What do u think of Mike Arrington receiving death threats & retiring from blogging for a month?
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M$36 Answers
I think as people continue to participate in social networks and in writing blogs the line between online life and real life grows thinner and thinner. Social tools empower individuals so much in the ether, that I think they get carried away and seek the same instant results in public.
I also think that people are shocked to hear "no" from another individual. We are entitled only to that which we work hard for and earn. Effort does not equal entitlement. This is the time to buckle down and innovate, not blame each other for our own problems.
I feel bad for Mike and hope the trolls can learn to focus their energy in a more productive manner.
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M$
I think people need to separate real life from Internet threats. There certainly is a difference. Remember, anyone can be anyone on the Internet. I can make up a new account on here and call myself "The Real Jason Calacanis" or "The Fake One" etc. and really what it boils down to, that's my name on the Internet, and in real life I am someone completely different. I think it's more likely for a real life person being spit on through the Internet is more likely than anything else, because of this degree of anonymity.
If someone says something over the Internet, it's not as powerful as if someone says it to them in real life, or does something in real life. That's why the Internet is considered virtual, and real life is real. There are people who never met in real life, and they are fans and friends on Mahalo Answers. Do they mean as much to you, as a fan or friend you met in real life? Who would you be more willing to get revenge on, the person you met in real life, or the one you never stepped in a room with? You see, threats over the Internet aren't as strong as one in real life, simply because they don't materialize. Only in real life can something can materialize to be something of more meaning to get someone to take action.
Don't get me wrong here, there are ways to get someone to stop doing things on the Internet, yet threatening someone online isn't the same as if you get in a two foot radius of them, look into their eyes, and scream at them. Not until these people cause a problem for him in real life, is it as much as a problem.
My Thoughts.
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M$On the other hand, people like Jobs (and Arrington) bring out a love/hate emotion out of people. People either love them or hate them. I personally love Arrington (even though he's been an ass to me and my company).
Arrington, you have a long road ahead of you! Don't quit on us. Take a well-deserved break and I look forward to having you back (with attitude and all).
http://twitter.com/hamids
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M$- The web brings us closer togehter. We are more likely to hear what people are saying thousands of miles away then ever before.
- The Internet gives us a sense of anonymity. It is much harder to confront what someone is saying in person, but people have no problem with posting hateful comments.
Reading the WSJ blog on the incident:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/01/28/techcrunch-founder-takes-leave-amid-spitting-and-death-threats/
makes me wonder why he is being attacked. Is it because he is saying things people don't want to hear or is it how he says it? The reason I say this is because maybe he should evaluate his tone and style of writing.
This is not in any way to say he is to blame. However, if he can do things to say his piece without the problems, I think he should. I am someone who always looks at myself first for a solution since we can rarely affect the actions of other people.
Either way, I wish him all the best and, more importantly, peace.
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M$
I can't imagine this is a trend, My guess is that people are people, and can't control their emotions when they envy someone else's position.
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M$
Effort means nothing without results. Effort is a subjunctive thing. How often have people said they were really working hard, but their idea of working hard was entirely different than yours? The give everyone a trophy and there are no losers is seen everywhere now. All the kids are given awards, even those who lost. Companies are being bailed out, even if they have a losing business plan. No one is allowed to lose anymore. The experience of losing isn't fun, but it is an important one.
Unfortunately Mike Arrington became the brunt of someone's anger. Someone never learned that losing or being told no or experiencing disappointment is a part of life. It is unfortunate, but certainly not surprising.
I hope he is able to decide on a path that is both healthy and happy for he and his family and the many folks out here who enjoy his efforts.
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M$
I hope he will be fine.... and finds back his spirit...
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
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M$Stay safe and keep up the great work...both of you.
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M$
So with only the little bit of knowledge I have from what has happend and with what I have heard and seen others say about him I have to wonder and question whether Arrington brings this stuff on himself. Publicity stunt maybe?
If he is being truthful about why he is taking time off and really going to take some time for some personal reflection and introspection then great because maybe he needs to figure out why he brings this sort of response out of people.
The ethic of reciprocity is not something to be taken likely and it might do him a lot of good to reevaluate who he is and his actions and behaviour towards others
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I think that some startups and people think that they deserve the right to be "TechCrunch'ed", which they do not. TechCrunch have the right to choose what they write about and if they don't write about your startup, get on with it, being written about on TechCrunch (or another high profile blog) isn't a requirement to be successful and there is no need to react in a bad way when you can't get what you want.
