Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis
As to internet shaming...adapt. Sucks but it's not going away, so be more thoughtful in your online presence or be prepared for the worst. It basically is impossible to stop from happening with the internet as is. Is it scary? I suppose but only if you've exposed yourself to something bad. Generally its not people going after someone for a parking ticket, usually they've said or done something quite anti-social.
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1. It's not online presence, though. This campaign didn't have anything to do with anything the guy did online - the internet was a tool used to destroy him.
Given that he's totally unsympathetic, let me give you another example: two guys in an office make some sexist joke about their penises, I can't even recall what it was specifically. Random female office employee overhears, is offended, stands up from her cubicle and takes a photo of both of them with her phone. Posts it to twitter. Tweet goes viral. Both guys fired and publicly tarred and feathered.
That actually happened.
2. Can we stop it? Yes - legislation can go a long way here. People participating in this are often not anonymous - reviews posted on this guy's yelp page are under the reviewer's own name, twitter accounts are frequently tied to an identifiable person, and obviously there are other records. This is clearly something that could be dealt with, and at some point likely will be dealt with.
3. This quote is terrifying: "Is it scary? I suppose but only if you've exposed yourself to something bad."
Oh good. All I have to do is be perfect for the rest of my life or risk consequences that vastly outdistance the scope of my mistakes, gleefully visited upon me by a vindictive mob not accountable to anyone. Sounds fantastic.
This is like saying, "yeah, we should re-institute a mandatory death penalty sentence for shoplifting; that's only scary if you're a shoplifter."