Where's the line?

After my spam comment yesterday, I got to thinking about where the line is between disagreement and bullying, interest and stalking.

Here are my thoughts.

I know Jeanne's last name, but I don't share it.  I assume she's a real person and I think a certain amount of privacy is fair.

I don't know where Jeanne works, or where she lives.  I do know where she's gone to school, only because she talked about it on her blog.

I don't know a thing about her husband, other than what she's posted, and I don't know his name.

I don't know these things for two reasons.  1) I don't care.  I respond to an online persona and writings.  That's it.  2) I don't look for these things.  To me, that crosses the line between interest in what a person has said in a very public sphere (like the internet) and stalking.  I am not a stalker.

I don't tell Jeanne not to write her blog, though I have questioned why she does.

I don't tell her what she can and cannot talk about.

I've never told her that I'm going to take any action against her, despite a few rather nasty run-ins.  Though some of her comments to me on a message board were reported which resulted in her being banned from the site.  That, however, is not my fault.  The terms of service there are pretty strict.

I don't do these things because 1) I don't know the "real" Jeanne.  I know an online persona.  2) I don't wish anything bad on anyone.  Even if Jeanne is, in real life, exactly who she appears to be online, I wouldn't wish anything bad on her.  She's a human being.  She's someone I can disagree with, and not think about how I can sue her, or make her real life difficult.  To me, that crosses the line between disagreement and bullying.  And I am not a bully.  An opinionated bitch?  Sometimes.  But not a bully.  Jeanne has every right to her opinion and her blog as I do.

The views stated here are my opinions.  No more.  No less.  While I am not a bully or a stalker, I equally am not someone likely to be easily bullied, or put up with stalking.

Since starting this blog, I've had threats of legal action, threats that I will be reported to Blogger, someone trying to hack my Google account, and the posting of my personal information (albeit much of it incorrect or not completely accurate) in a public space.

Who ever that is, I believe it crosses the line into bullying and stalking.  And I hope you're not doing it for Jeanne.  Even I think she deserves better than that.  And I'm going to choose to think it's not Jeanne.  Because while I find her online demeanor to be all kinds of wonky, I'd like to think she knows where the lines are, and that I have certainly not crossed them.

Besides, this blog, with it's few opinions and few posts, can't possibly rate that much work and ire, right?

Love the Love

Just deleted a spam comment from "S" which listed itself as "S." Legal.

Not only were the facts not quite accurate, but shared a lot of my personal information. Like my address and phone number as well as past addresses not just of me, but of my husband also.

I find it interesting that I have never done more than share my opinion of Jeanne's blog, posts, or viewpoints. Certainly since Jeanne has made it clear to me that she has every right to free speech (something on which I wholeheartedly agree) she would wish me to also have that same right.  She's a fair person, right?  And believes in the rights of others as well?

I make no secret of disagreeing with Jeanne, or disliking her blog. These are my opinions. But I do not share personal, nor private information. I don't follow her around the internet (with the exception of things I read upon occasion when they're pointed out to me), heck I don't even use her last name. And for a reason. Even though I know her last name (not through digging, honestly, but because she's shared it on her blog and on the message board we were both on).  But she deserves her privacy. That's why I only write about things that she posts on the web (namely her blog).

This is an opinion blog. I write on it rarely, when I see something I find worth writing about.

I'm going to assume that "S" Legal is someone pretending to be the Floridian Blogger I discuss here. Certainly a devout Catholic, who has insisted on showing a kinder and gentler side, and someone who has stated that she loves people, free speech, and the equal rights of others would not stoop to such measures as posting my personal information on the internet simply because I disagree with her or share an opinion. Certainly I would never do such a thing to her either.

We all have our opinions and should feel free to share them openly. Right?

Bloggherea

Dear Floridian Blogger,

With your hard won degree in journalism, I would think you would be someone who would gather your sources, collect your thoughts, and present them with some kind of organization. But it seems you post absolutely everything you find interesting, and all as separate posts. For anyone who does actually follow you, it's really obnoxious. Especially in a reader. And, to be perfectly honest, it's not as entertaining as it used to be. At least then you had an interesting, if bizarre take on things. Now most of it is just regurgitation and links.

I'd tell you to stop it, but God forbid anyone should ever tell you what to do. After all, freedom of speech and all that. And I'm well aware that you don't really care about making anything easier for all two of us who read your blog.

Happy Easter,

Annoyed.

Again, How Florida Rocks & Jean Looks Down On No One

I know I've said it before, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but Jean's blog has become so much of an eyesore, I generally prefer to check it out via reader than actually visit her site.  It's painful.  But she's said some things I felt worth of answering.  Not that she's blogging anymore.  Because you know she said she wasn't going to!  She's the most prolific non-blogger I've ever seen.

So here we go.

From this post, published April 16th 2011:

I love that:

Oh yeah. I have to laugh. Those Faith and Family ladies do not want to meet me because I will look at them with my sunglasses half on my nose and ask them "who are you?"Is then followed with:

I love God's people

And:

I try not to be haughty here.

Of course you don't, Jean. you just complain about how everyone looks down on poor 'ickle Jean while saying things like:

Most of those micro poly wanna cracker quasi religio folks can't even manage their own lives much less mine. They do not know how to keep it simple. Many of them never will. Many of them do not know what a real relationship with the Blessed Trinity really is. It is all about an over emphasis on externals and nothing about the internal life.

I'm feeling the love, aren't you? Of course, she's right, people who live up North generally don't have Florida drivers licenses. {Insert seriously perplexed and confused look here}

Still, my favorite quote from this blog post has got to be:

I do this blog for NOTHING. I do it for the sheer enjoyment of it. I do not get paid to do this and THERE IS NO ADVERTISING TO INFLUENCE WHAT i CAN AND CANNOT WRITE.

She just had to go all caps again, didn't she? It's sweet that she writes her blog for her own enjoyment (I guarantee no one enjoys reading it) but isn't it possible that no one would want to advertise on her godawful poorly written, hot mess of a blog? I think so. I wonder if she'll threaten to sue me again for saying that?

Now, on to the next post!

This post, published on April 16th 2011. It's like the third post in a day from the woman who's not going to blog anymore.

You can't really understand the beauty of this post without the title:

CONDOMS FOR 11 YEAR OLDS HAPPEN UP NORTH IN THE DIOCESES WHERE MOST HOMESCHOOLERS AND FAITH AND FAMILY LIVE LADIES LIVE. ISOLATION IS NOT GOOD. SIC KEEP DOING IT.

Right, because no one homeschools in Florida, and no one from Faith and Family live South of the Mason Dixon Line.

She goes on to say:

In Florida, the majority of school districts and all of the Florida Metro diocese schools teach ABSTINENCE.

Jean is correct about Florida largely teaching abstinence. And it's a good thing they're not handing out condoms either. It might interfere with their rising teen pregnancy rates, higher than they've been in 35 years! That abstinence program sure is working!

I HAVE PROOF. COMMENT AND GET INDIGNANT IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE. I HAVE THE LINK.

Relax, Jean, I believe you! I also think it's an idiotic statement and wonder again what the qualifications are to get a degree in journalism where you went to school.  I wonder if this is why you didn't make it as a journalist?

Whatever. Keep up the blogging, Jean. You always manage to hurt my eyes.

Um....

Dear Jeanne,

Your blog is a God Awful eyesore.  Why do you keep it?

Love,

Me