About cyberbullying, again.
I have been subjected to a new wave of cyberbullying over the past few days, with a new twist: after hundreds of hate messages sent via my blog and email, Second Life accounts are now sending me hateful and threatening messages, most of which refer to the sim where I currently play. These are junk accounts: they are empty and have apparently been inactive for a long time, and others were created a day or two ago and were clearly deleted shortly after sending me messages.
I suppose that the fact that I have secured and further restricted the means of contacting me on my blog has motivated them to change their tactics a little.
How does this make me feel? Hmmm… Imagine waking up in the morning, making your coffee, turning on your Second Life viewer to log in, and coming across this:
“Get out of *** and don’t come back to pollute it with your presence. Wokes are trash that we will soon make disappear, and you are the worst of them. You tell nothing but lies and fakes to spread your mental illness everywhere you go and poison Gor. But everyone will learn the truth about you (sic) and you will be banned from everywhere. We won’t let you continue.”
Now multiply that kind of message, with the same kind of content and tone, by twenty (or by a hundred for cyberbullying via email or my blog). I’m already not exactly comfortable or happy on Gor Second Life right now. I’m not having fun, and I can’t seem to enjoy myself anymore, despite my efforts. Apart from Lyra (Kara’s mistress), I have virtually no roleplay partners left, I don’t belong to any IC groups of active players offering roleplay, and I am mostly alone and ignored. Whether I’m absent or present on the sim where I play, it makes no difference to anyone, since everyone ignores me despite my efforts; a curse of the kajirae that I will return to one day in an article.
But on top of that, I have to add the stress of being cyberbullied and threatened even in my hobby, a hobby that, as I just said, isn’t going well for me. I’ve already talked about cyberbullying in the Gorean Archives, and my latest article on the subject is here: https://www.psychee.org/gorpedia/about-cyberbullying/
What you need to understand is that I don’t have many effective means of action to stop all this. It’s the wonderful world of anonymity on the Internet—and on Second Life too. And it affects me. I’m not very sociable. I’m introverted, I’m distrustful, I isolate myself easily, and if I feel that I’m not welcome or that people are dismissive of me, I withdraw and don’t try to push it. So on top of that, there’s the agonizing stress of hatred and threats that remain intangible but are constant. I have no doubt that I am not very loved, that’s clear. So, since I don’t really feel appreciated to begin with, it only makes me feel worse.
I wanted to expose the names of the SL accounts that harassed me here… but I changed my mind. That said, I will provide them to anyone who asks me. I have, of course, reported them to Second Life moderation. But I’ll show you the few messages I’ve kept:
- Get out of *** and don’t come back to pollute it with your presence. Wokes are trash that we will soon make disappear, and you are the worst of them. You tell nothing but lies and fakes to spread your mental illness everywhere you go and poison Gor. But everyone will learn the truth about you and you will be banned from everywhere. We won’t let you continue
- Suck my dick, bitch, and don’t fuck with us with your shitty blog and fag ideas. (Link to dickpick)
- You’re going to shut up like a good ficking bitch, stop fucking around on *** , and disappear. You’ve got a week before I make your life hell. So be a good bitch and get off our sim!!
- You are the shame of Gor, all your articles are a bunch of lies and hatred towards real Goreans, how dare you come to a real BtB sim with real Goreans?
- We’re on ***, we’re watching you, waiting for you, hide well, because we’ll come for you when you least expect it.
- People like you should kill themselves, but soon, we’ll make you all disappear.
I am so sorry you are going through all of this again.
I have really enjoyed reading you thoughts on Gor. I came into my 1st Knowledge of Gor via Assassin of Gor many moons (1997) ago and then got drawn into some fairly light RPing because well, women liked the setting and young men like whatever gets young women talking to them. The first 4 books of the cycle might be said to be my 2nd Knowledge of Gor and some trauma.
I have issues with Norman/Lange. The man, rather frustratingly, can write a strong female character; he just cannot then cope with her. Also he started writing a decade before women could legally own a credit card (they needed a male sponsor until 1974 in the US, 1975 in the UK) in his neck of the woods. Also Tarl Cabot questioning how many folks would stand to defend the perimeter of Manhattan? If he knew more, as in some, New York history he ought to have guessed at least tens of thousands (so as good as Ars in book 1) or hundreds of thousands (so as good as Ars in book 5).
Anyway reading your sane, historically grounded takes on aspects of Gor has helped make me feel a little less odd about being drawn to the world. Enough so I actually made the effort to plough through the depression and ADHD and sign up upon reading this post (not often a decision is followed by action on the same day, I do not do this for everyone). Anyhow not sure this helps but hope someone close to you is there to offer a hug or some cake or good cheese or wine or all of the above should that take your fancy and if I can do nothing else I wish you good fortune and that the wings of the Goddess of Victory gird your shoulders.
A huge thank you for your support and words of encouragement…. And yes, I wouldn’t say no to a good red wine with some fresh sourdough bread and a strong cheese….
So sorry you are having to deal with stuff like this.
Not sure if it will help but I have really enjoyed reading you sane and historically grounded take on Gor. You might say my 1st Knowledge of Counter-Earth came via Assassin of Gor (way back in 1997). Then I discovered young women liked the setting and few things inspire a young man (as I was back then) more than an opportunity to be nerdy around young women and they like it. So I read the first 4 books in the cycle, which is probably my 2nd Knowledge of Gor and also the source of some trauma.
So I get it when you point out issues with John Norman/Lange’s ideas. I am frustrated that it seems he can write a strong female character, he just then cannot cope with her once he has done so.
Anyway I hope there is someone close by to offer you a hug or cake or good cheese or wine or any or all those that take your fancy and wish to thank you for making feel less weird about liking the setting.
Also if this is my second post apologies, I think I lost my first to incompetence but hey incompetence so who knows? May the Goddess of Victory spread her wings above you.