From: mdh@genco.bungi.com (Michael Hackett)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.misc,rec.games.mud.tiny
Subject: Re: Oh dear, here I go again (was: Can a WIZ threaten you in RL????)
Date: 23 Jan 93 14:23:27 GMT
Reply-To: mdh@genco.bungi.com (Michael Hackett)
Followup-To: rec.games.mud.misc
Organization: Gentry & Assoc. Excelsior Springs, MO

In article <1993Jan22.145713.732@wixer.cactus.org> rhodesia@wixer.cactus.org (Felix S. Gallo) writes:
>jsteiner@anwsun.phya.utoledo.edu (jason 'Think!' steiner) writes:
>>> 
>>> This is a different situation. There's a difference between posters 
>>> on a wall and fliers in personal mailboxes.
>>
>>ok. let's use your definition here for a second. what happens if you
>>get a flyer for a new perfume in your (RL) mailbox that says "try this
>>perfume!"? now, it was only mailed to people marked as female on
>>the company's mailing lists. it is in your personal mailbox. you have
>>to spend a few seconds looking at it to decide if it's something important
>>or not. in essence, it's exactly the same sort of thing as the letter
>>requesting people to role-play dancing girls. 
>
>An advertisement for a perfume is not very much at all like asking a woman
>who you haven't met to portray herself as an object of male fantasy and
>perform sensually for the amusement of pimply undergraduate computer nerds.
>
>I'm a little distressed at the number of stupid people who have responded to
>the original posting with a variation on "the dictionary says it's not
>harrassment!!".  Stop mewling about definitions and think for a moment.
>Do you want clearly foolish pimply undergraduate computer nerds sending you
>mail asking you to perform for their drooling pleasure?  Of course not.
>Are wizards Allowed to toad someone and change the code so that those people
>can never log in again?  Sure they are.  Period.  Full stop.

	To be honest, the only unintelligent things that have really been
said are you calling people "stupid" for viewing their opinion on the subject.

	It is also my opinion that the whole situation was blown way out of
proportion.  Was the original intent to harrass those recieving the 
short requests?  No, I don't think so, but, according to US law, the pro
prosicution would need to prove intent, since this isn't a ethics 
committee.  While I likely don't have all the facts, it just doesn't appear
like harrassment in the most remote sense.

	While the example of the perfume advert wasn't right on the nose,
I consider it to have been the closest to an RL situation.  What if the flyer
were an advert on how you could make more money by being a dancer or
something akin to  popping out of a cake.  Would that be considered
harrassment?  No.  If you went to a lawyer and tried to start legal action,
or even to the police station to file a complaint, you wouldn't get very
far.  The best you could do would be to get your name removed from
the mailing list of the list company who holds it.

	Yeah, I'll admit the offender wasn't likely thinking 
when he sent out the requests.  But, fortunately, we usually make allowances
for people to !think and do "dumb" things.  IMHO, he did need to be
told that his action was unwanted and he should immediately appologize.
After appologies were given, I'd have to consider the matter closed.
Why drag it out and put the player into a position where they feel like
they've been backed into a corner and have to turn like an animal to defend
themselves as only they feel they can...with threats and anamialistic
reactions.  My overall assessment of the situation, (IMHO), everyone
over-reacted all the way around.

	Well, that's my $0.02 on the subject.

"Be well..."
  Michael


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~  Michael "Lionman" Hackett		mdh@genco.bungi.com	       ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~  "In the spaceship, the silver spaceship, the lion takes control."  ~~
~~  "Hush my darling, be still my darling, the lion's on the phone."   ~~
~~  "In the spaceship, the silver spaceship, the lion waves goodbye."  ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quote by They Might Be Giants~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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