Dismal MSM Reporting on Cyberbullying at Poshie Dublin School Fuels the Disease

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Tuesday January 10, 2006 20:13

by gay geori

gg at bearla dot ie

Presenters emphasise the anonymity of the process (wrongly)

Anyone listening to RTE's Tubridy show this morning would have been gobsmacked to hear the "head mistress" of posh middle class girls school Alexandra's College in Dublin refer to a site where students can post hate messages about each other.

The site mentioned is hateboard.com, registered in Germany. Seems some 13 ands 14 year old girls were posting less than flattering comments about each other on the site. Of course, it's not the only site.

Worse was to come with today's RTE 5-7 Live, with the dismal presenter saying that cyberbullying was anonymous and therefore bullies can get away with it (I think we know better than that at Indymedia.ie).

God almighty, but here we have the MSM actually encouraging cyberbullying by giving the name of the site and offering a false opinion that it's a safe place to do yer bullying...

The issue of course is a serious one, but RTE can't be arsed to ask the real questions or explore the issue properly:

* Aren't they as bad by promoting this Ross O'Carroll-Kelly (ROCK) type activity?
* Why did they allow the "head mistress" to announce the name of the site?
* Why did they think it's anonymous to bully online, providing an incentive for would be bullies?
* How do you know you're being bullied unless you go and look it up? (I mean, if someone nicks your dinner money or gives u a dig you know about it).
* Finally, it's cyberspace. Leave censorship out of it. The parents of students of Alexandra College could well afford the legal means to prosecute. So, why is it a school issue unless St Alex's are concerned about being sued for providing the means to access the site? It's not clear from the article, if you listen, but were the comments being posted using St Alex computers (the school has a "head of IT" believe it or not)?

Finally, I looked up the site and here's what they consider bullying. Maybe it's slow newsday in MSM:

http://hateboard.com/read.php?order=desc&page=168

661087733
1 comment ****** o **********
she is da biggest bitch i have eva met in me fukin life !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all her m8s r sound but her wt a dyke !!!!

859202993
15 comments RED HAIR
EVERYBODYS UGLY WIT IT

730737196
no comments SWAT ALERT, SWAT ALERT!!!
***************************** IS A COMPLETE SWAT AND I HATE HER! SHE IS SUCH A HORNY BITCH FACE AND IS THE MOST ANNOYIN PERSON I'VE MET EVER AND I WISH SHE WASN@T IN MY CLASS!!!

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Comments (5 of 5)

Alexandra College

by Rebecca W

Tue Jan 17, 2006 14:16

It is not St. Alexs- the school is called Alexandra College.

love board

by space cadet

Mon Jan 16, 2006 21:28

the hate board has a love board side at http://www.heartboard.org

sample comments:

625410962
aaron is a ride!!

permanent link to this post:
http://www.hateboard.com/read/625410962

comments:

13.01.06 00:16
sexyest thing alive!! hehe luv ya hunni xxmwahxx

13.01.06 00:19
hehehehehehehe

13.01.06 00:36
aron hu??

13.01.06 00:42
plant!!!!

13.01.06 00:42
aaron plant 3rd year colaiste eanna

13.01.06 00:43
ewwww wer u goin hu is dis

13.01.06 00:44
hi ladies im in de house hu liks me.

13.01.06 00:47
huh??

13.01.06 00:48
i personal think aaron plant is a ride and i love him ta bits!!

13.01.06 00:49
wat?? hu is he?

13.01.06 00:51
a 3rd yr in colaiste eanna!!!!!! he is sooo sexi

13.01.06 00:54
im guna take him in2 a bush and do things2him!!

13.01.06 17:40
that wud b fun whoo r u?? and when

14.01.06 12:18
my name is jean thornton and aaron is my boyfriend any slapper that goes near him is dead me and aaron are lovers so piss off

14.01.06 22:47
eeh this is jean REALLY!!! wtf aar is far 4m my bf!! why wud sum1 bother sayin that lyk u gay sap!!!eeeh who uses lovers?? do u no wot age i am?? ur makin me out like a slappper!! sound1 ur gay!!

15.01.06 01:18
ur gay ur gay ur gay

15.01.06 01:34
huz gay?

15.01.06 14:23
hi.... now this is aaron plant wtf im not goin out with jean!!!! and hu liks me?? coz i luv girls!!!! wb wb wb

15.01.06 19:02
yeh y wud sum1 bother sayin we are?? and pretendin2b me!! they are gay not u!! juz so ya no hehe

As if gay geori we have not all aspired to the socially rising potential of fake tan.

by déjà vu

Tue Jan 10, 2006 22:00

i suspect a return of "rate my teacher"

A slow news day ...

by Self-hating Irishman

Tue Jan 10, 2006 20:36

and just a silly storm in a tea-cup by the sounds of it.

[Off to hateboard now to see what nasty things my enemies have to say about me. Maybe I should register loveboard.com and set up an anti-hateboard site where you get to say nice things about people you like.]

by so what?

Tue Jan 10, 2006 20:21

this story is shit, stop listening to tubridy. Bullying is a power relationship and the best form of censorship is not visiting hateboards.

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Dismal MSM Reporting on Cyberbullying at Poshie Dublin School Fuels the Disease

Comments (5 of 5)