Wikipedia which knoweth all says: “Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset. In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing.” (Emphasis mine.) And: “Example: Talking to someone excessively without permission and continuing the conversation.”
I have been seriously, actionably harassed by creeps on the Internet before. While participation on this forum should be considered an open invitation to the majority of people to interact with me, I retracted that permission from SilasBarta in particular upon collecting enough data to group him with other creeps on the Internet. I haven’t demanded that he leave the site, or that anyone else stop interacting with him, or even that he avoid making comments on my top-level posts. I want him to refrain from replying to my comments and sending me private messages, and I’m extending the same courtesy. Is this “special treatment”? Well, in the sense that I’m the only person who has seen fit to request this treatment, yes; in the sense that I want it only from one individual, yes; but neither of these things seem to make the desire to be left alone by someone I don’t want to ever talk to an unreasonable one.
Do you think I am attempting to damage someone’s reputation, or are you saying that I’d only be justified in demanding to be left alone if this demand were in response to someone libeling me?
And: “Example: Talking to someone excessively without permission and continuing the conversation.”
‘Talking to’ is an entirely different thing to replying to comments that happen to be made by you. If people are making statements here that others disagree with then those others should be free to make that disagreement.
Whether online or off, engaging personally is different to contributing to a group discourse.
Do you think I am attempting to damage someone’s reputation
Absolutely, and very effectively. Silas’s naivety when it comes to this kind of game helped. Apart from being somewhat disagreement prone, he tried to be conciliatory when you were going for the kill and was reckless when he was vulnerable to attack and needed to be impeccable.
For what it is worth I think you are being completely sincere in considering yourself a victim here. But I am less appreciative of sincerity than I once was.
I believe that you miss some of the background here. A while ago there were a bunch of posts trying to set “the seduction community” up as a great example of rationality. Alicorn and some other women objected to the way that women were treated as objects to be aquired, studied and manipulated in various ways. The discussion became somewhat heated. All the women who were involved except Alicorn, and at least one of the guys who started it, have since left LessWrong, or changed their usernames. And SilasBarta has been picking on Alicorn ever since.
All the women who were involved except Alicorn, and at least one of the guys who started it have since left LessWrong, or changed their usernames.
False. Some of them comment less frequently, and I was worried myself for a time, but the people you refer to continue to comment here.
And SilasBarta has been picking on Alicorn ever since.
No. Just, no. I have refuted arguments she’s made that I have found in error, sometimes harshly. I have applauded points she’s made. I have come to her defense, even in contravention of my own interests.
I’ve never “picked on” Alicorn; she just has a tendency to completely misinterpret what I say or take refutations too personally.
Alicorn and some other women objected to the way that women were treated as objects to be aquired, studied and manipulated in various ways.
Are you saying that there were no men present who shared that objection, or that those who did weren’t real men? Your statement implies one or the other.
Edit: I do not mean to imply any character flaw on your part—merely to illuminate the poor wording.
There were several men who supported the objections. If I don’t misjudge/misremember there were about an equal number of men on either side of that discussion. None of the men have been harassed later, and AFAIK none of the men who were on the side with the women have left.
SilasBarta had annoyed me in the past. It became irritating enough that I took the measure I did after the gender kerfluffle, but while the kerfluffle certainly did not help, it wasn’t the sole cause.
Wikipedia which knoweth all says: “Harassment covers a wide range of offensive behaviour. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset. In the legal sense, it is behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing.” (Emphasis mine.) And: “Example: Talking to someone excessively without permission and continuing the conversation.”
I have been seriously, actionably harassed by creeps on the Internet before. While participation on this forum should be considered an open invitation to the majority of people to interact with me, I retracted that permission from SilasBarta in particular upon collecting enough data to group him with other creeps on the Internet. I haven’t demanded that he leave the site, or that anyone else stop interacting with him, or even that he avoid making comments on my top-level posts. I want him to refrain from replying to my comments and sending me private messages, and I’m extending the same courtesy. Is this “special treatment”? Well, in the sense that I’m the only person who has seen fit to request this treatment, yes; in the sense that I want it only from one individual, yes; but neither of these things seem to make the desire to be left alone by someone I don’t want to ever talk to an unreasonable one.
Do you think I am attempting to damage someone’s reputation, or are you saying that I’d only be justified in demanding to be left alone if this demand were in response to someone libeling me?
‘Talking to’ is an entirely different thing to replying to comments that happen to be made by you. If people are making statements here that others disagree with then those others should be free to make that disagreement.
Whether online or off, engaging personally is different to contributing to a group discourse.
Absolutely, and very effectively. Silas’s naivety when it comes to this kind of game helped. Apart from being somewhat disagreement prone, he tried to be conciliatory when you were going for the kill and was reckless when he was vulnerable to attack and needed to be impeccable.
For what it is worth I think you are being completely sincere in considering yourself a victim here. But I am less appreciative of sincerity than I once was.
I believe that you miss some of the background here. A while ago there were a bunch of posts trying to set “the seduction community” up as a great example of rationality. Alicorn and some other women objected to the way that women were treated as objects to be aquired, studied and manipulated in various ways. The discussion became somewhat heated. All the women who were involved except Alicorn, and at least one of the guys who started it, have since left LessWrong, or changed their usernames. And SilasBarta has been picking on Alicorn ever since.
False. Some of them comment less frequently, and I was worried myself for a time, but the people you refer to continue to comment here.
No. Just, no. I have refuted arguments she’s made that I have found in error, sometimes harshly. I have applauded points she’s made. I have come to her defense, even in contravention of my own interests.
I’ve never “picked on” Alicorn; she just has a tendency to completely misinterpret what I say or take refutations too personally.
Your framing of events here is quite strong, to the point of bordering on falsehood.
Are you saying that there were no men present who shared that objection, or that those who did weren’t real men? Your statement implies one or the other.
Edit: I do not mean to imply any character flaw on your part—merely to illuminate the poor wording.
My apologies for being unclear.
There were several men who supported the objections. If I don’t misjudge/misremember there were about an equal number of men on either side of that discussion. None of the men have been harassed later, and AFAIK none of the men who were on the side with the women have left.
Your statement, once again, has clear implications which I would contradict were they explicit.
(Not true)
SilasBarta had annoyed me in the past. It became irritating enough that I took the measure I did after the gender kerfluffle, but while the kerfluffle certainly did not help, it wasn’t the sole cause.