Marred Observations • This is what it's like to be harassed on the Internet

This is what it’s like to be harassed on the Internet

A few days ago an asshole using the Twitter ID @MisterE2009 started making attacks on a bunch of male and female creators and fans. A sample of the abuse which can be seen at Bleeding Cool (as the guy has now deleted the Twitter page). Soon people figured out that he also had another Twitter ID, @JonVee.

All of this came to the attention of Mark Millar and Ron Marz who were outraged by the guy’s conduct. Things had been going on for a few days before I became aware of it and really the guy’s conduct wasn’t a surprise at all. The person in question has been systematically harrassing me and my co-host Kelly on the Internet for a long time.

Of course, one would think that the fact this asswipe was talking about rape and gang rape and harassing women (men) on the internet getting called out and hopefully brought down would be a universally applauded.

But nope. While there was lots of condemnation, I soon saw that there was a through round of victim shaming as the story got written about over the net. Here’s a good one:

I also saw folks who were concerned about the stalker’s rights to free speech. And plenty of folks who said that talking about this was going to “incent him” and that we should just remain quiet.

Or that there is some correlation between promoting fictional characters and fighting a real life person as one person said over on Comics Alliance.

Food for thought - there’s been a lot said about misogyny in comics when it comes to the depiction of women in the four-color world. Female readers & bloggers seem to be up in arms any time there’s a perceived slight against a character, whether it be Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, or Wonder Woman. There are movements like Waffles for Steph. There are countless articles about the way these characters are treated. So why is it that everyone can stand up for these characters, but no one can stand up for themselves or for each other?

I don’t buy the “scared of being labeled a feminazi” excuse - if you can call someone on the Internet a misogynist with nothing to back it up besides an opinion on a publishing schedule, why are you too afraid to confront someone who’s actually bullying you?

To every last one of these I say “Bullshit.”

I thought since my name is being included in these stories because I said on Twitter how he had been stalking me that I’d give folks a sense of what its like to have an asshole like “John” stalking you and to let folks like “Jude” know, that it take more than a fucking “block” function to get rid of him. Update: I have been asked to note that some of this may be triggering for sexual violence.

And, hey, let’s start with Twitter!

One of the reason I wasn’t aware of all this was because I had blocked all three of his Twitter IDs, @MisterE2009, the one that started this, and the second one he used @JonVee. After all he created that one specifically to harass me.

Wow, I had the honor of being his first Tweet. Yay, me. I also let people know about the third handle his used @1stnightshade

John constantly harassed me and Kelly Thompson so that was a twofer. This was one of his female personas, by the way. There were many more. He also used this ID on Bleeding Cool. You can probably go find it up there by looking for it via image search.

So I did block him on Twitter. Three times.

So then he went after me with a Facebook account.

I think its still up there.

And I blocked him there too.

But that’s just Twitter and Facebook. Let’s talk about the blog, shall we?

John started out, like many others, simply enraged that I would discuss women and comics. At first his comments weren’t that different from the folks who claim that I’m “histrionic, obnoxious, generally unencumbered by reality and prone to severe lapses of logical thinking” (By the way that’s from a comment on a story the Beat did today on the troll.)

But over the next 20 months (I’m sure it goes back further but I only started filing stuff then) John would bombard my site with more comments than I can bear to count. Additionally he posted on the “3 Chicks Review Comics” site (He also went after Kelly on her blog). At first the comments were borderline just telling me I was a “stupid dumb bitch”. Hey, that doesn’t really bother me. It’s comics! It’s the Internet! I get that all the time.

So we began a pattern. He would comment and I would ban him and then he would come back again! And after he burned his most often used email addresses he’d make up new ones. So witty! see:

bannedbutnotforgotten <biteme@XXX.com>

And he didn’t just keep his venom to this site. He regularly showed up on Robot6, The Beat and Comics Alliance under his “John V” name as well as many other names. I have a list. I made some sites aware of it. Some were responsive. Some weren’t. He also posted and on Bleeding Cool.

Sometimes he’d leave for awhile. But then he’d come back with with 6-7 comments in one day. As fast I would ban him he would come back again with a new email.

And then amazingly there was a break! Perhaps the constant banning had sent him on his way! Nope he was back in June of 2011. The new 52 and in particular my feelings about Oracle INCENSED him to the point he began posting here, at the “3 Chicks” (as “Jennifer” - not hard to figure out since he used the same email address as he stalked me here) and other sites as well.

And then was another dozen emails one which uses the same ID he used on Twitter. Oh and his comment is about me trying to ban him.

John V <mistere2009@XX.com>

Bang up job on that whole “banning” thing by the way. heh..

And it continued. The worst was two days last August when he pummeled my site with a dozen new IDs and new IP addresses. I couldn’t even grab them all as I ended up having delete a screen of it. It was if he couldn’t control himself. Kinda interesting its a year later and he lost control on Twitter.

So the banning would stop him. And then he’d come back. This is from last October.

thelegendaryjohnv <suesahack@XXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote:

So what are you going to be reading Sue? Perhaps issue #2 of “blah blah blah, DC is misogynist, blah blah blah”? I remember you saying that was your favorite comic. I’m going to be rereading the rape scene from Identity Crisis. Greatest…Comic….Ever.

thelegendaryjohnv <suesahack@XXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote:

BTW, bang up job on that whole “Banning” thing. Now, time to listen to 3 Dumb Cunts Talk out their Asses and respond over at CBR. See y’all soon! ROFL!!

And he’s banned!

And he’s back! With VIGOR!

theunbannablejohnv <johnrules@XXXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote, in response to dcwomenkickingass:

Sorry, It’s only over when I say so. But I appreciate the effort to sound like you have even a modicum of control here. You sweet kid, LOL!

