# Why does the SDMB condone cyber bullying? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 21, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576 "2015-03-21T07:28:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/202 "2015-03-30T21:10:08Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > It comes to this: If you can turn off your monitor or change the web page, you’re simply not being bullied by any sane definition. Nice justification for your Cyber-bullying here. I’ts like “well if you dont want to get robbed, stay off the streets!” Or “if you dont want to get hacked dont go on the internet”. :rolleyes: See, this is a perfect example of cyberbullying- “just stop posting and reading this Message board and we’ll wont bother you anymore”. Why should she stop, Fenris? It’s a public message board, she’s a _paid charter member_ (more than you are) and yet \*you want to bully her \*from posting or even reading \*something she enjoys and has even paid for. \* ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/203 "2015-03-30T21:13:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why should she stop, Fenris? It’s a public message board, she’s a _paid charter member_ (more than you are) and yet \*you want to bully her \*from posting or even reading \*something she enjoys and has even paid for. \* As far as I’ve noticed, Broomstick continues to read and post in her usual fashion. Fenris really sucks at this bullying business. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/204 "2015-03-30T21:23:03Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > As far as I’ve noticed, Broomstick continues to read and post in her usual fashion. Fenris really sucks at this bullying business. That has nothing to do what Fenris proposed. ---
**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:** [March 30, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/205 "2015-03-30T21:23:55Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > That has nothing to do what Fenris proposed. In fairness, neither does what you wrote in post #201. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/206 "2015-03-30T21:47:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > In fairness, neither does what you wrote in post #201. Really? Originally Posted by\*\* Fenris \*\* \*It comes to this: If you can turn off your monitor or change the web page, you’re simply not being bullied by any sane definition. \* What does that mean then? To me, it sez that since can stop reading and posting, it’s not bullying. Thus, if _she continues to read and post._… ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/207 "2015-03-30T21:57:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > See, this is a perfect example of cyberbullying- “just stop posting and reading this Message board and we’ll wont bother you anymore”. Why should she stop, Fenris? It’s a public message board, she’s a _paid charter member_ (more than you are) and yet \*you want to bully her \*from posting or even reading \*something she enjoys and has even paid for. \* And yet I suppose the only way I can be free of reading your ridiculous assertions of “cyberbullying” is to be chased out of this thread by you. Oh sure, you’d love that. “Don’t like it? Well get out!” If I wanted this kind of treatment, I’d go back to middle school. :whimper: ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/208 "2015-03-30T21:59:15Z")
Oh My Gawd! The sheer volume of posts saying the same exact thing has finally changed my mind! - Said no one ever. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/209 "2015-03-30T22:13:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Really? Originally Posted by\*\* Fenris \*\* > > \*It comes to this: If you can turn off your monitor or change the web page, you’re simply not being bullied by any sane definition. > \* > > What does that mean then? To me, it sez that since can stop reading and posting, it’s not bullying. Thus, if _she continues to read and post._… No. What he’s saying is that since one CAN simply remove themselves it does not rise to the level of bullying. It can be described by other unpleasant terms, but it doesn’t meet the criteria for bullying, which tends to be something you’re trapped in and can’t escape from. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/210 "2015-03-30T22:17:47Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > No. What he’s saying is that since one CAN simply remove themselves it does not rise to the level of bullying. > > It can be described by other unpleasant terms, but it doesn’t meet the criteria for bullying, which tends to be something you’re trapped in and can’t escape from. So very wrong. If some HS bullies beat you up and take your grade-school lunch money- but you can avoid them by taking the long and less pleasant way to school- they are _still_ bullies. Even if they are no longer taking your lunch money they are bullying you into being afraid of taking the best route to school. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/211 "2015-03-30T22:21:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So very wrong. If some HS bullies beat you up and take your grade-school lunch money- but you can avoid them by taking the long and less pleasant way to school- they are still bullies. Even if they are no longer taking your lunch money they are bullying you into being afraid of taking the best route to school. No, going to school is a requirement, so it’s bullying because they are interfering with the child’s ability to do so in a reasonable way. And before you argue that the kid could just be homeschooled, I’d argue that one, it’s an unreasonable burden and not a simple removal and two, the poster here is not a child. The burden of not clicking a link on a thread you don’t like is so low, that to compare it to be beaten up on the way to school is amusing. It’s not that cyber bulling doesn’t happen, it’s just this is so not an example of it. