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The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

dallasobserver.com

101–110 of 356 posts

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#101

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.

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 about Texas is it does this sort of thing to actual Texans, in addition to other people. It's really an indictment of the people of the state: could you form a decent jury, judiciary, legislature, or police force if it had to be made up of Texans?

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#102
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?

That begins to sound like a very realistic Death Note ability these days given the combination of extreme punishment and brain dead detective ability.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#103

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.

I've been to an Africa country. A friend was almost robbed by a member of an ethnic minority. The police brought the suspect in, beat the crap out of him until he confessed. My friends were down the hall while they heard the police beat him up and heard his cries. In the 1990s during the Rwandan Genocide, neighbours turned on neighbours and a million people were hacked to death with machetes.

Get real.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I was hoping to live in some of these places in the future. Would you mind clarifying why the states on this list are especially bad rather than others?

It's a part of the US called "The South". Which has it's own cultural identity...

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#105
post #84

WIDELY MISREPORTED. Austin resident here. There is very little right about this case. He was joking, and his original post included indications of this. Prosecutors intentionally misrepresented and truncated his comments to mislead the Grand Jury. The arrest warrant issued claimed they found him by driver's license records but he has never had a Texas driver's license. They failed to protect him, an 18 year old kid,…

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?

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say it depends on the occasion. For instance, when Louis C.K. says something similar while performing a comedy show, it's absolutely clear that he's not actually going to shoot up a school. It's meant to shock his audience. When you're posting these things on the internet to people you probably don't even know in person (so they have no way to know wether you're joking or not), things can get hairy quickly. I'm s…

You are part of the problem.

OK, I'll bite. Because... why am I part of what problem exactly?

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was hoping to live in some of these places in the future. Would you mind clarifying why the states on this list are especially bad rather than others?

Most of it comes down to the fact that you have extremely geographically isolated people. Communities in the mountains of the Carolina's for instance may not even have a bank or a post office. These people are extremely paranoid and fearful of change, and thus they elect politicians that share their views and that, worse, feed into them with religious and political rhetoric about how the bad man with dark skin is goi…

But the Western USA is much more geographically isolated. Slavery broke the entire nation, and while much of the rest of the nation has recovered, in important ways the South is still broken.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#108
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?

He doesn't. And proving hacking would be nearly impossible. A gifted hacker wouldn't leave evidence. Or at least no evidence that a normal investigator will find. And simply saying its a possibility doesn't matter without evidence. Thus, it's too expensive and time consuming to even consider. Interesting point, though.

And proving hacking would be nearly impossible.

What if he was hacked by a stupid hacker? Surely facebook keep logs which can be colsulted by the police. What IP address was the comments from? Where were you when the comment was made etc.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are part of the problem.

OK, I'll bite. Because... why am I part of what problem exactly?

Your first response to this clear case of injustice amounts to "well it's understandable, we certainly can't blame the authorities for being vindictive idiots who destroyed this kid's life over a throwaway joke."

If enough people did blame the authorities, we wouldn't have the horrible system we have. It wouldn't even have to be a majority; we've made progress in the past based on a principled minority of citizens pulling their heads out of their asses. Since you apply the blame that should go to the "justice" system to its victims instead, you are part of the reason the system does not improve.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#110
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"But threatening to shoot up a school, in the light of recent events... really? " Yes, absolutely, really. If you are in playground type ranting slanging match, you go of the most extreme things to say, which could cause shock in the recipient. Right now, things like school shootings are the current shock fodder, and well in peoples minds. So people will use that subject. Same with pedophiles and terrorists. And of c…

I'd say it depends on the occasion. For instance, when Louis C.K. says something similar while performing a comedy show, it's absolutely clear that he's not actually going to shoot up a school. It's meant to shock his audience. When you're posting these things on the internet to people you probably don't even know in person (so they have no way to know wether you're joking or not), things can get hairy quickly. I'm s…

We have freedom of speech. It's been established that apart from actual threats, or a couple of other instances (defamation, libel), this right is absolute. And this example is comedy, so it is clearly covered.
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