Welcome to Moondustwriter Thursday
The One Stop Poetry site team is pleased with the amazing support we have received since we started Twelve weeks ago. We knew there was talent out in the blogsphere but to have so many poets coming together as a community is fantastic.
Recently, I went to the pub in Oxford where the Inklings ( C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, N. Coghill and more) shared their unfinished work. It was a cozy place; great for moments of inspiration and laughter and I'm sure a corner where wads of paper contained discarded writing.A year ago, I would not have thought it possible to have such great friends and colleagues in the blogsphere.
We hope that you meet people here that become friends, perhaps colleagues. We may never share a pint or a cup of coffee but we can laugh and inspire one another. I want to thank each of you for helping me to become a better writer and for being my friends.
Along those lines, because we are here to encourage you and your blogging, we want to join with other memes and Social Media Networking to support the anti-bullying campaign. Bullying sadly can convey such hostility that a blogger may feel the need to stop blogging or hide under a new name.
It Happens in Cyber Space
poem by
Pete Marshall
“It started with a click
I never thought it would come to this”
And as the words were gently hummed
My mind slipped back to other times
When fresh I came upon this world
And shared my words and all my rhymes
In cyber space some mask themselves
Our minds play tricks on who they are
But words and deeds are stamped as true
And jealous ways can lead too far
I’d read each day a glowing quote
Aware the young were so naive
But grooming starts at any age
Affects our minds and our beliefs
And from the quotes a friendship came
That burst onto my private world
My inbox filled with vile spam
That rocked my life and all I held
A bully wants to be the one
That all will turn and hold on to
But bullies always come undone
When people stand and tell the truth
More Information:
Here's a site on Facebook that is leading the wave against bullying.www.facebook.com/DearBully
Forty seven states in the US now have explicit laws against electronic harassment or "cyber stalking"
Some examples of tactics of harassment or "cyberstalking" may use include:
Some examples of tactics of harassment or "cyberstalking" may use include:
- Sending manipulative, threatening, lewd or harassing emails from an assortment of email accounts.
- Hacking into a victim’s online accounts (such as banking or email) and changing the victim’s settings and passwords.
- Creating false online accounts on social networking and dating sites, impersonating the victim or attempting to establish contact with the victim by using a false persona.
- Posting messages to online bulletin boards and discussion groups with the victim’s personal information, such as home address, phone number or Social Security number. Posts may also be lewd or controversial – and result in the victim receiving numerous emails, calls or visits from people who read the post online.
- Signing up for numerous online mailing lists and services using a victim’s name and email address.
I'm sure the Inklings had their moments where they felt harassed for their "forward" thinking. There was a difference - they could address these issues face to face and not feel their writing was threatened. Let's all do our part to keep our community / blogsphere enjoyable and bully free.
22 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been a victim of cyber bullying which was rather extreme. Luckily, I was able to resolve the situation by taking actions to protect myself. Unfortunately, many people aren't so lucky. Cyber bullying is much more common than people may think.
Thank you. I must be too naive for my own good I am not sure what this is.
Just one example of the sweetness of our poets in blog land.
You gotta read this by Patti - Patti
moon love my friend
Ninotaziz - I was too
There are some people who feel since there are no laws to stop them they can make a person's life miserable. the laws started coming down when teenagers were being hurt by stalking and harassment.
I read one article and the case numbers are staggering. one person can harass the same person for years.
Dont know if that helps
the issues this article addresses are very, very real...bullying, whether at school, in the workplace of even online in cyber world destroys peoples life's, their confidence, their will to be who they are and live the life that that they have been given...i know through my own personal experience of bullying in the workplace how it affects both your mental and physical health...age doesn't deter the bully and age doesn't make you any wiser to how you deal with its symptoms...bullying is evil and must STOP....a great article for One Shot..cheers pete
If only it were possible to tell young people to give their Facebook etc a rest for a while! The cyber-bullies would soon get tired of getting no response. But I suppose it wouldn't be 'cool' to do that!