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/212 "2015-03-30T22:25:07Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > No. What he’s saying is that since one CAN simply remove themselves it does not rise to the level of bullying. > > It can be described by other unpleasant terms, but it doesn’t meet the criteria for bullying, which tends to be something you’re trapped in and can’t escape from. Thank you. Perhaps you explaining it will help DrDeth and FXmastermind understand what I’ve been saying. ETA: Or, after reading DrD’s latest response, perhaps not. ☹ Good try though. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/213 "2015-03-30T22:27:46Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > No, going to school is a requirement, so it’s bullying because they are interfering with the child’s ability to do so in a reasonable way. > > The burden of not clicking a link on a thread you don’t like is so low, that to compare it to be beaten up on the way to school is amusing. It’s not that cyber bulling doesn’t happen, it’s just this is so not an example of it. Just by taking the long away around? And- it’s not clicking a ink on a single thread. The cyberbullying went on in the original thread, the BBQ PIT thread (where she sez she didnt go) , other places, and even this thread. So- it’s basically “stay off the SDMB bitch- it’s our board, we get to harass and bully anyone we like as we are the kool kids with our own MB and everything”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/214 "2015-03-30T22:43:10Z")
The inappropriate comments in the original thread were moderated to prevent just that. They were restricted to a single thread in a forum designed for airing grievances. The comparison doesn’t hold. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/215 "2015-03-30T22:43:25Z")
Dude. Hide a credit/debit card in your shoe. Bullies won’t think to look there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/216 "2015-03-30T22:46:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Dude. Hide a credit/debit card in your shoe. Bullies won’t think to look there. [del]We[/del]They will _now_. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/217 "2015-03-30T22:51:23Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > No. What he’s saying is that since one CAN simply remove themselves it does not rise to the level of bullying. > > It can be described by other unpleasant terms, but it doesn’t meet the criteria for bullying, which tends to be something you’re trapped in and can’t escape from. …this is absolutely wrong. Simply being able to remove yourself from a situation has nothing to do with whether or not an act is bullying or not. Bullying is the action: removing yourself from a thread is a reaction to the alleged bullying. Gamergate has spent the last six months harassing public figures like Anita Sarkeesian with actions that most people would correctly characterize as bullying. She isn’t “trapped” into using Twitter, but if she chose to stop using it (and she hasn’t, thank goodness) then that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been bullied. That simply means the bullies have won. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/218 "2015-03-30T22:55:58Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > … That simply means the bullies have won. Which as Strother Martin as The Captain sez “…\*which is the way he wants it.” \* ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/219 "2015-03-30T22:56:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And- it’s not clicking a ink on a single thread. The cyberbullying went on in the original thread, the BBQ PIT thread (where she sez she didnt go) , other places, and even this thread. > > So- it’s basically “stay off the SDMB bitch- it’s our board, we get to harass and bully anyone we like as we are the kool kids with our own MB and everything”. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > The inappropriate comments in the original thread were moderated to prevent just that. They were restricted to a single thread in a forum designed for airing grievances. > > The comparison doesn’t hold. The restrictions of the comments to the BBQ thread occurred AFTER the mods scolded/warned/whatever they did certain posters who were, in fact, following me around the forum and threadshitting anytime I posted. It wasn’t just one thread where this was a problem. Bullying is part of a spectrum of harassment. Whether or not what recently occurred rises to actual cyber-bullying is debatable, but it was harassment. As I have stated, I am OK with how the mods handled it this time around. From my viewpoint, they dealt with a problem before it became something worse. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/220 "2015-03-30T23:08:27Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > The inappropriate comments in the original thread were moderated to prevent just that. They were restricted to a single thread in a forum designed for airing grievances. > > The comparison doesn’t hold. Yes, you have limited the leak in _your end of the boat_ to one puncture. Meanwhile the bullies are slapping each other on the back for putting one over on you, and likely planning their next shitdump on those dumb “durpers” over at the SDMB. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-sdmb-condone-cyber-bullying/715576/221 "2015-03-30T23:14:50Z")
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