the presidential race. I mostly hang out on scientific, pregnancy, feminist, frugal, and educational subreddits, and only learned about creepshots before it went down due to outrage about it on one of my feminist subreddits. The admins of reddit have preferred to be lax about what subreddits are allowed. Illegality doesn’t necessarily factor into it because there are subreddits devoted to talking about illegal drug use. Creepshots was allowed because it was deemed legal. There were many members such as myself and my friends who have been working to clean up the dark parts of reddit. We believe the website as a whole is worth saving and that the admins need to be stricter about what subreddits should be allowed and what behavior should be tolerated on any subreddit. We are disappointed that the admins have been so hands off in the past. Reddit has always held a policy of no doxing or witch hunting, so some moderators started banning Gawker from their subreddits, only to be met with a huge outcry from participants in those subreddits. I’d estimate that 80% of people on reddit were unaware of creep shots until after this went down and of those who knew, most of them were disapproving of it and wanted to be rid of it. I only saw support for it amongst the crazy freespeech people who argue that anything legal should be allowed. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it was removed and violentacrez outed shortly after the feminist group I’m part of discovered its existence. Yes, there are a lot of young, immature men on reddit and I avoid certain subreddits unless I feel like getting my blood pressure up, but dismissing the website as a whole shows a lack of understand about how the website works. I mean, I prefer going there to ask science questions and see answers because the science subreddits are more regulated than the dope. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/177 "2012-10-21T00:20:28Z")
> [@kimera](#): > > Illegality doesn’t necessarily factor into it because there are subreddits devoted to talking about illegal drug use. Creepshots was allowed because it was deemed legal. I assume it’s whether the content is itself illegal. Drug use may be illegal (or at least next to impossible to do without violating the law) but talking about it isn’t. r/jailbait wasn’t just talking about child pornography, though. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/178 "2012-10-21T14:20:48Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > And all of this, “I lost my job. I lost my insurance. My wife is disabled” nonsense? Perhaps he shouldn’t have put trolling the internet above the well being of his family. > > Idiot. Well this is a man who bragged about having oral sex with his 19-year-old step-daughter…so I’m gonna guess that the well being of his family is **a lot** lower on the rung of responsibilities then internet trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/179 "2012-10-21T15:49:19Z")
No real sympathy on my part for what the man has gone through given what he’s done. Seems like a nice bit of karmic justice. Although on the other side of it I think he’s shown that he will learn nothing from it but a lot more anger and denial that will, in time, be redirected into more of the same. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926/180 "2012-10-21T16:59:47Z")
> [@kimera](#): > > Yes, there are a lot of young, immature men on reddit and I avoid certain subreddits unless I feel like getting my blood pressure up, but dismissing the website as a whole shows a lack of understand about how the website works. I mean, I prefer going there to ask science questions and see answers because the science subreddits are more regulated than the dope. I can pretend that the rules of style don’t apply to me or that somehow I’m _different_. That won’t stop people from laughing at me when I flout them. This nonsense might not be how Reddit works, but it certainly is how branding works. The founder or whoever may abjure all responsibility for brand control and sure, it sounds attractive in theory. But there is a reason why every other serious organization does care about its brand. Simply pretending there is no brand just invites this sort of crap. If you don’t control your organization’s image, someone else more motivated will. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doxing-of-violentacrez-yup-or-nope/637926.md?page=10)