And he kept coming back. And bragged that he paid for a Proxy Server.

TheIndomitableJohnV <suesucks@XXXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote, in response to dcwomenkickingass:

Cool! Thanks! Now that the proxy server is up and running that should be a full time job for you, LMFAO!

I told him I had his email and was keeping a list of his IDs. And that didn’t bother him at all. He would show up in the middle of night to leave a series of messages.

TheSpectacularJohnV <thespectacularjohn@XXXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote, in response to dcwomenkickingass:

yeah, just the fact that you’re scurrying to make a list delights me to no end. It’s so nice to know you’re always thinking of me as you try to delete all those posts. I’m in your head bitch and I’m planning on moving in the furniture soon, LMFAO!

And the little references to rape would continue:

TheSpectacularJohnV <thespectacularjohn@XXXX.com> (unregistered) wrote:

What issue did Black Canary get that double black cock ass raping and facial? Anyone? I really want to reread that issue.

Soon the issue of rape wasn’t comic characters but, well, me!

So I banned him AGAIN. And still it kept up. He’d show up late at night and not to just troll me but to reply to commenters.

And he’d return with new IDs like:

JohnVReturns <JohnVReturns@XXXX.com

And now John decided it would be really great to go after my kids too!

SueLovesJohnny <SueLovesJohnny@XXXX.com> wrote, in response to dcwomenkickingass:

I wonder if your kids died of cancer, would you be so sassy?

At this point I sent him the cyberstalking law for a state his IP address pointed too. That just got him going even more.

sueshypocriteskickingass <johnrulestheinternet@XXXX.com> wrote, in response to dcwomenkickingass:

oh wait…was I banned? Wait…I hear the police at my door. Did you turn me in? Curse you Sue! lmfao

DieAllHypocrites <johnjohnjohnvvv@XXXX.com> wrote:

Stalking? These are just my own observations and opinions. You fucking idiot. Good luck enforcing that whole internet stalking thing. My opinions and comments are sane compared to the loons like you who post things like “if you like batgirl you’re an ableist!! boo hoo!!!” I just wish I could hear the police laughing their asses off. Back soon ladies!

On and on and on and on and on. IP address after IP address after email after email.

And banning after banning after banning after banning.And he kept up with more the posts under NEW names and disgusting comments. I can’t even bear to look at some of them.

suetossedmysalad <suetossedmysalad@XXX.com

misogynyisfun <misogynyisfun@XXXX.com

FunWithAids <funwithaids@XXXX.com>

youlosesuz <youlosesuz@XXX.com>

But of course some of them were about rape.

comicsareformenotyou <suckdick@XXXX.com> wrote

rape is awesome. we really need to see more of it in comics. the chicks do have it coming after all.

Comments about me. About my kids. Accusations about me. Homophobic comments. Abelist Comments. And, of course, rape. Just charming.

All told he used, that I can find in my records, 70 + emails and IP addresses on my blog. I know I just deleted many more. And of course there the many, many names off the blog where he’d show up where ever my name was mentioned on the internet to post about me under one his many aliases. If I did an interview? He was there. If some site linked to something I wrote? He was there. When Kelly and I did the podcast, he was there. He was more subtle in those places. Mostly. There was still the palatable nutsy rage but without the sexual or abusive language.

So for anyone who thinks that ignoring a troll makes them go away? It doesn’t. And anyone who thinks this is a matter of using the banning button or block or ignore button? It isn’t. And for anyone who thinks that if you don’t talk about it you can keep the troll under control? It doesn’t.

And as far as protecting the stalker’s “freedom of speech?”

I’ll let you debate that.

So I bet you’re guessing why I just didn’t notify the police? How about the fact that he used a proxy server? How about that he had mentioned my children? How about the fact that I would have had to reveal my name, my address giving this idiot full access to my personal information?

And how about that even after I did that there was no guarantee it would stop?

Getting someone to stop requires much more than “standing up to a bully”. And to make a correlation between this and supporting female comic characters is amazingly … sad.

Frankly if you are a woman on the internet you might as well have a sign on your back that says, “Troll me”. If you have an opinion or focus on a commenting in a male dominated field, you probably double your chances.

John isn’t the only troll I’ve had. And he won’t be the last. I’m sure I’ll have some choice comments on this within an hour of it being posted. Eh.

I’ve been trolled by one of the biggest assholes of all time. I’m used to it.

I only just read this, I’ve had the tab open for weeks now. This is ridiculous, obsessive and so unnecessary. I don’t understand why people put so much energy into hating someone else. If I happen to dislike something then I just avoid it instead of actively working to make someone else’s life miserable because they have a different opinion.

I happen to not like Apple products, i don’t buy them, I also don’t spend hours harassing Apple fans, I try not to get into those conversations because people are obsessed with me changing my opinion.

I don’t like beer, I drink liquor, spirits, cordials, wine, cider, other? I’ve gotten into far too many discussions with drunks over the fact that I don’t like the taste of beer and them trying to tell me how to like it. I don’t fucking care. I don’t care about beer or drinking beer, I’ll drink what I like, and try things I think I’ll like.

I hated the Hunger Games. I read all three books and hated it. I actively wanted to punch Katniss in the face because she was dumb. She was so damn dumb especially in the second two books but I won’t go out of my way to make someone who loved the books understand the error of their ways for loving an ignorant flawed character who wasn’t interesting and was a slow useless cunt.

I could go on and on but I’ll just be saying the same thing over and over, but on this point, I’ve been lucky so far online about not getting into shit for being female on the Internet. That will potentially end soon as I now have a website and all that jazz, but until then I’m still just a nobody on the Internet who bitches about her useless depression and talks about her escapist practices of obsessing over books, movies, television and comics.