It is great that cyber bullying is adressed. It shows how committed to nurturing writers One Stop Poetry is. A fantastic write Moondustwriter! It is a shame that this would even be a problem, but not surprising. It is kind of sad that people would make it their life to make others miserable just as they are. I am glad this issue was addressed and thank you for doing so.
thanks for the love and support guys..i know this first hand obviously...tight poem pete...it is a big issue and particularly online bullying happens far too easy because there is no clear recourse for one that hides behind their computer...
Oxford and The Bird and Babe? :) Funnessville. I'm entranced with The Inklings. Thanks for saying what needed to be said, I didn't know such a thing happened.
I don't usually mega comment on my own site but...
A comment was made about just getting off. I agree the person offended could do that and change their name and come back on. Now equate that professionally - I am a writer - writing is my business. By bullying me off the internet in this world where Social Media Networking can make or break your career I have lost my livelihood. How much time do you think writers and other artists spend to make a name? To change and start over could mean it would never happen.
When I was harassed in the workplace the individual was spoken to and their job was on the line.
For many of us blogging is part of our job.
Thanks again folks
this is what i always tell my kids about bullies (and i hope it helps)- the only way to face a bully is by being a bully yourself. show them what they look like. show them you are a bigger bully. that was a lesson that i painfully learned firsthand and it worked... as it now works for me all the time. i just used to cry in one corner. now i stand up and face the devil. ;)
This is an excellent piece Leslie. It is so frustrating to know that this problem exists and is seemingly so easy for a person to perpetrate. We do need to stand together to help put a stop to cyber-stalking. The attention is unwanted and destructive for all the parties involved. Power to you all for facing this difficult issue. All the words you offer are needed Leslie, so keep on keeping on.
Excellent poem Pete. You captured the crux of the matter well.
Stand tall and proud Brian. You are an excellent writer and you should be proud of your abilities. Don't let someone take your words and name away.
Excellent.
well said, I am not one for being a bully, or being bullied, as it happened in school, the hardest thing is to stand up for yourself, but once you do this, then they yellow off..
I agree and that one could be so jealous they are obviously not confident in their own work...great poem Pete and I am happy the One Stop has addressed the issue....as my husband always says ..."do not mistake kindness for weakness"...we all need the support of those who are sincre in encouragement...which the writers here at One Stop are....thanks...bkm
Wow, I had no idea that was a problem. I can't imagine taking the time to go fuck with someone to the point where they would do anything but laugh (probably at me.) Anyhow, loved the poem but the message is a bit disconcerting. Nobody should stop writing unless they have nothing left to say.
crb.
Excellent post. No one should have to put up with that.
Good post. Hopefully, I'll never have to deal with rubbish behaviour like that, but in case I do, this will be useful information!
Excellent, excellent piece, Leslie. We have to draw the line in the sand and back it up powerfully when someone disregards the boundaries of others and assaults them with lewd emails and relentless stalking.
Face it, we like to call this the blogosphere and pretend it's somehow different than 'real life'. If life is lived with integrity and writing follows suit, then the two are one and the same. The same kind of person who cyberstalks someone is not beyond finding ways to intrude on every aspect of their life.
It's high time we all took a stand, started asking some serious questions and challenging ourselves to take a higher road. If someone we know is cyberstalking someone else we know and respect, it's time to take a stand and stop encouraging her behavior.
The jangling cacophony of flurried bloggy awards and drive-by commentary is simply a mask for a very dark and troubled person who has absolutely no moral compass or respect for others.
Today, Brian is the target. Tomorrow it could be any one of us.
Great forum of thought on this topic folks. We have some great thinkers in our midst.
@moondustwriter -- well said! I have yet to be a victim on my blog -- perhaps it is the kind of blog that does not invite bullying -- but lord knows changing a name can have serious issues that come with it!
It is a sad senario to read this, 7 months ago I started blogging and writing poems again...something I have not done for many years. A whole new world has opened for me...my heart aches to think that this is going on...thanks for talking and writing about this, it is not something I am familiar with...all I want to do is spread love and write in the purest form!
I send all of you love ~ Amanda
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