In the "Get the hell OVER IT" segment of our program
At what point does the idea of "Internet Bullying" become ridiculous? At the point where the person being "bullied" fails to SHUT OFF THE COMPUTER! Yes, this pisses me off, and here's why: I have been involved with BBS "rooms," usenet, IRC, and occasionally AOL chat rooms etc. and, just like in real life, personalities often clash. When this happens in real life, what do you do if you know that a substantial group of people does not LIKE you for whatever reason? Do you keep forcing your presence on them and then whine, cry or SUE if they tell you you're a pain in the butt or call you names? I don't think so. You find OTHER friends. At least you do if you have a brain.
There is a big difference between what you CAN do and what you SHOULD do. I CAN go into an IRC channel entitled something like "#woman_hating_right_wing_vegetarian_hunters_for_Jesus" but SHOULD I? And if I finally decide to, should I be outraged if I get "picked on" or kicked and banned from the room? Should I call a lawyer? Or should I open my own channel called "#men_hating_left_wing_carnivore_nonhunters_for_Cuthulu?" Even better, should I shut off the computer and get a life?
Of course, if the abuse turns to stalking, or to real-life problems, then it becomes harassment or another type of crime, and the police should be called. But damn, the kind of nonsense referred to from what I can see here (besides the allegation that someone travelled all the way across the country just to change someone's US Mail, which I find rather unlikely) is much more akin to suing for your sister looking at you in the back seat of the car. "Judge, she's LOOKING AT ME." Get over it. Grow up. Get a life. Get a clue. Turn off the computer. Go watch some nice violent TV or something.
law.com - Chat Room Chatter Draws Lawsuit:
Do the courts have jurisdiction over what people say in Internet chat rooms?
That question is being played out in what some lawyers claim is a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in Ohio, where a man claims he was humiliated online in an Internet chat room, and has filed a lawsuit over the incident.
The plaintiff, George Gillespie of Medina County, Ohio, is suing America Online for allegedly failing to do anything about the abuse he endured in the chat room, and the two chat room participants who allegedly caused him emotional distress by teasing him. Gillespie v. America Online, No. 05CIV1255 (Medina Co., Ohio, Ct. C.P.).
According to court documents, the chat room participants "acted in an outrageous manner, which they knew or should have known would cause serious emotional distress to the plaintiff ... The Defendants' conduct was so extreme and contemptible as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency."