The Cancer of Internet Intimidation

At the risk of being jumped on yet again by the commentors on my recent blogs who's user names start with the letter "Z.A.K.", I am writing this blog as I have just received an email from a friend of mine about a woman who heads up an organization on fighting the cyber cruelty of people whose greatest weapon is intimidation. Nancy's organization, of which she is the Director, is called "Centre For Safe and Responsible Internet Use". Recently during an interview she stated that "There is an epidemic of cruelty online because of the ease with which anybody can post anything." She talked about the perception that posters have, that they can say what they want, in any manner they want, because their real identities are (they think!) protected and therefore the authorities can't 'find' them. She stated that because the fear of detection is removed, the full understanding of the harm that such posters are doing becomes oblivious to them. She encouraged all users who have experienced cyber cruelty, intimidation and bullying to stand up and be counted, to refuse to give in, to report to agencies like hers the user names of such people and to be assured that there is recourse against these types of posters.
It was her explanation of the tactics used by such people that really caught my attention at this time, considering what I myself have been subjected to so recently.
Intimidation is an age old weapon of forcing the submission of others to bend to your will. It can be used in the form of shouting, verbal abuse, personal attacks, threats and physical violence. In the email were links to other articles which all had the same theme in common. To whit: People who make the choice to be cruel, to intimidate and to hurt others, usually exhibit poor language skills, lack of imagination in their arguments and can, more often than not, be found to be part of a group of like minded 'friends'. I found this particularly interesting. It seems the internet has become a breeding ground for 'packs of rabid human wolves'. Their main purpose when threatened by greater intellects, loftier ideals or what they perceive to be 'personal slights' , is to lash back, on the attack at the person that has come into their sights. They will circle and growl and hiss and nash their virtual teeth at them and then they will get virtually violent with words.
They have no concept of logic or reason or a point of view that differs from their own. Their acts/words of intimidation are cruel, often senseless and always unnecessary. The damage they do is considerable. People's sense of self, of safety, of the kindness of others and the finer aspects of human nature are destroyed and so the breeding continues as more and more users find themselves falling into the same mind set because they have been forced to defend themselves on a level they would not have sunk to otherwise. It's like a disease. It's a cancer.
It is evident in the responses on my own blogs here.
Perhaps I should not have written THIS blog entry at this time, as the ZAK's are attacking me as I type. But this email was too timely, too important and too true, not to share with those of you who will be reassured to know that you are not alone, that there are people who are making headway in exposing these cruelties and tracing and dealing with these anti-social types of users, and that if responsible and caring users stand their ground, they will succeed in taking the power from the intimidators by simply refusing to give in. I encourage everyone who cares about stopping the tide of such abuse and misuse of the opinions of others, to Google Nancy Willard and her organizationa and report, report, report.