(no subject)

[liptonrm_backup]

You know, I was going to use this post to talk about how awesome things are and how I've been gobbling up pictures and articles from inaguration and the balls and the Obama Administration's first two days in office. I was going to talk about the closure of Gitmo and the return of law, order, and civility to our government and the introduction of transparency.

Instead, I get online and find out that there's a jackhole who feels like it's just the dandiest thing in the world to out a member of fandom to his/her/its RL family, friends, employers, etc. And suddenly all I can see is red.

There are a lot of crazy things about fandom and a lot of crazy people in it. We all know this. And the only way our little community is able to function is because there is one trust that underlines it all. We all trust that other people out there in the cyber wilds won't betray our online activities to people outside of the community. We depend on this anonymity. If someone has wronged you online the correct way to go about dealing with it is online. You don't move this to another sphere and you don't make it that kind of personal.

It is fandom's one law, the one rule that keeps our universe spinning.

Anyone who breaks that law deserves what is coming to him/her/it. And let me tell you, when your name gets out, and it will, it always does, there will be hell to pay. I don't even know any of the principals who were harmed by your actions and I'm still salivating to see your head on that cyber-pole.

There are many things one can say about fandom, we're a fractious, bitchy group with our share of problems. We allow and foster trends and fashions that would shock the rest of the world. We don't always get along and we rarely agree on anything. But we also protect our own and our right to freely participate without fear of RL reprisals or discovery. So, kiddo, you'd better run, because we will find you and the gloves are off. You reap what you sow.

Comments

[quellefromage.livejournal.com]

Say what? Is this why flisties are going friends only? What happened?

Link a sistah, eh? *grins*

[liptonrm.livejournal.com]

I only got wind of it after everyone who'd primarily been effected had already locked down tight, so I don't know any specific details, but what I got from lyra_wing's still public post was that someone got upset about something keepaofthecheez did or didn't do (it sounds like some stupid entitled fan crap on the part of the troll) so he/she/it decided to stalk her via facebook, figure out her personal info and direct RL friends and family towards her lj.

The phrase "deviant incest" was apparently used. And, you know, whether you're cool with fandom's love of incest or not, that doesn't give you the right to either dictate your morality on other people or out them to the world at large, no matter what you think they might have done to you.

Ahem, apparently I have "opinions" about this whole thing. But, oh fandom way to be classy.

[quellefromage.livejournal.com]

That truly sucks. Thanks for the 411.

[liptonrm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it really does. And no problem, sweets.

[afteriwake.livejournal.com]

I hope the person who got outed is okay, because that's a monumentally fucked up thing to do to someone. I also hopeee the person who did it gets messed up online (because if it were to go offline that would only reinforce the awfulness of this situaton).

[liptonrm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, seriously, there is not enough WTF in the world for all of this.

And, yeah, I suppose holding the punishment to the online sphere is the way to go, taking the high road and all that. Even if my inner rabblerouser is yelling for vengeance and blood.

I can't very well maintain that fandom has a code if I'm not willing to follow it myself. ;-)

[shanghai-jim.livejournal.com]

Not to add to your upset about whatever is going on, but I never knew that anonymity was important to you or a key aspect of your online interactions. I'm sorry if I've been dense, but it's a good thing this came up now, so I know better to be careful.

[liptonrm.livejournal.com]

Well it all depends, you know? Anonymity from people like my family and coworkers is pretty important to me. Not because I'm ashamed of how I spend my time but mostly because I don't want to go through the aggravation of explaining it all to them.

But I'm not too worried about anonymity in the sense that I don't want anyone to ever talk about me or I don't want anyone to even link to my lj or say that they know me or stuff like that. We just have to keep it in the family, or something like that.

Am I even making a modicum of sense? Like, I totally don't care if you ever said to someone in your RL that you know this chick who's in law school in Michigan, just like I've been known to tell people that I know a guy from the Phillipines, or like I tell people online that there's this shaghai_jim guy who's pretty dang awesome.

I think what really gets me is the malicious way that all of this went down and that the actions were done to hurt and shame someone. It's that breaking of the communal trust that got to me more than anything else.

And, like I said, here's hoping that any of that rambling made any sense to you, whatsoever. ;-)