A DOUBLE editorial today in the Vancouver Sun lambasting the name-and-shame sites. "Mehtinks thou doth protest too much." When you think about it, social media are a competitor with tradational media, and I wonder if that's why they've set their sights on social media.

They like to raise, over and over again, how the name-and-shame "online mob" are as bad as the rioters. Like venting online is as bad as looting, burning, beating strangers and attacking police officers. Uh-huh. Suuuuurrrrre.

Or they bring up, ad nauseum, that poor Nathan Kotylak and his family had to flee their home. Kotylak's family are guilty of nothing (actually neither is Nathan at this point) and its a shame they've been run from their home. But every single newspaper and news channel had Nathan Kotylak plastered all over it, so why would the traditional media single out the social media as being responsible for the treats the Kotylaks have received?

Oh, because "somebody posted his address online"? Yeah, like it would be so hard to track down the address of someone when you already knew his name and where he was from. It's called a phone book. Anybody could look in one and find this guy's address in about three seconds. It's a trivial exercise.

And, I wouldn't be at all surprised of some of the most vigorous people expressing their outrage now were at the riot, didn't disperse when told to and possibly even participated.

Wow!!! You can stretch pretty good... even at your age.

Irate mobs demanding vengeance. Death threats. People forced to close their offices and flee their homes.

This certainly sounds like what we might see during a riot, or perhaps in a war zone. Yet it's all happening right now in Vancouver, even though the riot ended more than a week ago.

Or perhaps we should say it's happening in virtual Vancouver, since most of the vitriol directed at the rioters has taken place on line, and in particular on Facebook. This has led to many comments about just how powerful social media has become, as some people turned themselves in to police after having been identified online.

But unfortunately, many other comments involve outright threats made to people believed to have been involved in the riot, and even to their families. Among the worst cases, the family of 17-year-old failed fire-starter Nathan Kotylak fled for their safety after the address and price of their home was posted online. Kotylak's father's medical practice was also disrupted, which inconvenienced not just him, but his patients.

Indeed, as a result of the events, Kotylak's lawyer opined that "the mob mentality that took place at the riots is now happening on social media." And as uncomfortable as that sounds, the online response does display similarities with the behaviour of the rioters, from the threatening comments, to the online groups' reinforcement of such anti-social behaviour, to the sense of anonymity that leads some people to believe that they can get away with anything......

This doesn't, of course, mean that we have to sit by and do nothing. Those who have pictures or video, or who were personal witnesses to the riot, can aid the police investigation by sending their information to the police directly. The Vancouver police department has in fact asked people to do so, rather than post pictures online. Ultimately, this could lead to the rioters being charged and convicted in court.

Beyond that, the city can take action of its own. Every day, more rioters are apologizing for their behaviour, saying they wish to make amends. Many people question the sincerity of the apologies, but there's one way to find out if they're serious: The city could invite those who have apologized to help the city, in various ways and on a volunteer basis. This would give a good indication of who is really serious, and could help to rehabilitate their reputations. And it's certainly a lot better than continuing the endless stream of threats and reprisals, which threatens us all.


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/virtua ... z1Q7jnMxFz

Irate mobs demanding vengeance. Death threats. People forced to close their offices and flee their homes.

This certainly sounds like what we might see during a riot, or perhaps in a war zone. Yet it's all happening right now in Vancouver, even though the riot ended more than a week ago.

Or perhaps we should say it's happening in virtual Vancouver, since most of the vitriol directed at the rioters has taken place on line, and in particular on Facebook. This has led to many comments about just how powerful social media has become, as some people turned themselves in to police after having been identified online.

But unfortunately, many other comments involve outright threats made to people believed to have been involved in the riot, and even to their families. Among the worst cases, the family of 17-year-old failed fire-starter Nathan Kotylak fled for their safety after the address and price of their home was posted online. Kotylak's father's medical practice was also disrupted, which inconvenienced not just him, but his patients.

Indeed, as a result of the events, Kotylak's lawyer opined that "the mob mentality that took place at the riots is now happening on social media." And as uncomfortable as that sounds, the online response does display similarities with the behaviour of the rioters, from the threatening comments, to the online groups' reinforcement of such anti-social behaviour, to the sense of anonymity that leads some people to believe that they can get away with anything......

This doesn't, of course, mean that we have to sit by and do nothing. Those who have pictures or video, or who were personal witnesses to the riot, can aid the police investigation by sending their information to the police directly. The Vancouver police department has in fact asked people to do so, rather than post pictures online. Ultimately, this could lead to the rioters being charged and convicted in court.

Beyond that, the city can take action of its own. Every day, more rioters are apologizing for their behaviour, saying they wish to make amends. Many people question the sincerity of the apologies, but there's one way to find out if they're serious: The city could invite those who have apologized to help the city, in various ways and on a volunteer basis. This would give a good indication of who is really serious, and could help to rehabilitate their reputations. And it's certainly a lot better than continuing the endless stream of threats and reprisals, which threatens us all.


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/virtua ... z1Q7jnMxFz

Why don't you just admit you were a bit wrong andy? Saves all these mealy-mouthed postings you keep making.

Now where do I start?

What was I wrong about?

You've got 9,153 posts. Which one would you like to start with?













[/jk]

Groupthink andy.

I know.