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The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

onlineabuseprevention.org

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Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#5
The problem with abuse is that it is an ambiguous term.

For example suppose I were to criticize Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian. And suppose other people read my criticism, and decided to make nuisance phone calls, or even more severe forms of harassments. Was my original criticism harassment? Because that is how the GamerGate movement has been characterized. Since some people allegedly engaged in things that were clearly defined as harassment or abuse, it was considered that the entire "movement", i.e. everyone making the criticism, was engaging in harassment.

Let's turn this around, and consider whether it is "abuse" when people criticize right wingers.

The situation is especially problematic because the law also contains ambiguous crime such as harassment.

Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#6
post #3

Are these "anti-abuse tools" going to be as poorly-made as the GG blocker? Because if so, you're going to do more harm than good.

Been working pretty well for me, and the code's been pretty straightforward. I mean, unless you have more substantive issues with it you can raise and substantiate, this reads as just static and noise, really.

Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#7
post #5

The problem with abuse is that it is an ambiguous term. For example suppose I were to criticize Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian. And suppose other people read my criticism, and decided to make nuisance phone calls, or even more severe forms of harassments. Was my original criticism harassment? Because that is how the GamerGate movement has been characterized. Since some people allegedly engaged in things that were clea…

"Abuse" isn't ambiguous at all. Anyone with a lick of common sense can easily distinguish criticism and abuse.

Criticism is when you civilly express an opinion of someone or something else, or an action or statement they've made. Criticism is calling someone out and saying you expect more, or have X problem with Y statement, etc.

Abuse is when it moves into personal attacks, or calls for others to engage in personal or physical attacks. Criticism is fine if you disagree, but threatening physical harm or violence to someone isn't criticism - it's a threat. Digging up someone's home address and posting it online isn't criticism. Calling the police to raid someone's house with a SWAT team isn't criticism. Asking if someone would like to be raped because it's a "funny joke" or "satire" isn't criticism - it's threatening and abusive behavior. Any school psychologist can tell you which kids are joking around playfully and which kids are engaging in bullying, and those terms don't suddenly disappear just because we added 20 years to everyone's age.

A movement like GamerGate has many many people in it who willfully engage in what is clearly abuse - and yet the other members who claim not to support this kind of harassment or abuse have done absolutely nothing to stop it. If you're upset that your movement is branded as a bunch of harassers, maybe you should spend more time with the "good" people publicly calling out the ones doing the harassment in your name and asserting some kind of authority.

There's no ambiguity at all - you just want to pretend there is to avoid any responsibility.

Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#8
post #6
post #3

Are these "anti-abuse tools" going to be as poorly-made as the GG blocker? Because if so, you're going to do more harm than good.

Been working pretty well for me, and the code's been pretty straightforward. I mean, unless you have more substantive issues with it you can raise and substantiate, this reads as just static and noise, really.

The issue is that it works on the premise of guilt by association. It blocked an IGDA chairman FFS. The only thing it serves to do is filter out opinions you disagree with, which does nothing but harm anyone who cares to think outside their comfort zone.

Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#9
post #7
post #5

The problem with abuse is that it is an ambiguous term. For example suppose I were to criticize Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian. And suppose other people read my criticism, and decided to make nuisance phone calls, or even more severe forms of harassments. Was my original criticism harassment? Because that is how the GamerGate movement has been characterized. Since some people allegedly engaged in things that were clea…

"Abuse" isn't ambiguous at all. Anyone with a lick of common sense can easily distinguish criticism and abuse. Criticism is when you civilly express an opinion of someone or something else, or an action or statement they've made. Criticism is calling someone out and saying you expect more, or have X problem with Y statement, etc. Abuse is when it moves into personal attacks, or calls for others to engage in personal…

When people are exposed as saying "racist" things, they often experience a torrent of abuse, including violent threats.

Do you think the ant-racist movement is morally equivalent to GamerGate because they have "done absolutely nothing to stop it"?

Re: The Online Abuse Prevention Initiative

#10
post #7
post #5

The problem with abuse is that it is an ambiguous term. For example suppose I were to criticize Zoe Quinn or Anita Sarkeesian. And suppose other people read my criticism, and decided to make nuisance phone calls, or even more severe forms of harassments. Was my original criticism harassment? Because that is how the GamerGate movement has been characterized. Since some people allegedly engaged in things that were clea…

"Abuse" isn't ambiguous at all. Anyone with a lick of common sense can easily distinguish criticism and abuse. Criticism is when you civilly express an opinion of someone or something else, or an action or statement they've made. Criticism is calling someone out and saying you expect more, or have X problem with Y statement, etc. Abuse is when it moves into personal attacks, or calls for others to engage in personal…

Done absolutely nothing to stop it? GamerGate rooted out one of Anita's harassers and gave her his info. GamerGate has a harassment patrol that actively reports abusers. Maybe you should look at your own perception and realize that you're focusing on the 1% that is bad and ignoring the 99% that isn't?
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