bullying, insofar as it exists, is psychological, and depends on eliciting certain responses from victims.

Agreed. But as a victim of vicious bullying as a child, for several years, I can tell you that the most disheartening advice I ever received was to ignore it. It was an adult’s way of telling me I was on my own, when dealing with bullying that was, at least for me, impossible not to react to. I spent a long time in despair at the way I was treated.

I believe that bullying should be swiftly acted against. Bullying comments should be deleted on blogs where those against it have the power to do so, and it should be called out – in the most unpleasant way possible for the perpertrators. I don’t mean bullying them back, but whatever action is taken should put consequences for their actions squarely back on them.

Otherwise, at worst their day’s ‘fishing’ just won’t get them a bite. That’s not going to stop them having another go.

I shake my head and think back to what my mother said to me about playground bullies: â??Just ignore them, Timothy, just ignore them!â??

That is the worst advice that has ever been given to anyone about bullies, cyber or physical.

I agree that Sears has the wrong response, but ‘ignoring’ bullies does nothing except justify them in their behaviour. At best, it means that someone weaker than you will be the victim.

OT, but Coburg Woolworths is selling ‘Hot Cross Buns Without Fruit’. YUCK!

Have to agree that the latest Blair post on Jeremy was cruel, though I would note that several commenters in that thread criticised Blair or expressed sympathy for Jeremy. At first, I was inclined to agree with Flashman, who noted that it might have been a hoax. (Turns out it was genuine.)

Trouble is Jeremy has a way of responding to these posts. Every time he does something like that, I shake my head and think back to what my mother said to me about playground bullies: “Just ignore them, Timothy, just ignore them!”

Sheesh! Feeding the troll even over here!

And cyberbullying him too, actually. See how easy it is?

Sorry.

*hangs head*

[Jeremy Sears'] outing last year and the continued sneering hostility directed at him are probably Oz’s strongest examples of the cyberbullying mindset.

I read the Blair post and the first few comments and gave up in disgust. That really is nasty and personal and full of the desire to hurt people.

And I don’t even like Sears’ blog, it’s angry and boring. But the Blairblog post and comments are just rotten and are a threat to many other than Sears.

Humphrey McQueen said in a recent-ish collection of essays (Temper Democratic) that the price of free speech is the need to boycott and protest now and again. He meant that if you are not going to have a heavy-handed government censor, then things will get through that the community will have to organise against.

In the same way, I think the crucial questions of cyber-bullying are:

1) What advice and practical support be given to those who face potential exposure to cyberbullying?

2) What support can be directly given to those who are cyber-bullied?

3) What means exist to bring down consequences (within all legal limits) upon those who indulge in cyberbullying? EG exposure of their own behaviour? And, of course, the related question of what consequences are suitable in each case, and how that is decided and who gets to decide.

(NB my legal advisor tells me that it’s not only the Australian laws that apply to online content: that if you defame an American, for example, you could be sued according to US law. I have yet to check this out further.)

In general, in international law, if you sue someone, they have to defend themselves either where they live or where the incident took place. In other words, if you defame an American, you can only be sued according to US law if it happens on a US server, and even then, it would be unlikely. However, if an American defames you on his own server, you can sue him according to US law, but only in the US.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and all that, but I have had a bit of international law in my time.

A good example of someone getting sued in another country isthe case where David Irwing sued Deborah Lipstadt and lost. It could only become a case in the UK because Lipstadt’s book was published in the UK (at least to my understanding).