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M$
Retiring from blogging???? I always look forward to Mike's posts.
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M$I wish Mike the best.
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M$
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M$
I really don't get it. Maybe I'm just too artsy craftsy in mindset, or maybe I haven't been around the new style startup "entrepreneurs" in quotes, because well, if you're spitting on people for bad reviews, etc. and you're not a chef from the movie Rattatooie, you should learn more about business.
Are these people who he did or didn't write about and have such a thin skin and crap buisness plan that they were writing for a glowing writeup and all their problems would be solved, Google would buy them for eleventy batrillion samoleons and they could retire to Boca with a glass of asti spumanti in their hands?
I simply do not get it.
This is like threatening Harry Knowles, or Devin Faraci, or Roger Ebert because he panned a movie.
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M$- When you are in the spotlight like Arrington is, you should expect that things like this will happen from time to time.
- I think it's pathetic that people would do things like this.
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M$Based soley on the information in his article, I would hope that he does what he is saying he will do: spend the time reflecting and gaining perspective before deciding what to do next. It would seem like a shame to have a reaction to one awful experience have too much sway in your future.
It could just be another straw, or it could be THE straw. It might take some time to figure out which it is.
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M$Marissa
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M$
This seepage from blogosphere to reality is somewhat inevitable. It is schizophrenic to be evil online and good in-person. This is just an example of cultural rot rather than a distinct phenomenon.
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M$
I expect the spitter is someone who felt slighted by Mike Arrington. Anyone who thinks it's OK to spit in someone elses face shouldn't be running a company. You know what they say about there being a fine line between genius and insanity, this person has certainly crossed it and really needs to to evaluate their priorities. Assault is not an appropriate response in any circumstances.
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M$That said, he's been pretty savage to DEMO, and with their next event coming up 3/1, maybe it will be a good thing all around if he isn't slagging Chris Shipley and the NWW crew mercilessly.
--Ax
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M$http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10150167-2.html?tag=mncol
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M$In general, I like to see people stick up to such behavior. But that is a personal decision and becomes sensitive when others (family) are involved.
Maybe a good way to deal with this is to bring it fully into the public. Who are these people that spit and threaten? Perhaps, revealing their identities and the accompanying shame, would help prevent such idiotic behavior. At least it would reveal who the idiots are.
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M$
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M$
But it seems that the reasons why he's taking a break go wider and deeper than that. As he says:
"I write about technology startups and news. In any sane world that shouldn’t make me someone who has to deal with death threats and being spat on. It shouldn’t require me to absorb more verbal abuse than a human being can realistically deal with.... I’ve decided the right thing to do is take some time off and get a better perspective on what I’m spending my life doing."
As you suggest this seems to be more about the hate and aggressiveness of the blogosphere that just these specific incidents.
I don't know if there is a trend of those things spilling into the offline world, or how one could even begin to determine that. There may be, as social media increasingly blur the line between people that we feel we know personally and people in the public sphere that we only read about. So maybe as these connections get to seem more personal, people have stonger reactions. It's not just some media pundit we disagree with, it's a personal betrayal by someone that felt like a friend.
Frankly, the underlying problem is what you called the hate and aggressiveness of the blogosphere.
And to be honest, there are a lot of people in that arena that seem to have used being contentious and "snarky" as a marketing method. The aggressiveness has not come about entirely by accident.
Personally I would like to see a lot more civility in all areas of our lives. In politics, in the blogosphere, in personal relations. That is one thing that I love about Mahalo so far, the friendliness and civility.
So while Mike is off reflecting, I hope he reflects on that. As a major figure in the blogosphere, he is as well placed as anyone to start changing the tone our discourse for the better.
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M$
The problem is that in a large population, there are always a number of a****les. But the actions of these people, because of their violent and confrontational nature, overshadow the actions of the much larger group of good, reasonable people.
The other problem is that actions taken against these people generally affect everyone else, too. In this case, Michael Arrington's withdrawal effectively punishes everyone else more than it punishes the small contingent of bad people. Though I understand why he would make that choice, it does underscore the problem.
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M$
A professional should be able to do their job without fear of threats or assault. That said, it's the death threat that REALLY concerns me. Being spit upon my be upsetting (and in some countries it's assault) but that alone is not enough to really have to re-think your life. It sounds like it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
-Mark
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M$Mike's situation is even worse because people want to use him for their success and if he doesn't work like they want him to he gets threatened. I fully understand him stepping back and rethinking his future in the business. The safety of him and his family go first!
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M$