The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life • Hacker News Board

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#131

Post by dTal » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:35 PM UTC

kevingadd wrote: post #19

StavrosK wrote: post #12

Is he charged with anything? I only saw a reference to a "terrorist threat", what kind of fucked up country is one that gets you ten years in jail for joking about committing a crime? Don't you actually have to commit the crime to go to prison, usually?

Outside the internet, death threats are serious business and usually a crime, regardless of whether you have the actual intent or ability to kill someone. Likewise there's that tired old example of yelling fire in a crowded theater (though i don't think that applies here)

Wasn't the "crowded theater" analogy originally conceived to support the passage of the Espionage Act in America? It might be tired and old now, but was never even legit to begin with.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#132

Post by chilldream » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:42 PM UTC

mosselman wrote: post #126

Fasebook wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I'm scared.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." I find the actions taken here infinitely more scary than facebook comment bullshit.

The average person does not make a cost-benefit analysis for things like this because that would require admitting that the question is complicated, or must result in some risk of death. Instead they silently drop the cost half of the equation by telling themselves that 0% risk of death must be possible, and rationalize away the costs of such a delusion by ignoring cases like this, or figuring that the victim must have deserved it somehow (with the silent assumption that nothing like this could ever happen to them or their loved ones).

In recent years Obama justified various state excesses by saying something like "You can't have 100% security and 100% privacy." My immediate thought was, "Well, that's vacuously true, because you can't have 100% security ever."

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#133

Post by gyepi » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:47 PM UTC

beachstartup wrote: post #115

xtrumanx wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope you're not implying situations found in the Rwandan Genocide are typical in Africa.

they aren't typical but they aren't uncommon. you could say the same thing about europe, though. especially in the 20th century, but there's time yet for the 21st to catch up!

I am afraid you don't know what you're talking about. Genocide is not common in Africa. It's happened, but it's not common.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#134

Post by gyepi » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:50 PM UTC

jessaustin wrote: post #101

zacinbusiness wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia - fear these places.

I wouldn't put New Mexico in that company, and much of Virginia isn't too bad, but yeah. I think it's important to remember a fact of humanity: you're generally safer on familiar ground, around people who are similar to yourself. It can be very interesting, exciting, and rewarding to be "the foreigner", but at the same time you should never forget when you're in that position. Of course one of the horrible things abo…

I think it's important to remember a fact of humanity: you're generally safer on familiar ground, around people who are similar to yourself. It can be very interesting, exciting, and rewarding to be "the foreigner", but at the same time you should never forget when you're in that position.

This is generally true. However, the United States is a multi ethnic country. So the question is, does this statement apply to all ethnicities, everywhere? The fact is, for a large number of Americans, they are "the foreigner" exactly in that position most of the time.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#135

Post by mjklin » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:10 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #105

tbastos wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope the kid wins a shitload of money in a lawsuit against the state... and the cops get punished. Now what's the chance of this happening?

I don't get it, I thought the USA was a massive litigation centre and you could sue people for millions left right and centre? Are you saying that you can't sue people like that?

I believe tbastos believes that there is little chance the police will be punished. The kid absolutely will bring, and win, a lawsuit if the parent comment is true.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#136

Post by freehunter » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:13 PM UTC

sheetjs wrote: post #34

Out of curiosity: if someone hacked this kid's account and posted those comments, and if the legal system is considering the Facebook comments to be his words, what recourse does he have? How does he demonstrate that the speech wasn't his?

It's called non-repudiation, and it's one of the bigger problems in the information security realm when it comes to legal evidence.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#137

Post by powertower » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:33 PM UTC

billyjobob wrote: post #9

Wow, I didn't realise US police were that bad. After reading this I don't think I could ever feel safe enough to visit the US. Sounds like you'd have a better chance of getting justice in an African dictatorship where at least the dont-rape-me bribe would be affordable. Tourists really should be warned about this, because it's not the image the US tourist boards present to us at all.

You should also stay inside your house at all times. Because if you go outside lightning could strike you. Or maybe you'll get run over while walking the dog.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#138

Post by zacinbusiness » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:38 PM UTC

bmunro wrote: post #113

zacinbusiness wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at all. Thousands of innocent people at sitting in our jails as we speak. Most of them will never be free. But that's beside the point. He's not in prison, he's in jail, and there's a big difference. Depending on the circumstances, you could sit in jail your whole life while you await some technical process to complete. You don't even have to be charged with anything.

He's not in prison, he's in jail, and there's a big difference. What?! Jail and prison are synonyms. There is no real difference. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/prison - A building to which people are legally committed as a punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/jail - A place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a cr…

The main difference is that you go to prison after a conviction, where s you may sit in jail (nearly) indefinitely without trial or legal counsel.

Jails are also usually less well funded, older, and generally less pleasant (oh yeah) than are prisons.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#139

Post by MarkTee » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:41 PM UTC

bmunro wrote: post #113

zacinbusiness wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at all. Thousands of innocent people at sitting in our jails as we speak. Most of them will never be free. But that's beside the point. He's not in prison, he's in jail, and there's a big difference. Depending on the circumstances, you could sit in jail your whole life while you await some technical process to complete. You don't even have to be charged with anything.

He's not in prison, he's in jail, and there's a big difference. What?! Jail and prison are synonyms. There is no real difference. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/prison - A building to which people are legally committed as a punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/jail - A place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a cr…

There's a difference (in the US at least).

A concise summary:

http://sheriff.org/faqs/displayfaq.cfm?id=4f892698-5c5d-40f8...

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#140

Post by MarkTee » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 2:42 PM UTC

nebulous1 wrote: post #99

> Carter's comments were part of a duel between dorks, and may have had something to do with a game with strong dork appeal called League of Legends. I actually laughed out loud at this. Is the Dallas Observer a rag or does the word 'dork' seem less ridiculous to people from Texas or the US?

I had the same reaction (I'm from Canada).