Comments on: Comments on 20004

Post number 20004

metaforth — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:20:19 -0800

Think of the children.

By: donkeyschlong

donkeyschlong — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:28:40 -0800

please be a joke.

By: SpaceCadet

SpaceCadet — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:34:22 -0800

It is a joke. I hope.

By: Summer

Summer — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:41:12 -0800

Is it a joke? It's very hard to tell isn't it? Maybe comments like this can give you a clue: Studies have shown that a paedophile is 90% less likely to return to his home if it has been razed to the ground so don't forget that paraffin!

By: Witty

Witty — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:42:47 -0800

I like dogs.

By: quarsan

quarsan — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:45:45 -0800

it is a joke. specifically, it is an ironic joke with satirical intent.

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:55:13 -0800

I know it's a joke, but when you know what happened during the hysteria in Portsmouth, it becomes a little harder to separate fact from fiction.

By: Nicolae Carpathia

Nicolae Carpathia — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 02:03:38 -0800

Wow, joe's spleen, that link really changes the whole meaning of the thread. Suddenly this is no longer "an ironic joke with satirical intent" but a deadly serious parodic satire.

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 02:36:02 -0800

I was in the UK at the time. People were really, really scared, the tabloids gaily fuelled the fire, and television coverage helped spread the meme to those loons who hadn't quite copped to it yet. It is only a matter time before Britain's first paedophile lynching, as far as I can see. You can bet when it happens, the tabloid press will be shocked. And printing the bloodiest photos they can find.

By: evanizer

evanizer — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 02:47:58 -0800

Dousing the legitimate parental fears with media frenzy, misunderstanding, and mob vigilantism: the age-old recipe for lynching. Scary, indeed.

By: Summer

Summer — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 02:56:35 -0800

One of the most horrible aspects of the anti-paedophile rent-a-mob is the kids carrying placards with slogans about child sex. Nice.

By: robself

robself — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 03:02:29 -0800

We want the law changed to make it illegal to murder children and bury them in woodland. Oh man, The Sun isn't going to like this. Not one bit. First webmaster lynching on the cards?

By: chill

chill — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 03:21:03 -0800

Wow, my heart was in my mouth for a few seconds there, until I got to the woodland line. On the serious subject of paedophile hysteria, I have to say the residents of Soham have impressed me with the dignified way they have dealt with the tragedy there and the press intrusion that came with it. It is nice to see a community rise above a tabloid frenzy.

By: zygoticmynci

zygoticmynci — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 03:26:30 -0800

First webmaster lynching on the cards? Not if I've got anything to do with it. I'll be down at their newsroom brandishing my pointy brackets before you can say "gutter press".

By: hama7

hama7 — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 03:46:56 -0800

Wow, my heart was in my mouth for a few seconds there, Speaking of which, there seems to be a stainless steel ball-bearing in that woman's mouth.

By: shortfuse

shortfuse — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 04:41:30 -0800

Related: Chris Morris and his Brass Eye special. I can't find links to the video clips right now, but here is a transcript.

By: adampsyche

adampsyche — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 04:44:05 -0800

Think of the Metafilterians.

By: Reverend Mykeru

Reverend Mykeru — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 07:17:45 -0800

It's the tongue piercing that really shows concerned parenting

By: frykitty

frykitty — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 07:50:38 -0800

Bad slogans include: 'You're the product of a complex series of social and psychological factors!' and 'I haven't really thought this through!'. Heh.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 09:04:05 -0800

check out the t-shirt slogans? "I'm not happy or popular. Please don't kill me." (available in child sizes only).

By: Zulujines

Zulujines — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 10:35:49 -0800

I do enjoy satire, but this misses the mark. Usually a good indication of that is when people have to ask, "Is it satire?". Then again, who really expects pedophilia to be the subject of satire?

By: Pyth

Pyth — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 10:57:58 -0800

I agree: Down with that sort of thing.

By: whatnot

whatnot — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 11:36:04 -0800

yeah, it's rather heavy-handed. But this one made me chuckle: And Finally: Remember, when organised responsibly, mob violence can be very rewarding and great fun but please choose your targets carefully.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 12:15:21 -0800

Here's more on the News of the World's July 2000 "name and shame" campaign, which angered cops by forcing pedophilies underground and sparked the wave of moronic violence that apparently inspired the site. Thanks for that helpful link, i_am_joe's_spleen. Anyone know if there've been more "anti-paedophile rent-a-mobs" since then? I'm amazed I hadn't heard about this before now. And maybe I'm just particularly open to satire today, but I thought the site was simple, effective and well-done. Btw, metaforth, these two MeTa discussions raise interesting points about including short descriptions in front page posts when the links themselves aren't obvious.

By: daveg

daveg — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 12:26:53 -0800

How could anyone get past "We want the law changed to make it illegal to murder children and bury them in woodland." and not realise that it is satire. One of the most amusing sites I've seen for a long while, thanks metaforth.

By: ceiriog

ceiriog — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 13:09:49 -0800

Anyone know if there've been more "anti-paedophile rent-a-mobs" since then? Yes, in Crymych, Pembrokeshire, as we speak.

By: The God Complex

The God Complex — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 13:36:31 -0800

Actually, I find satire is usually best when it takes a few seconds to figure out what the hell is going on. It makes it that much funnier. Thanks, I thoroughly enjoyed that.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 14:19:26 -0800

Thanks, ceiriog. Googling for "sex offender" and "vigilantes" turns up beatings and harassment in Canada and the USA, too: ...two weeks ago, a van owned by a convicted child molester near Los Angeles was firebombed after the CD-ROM became available. In New Jersey, enraged neighbors beat an innocent man in his home because they had mistakenly identified him as a child molester. In Santa Cruz County, Vernon Robert Elliot, 56, was hounded from his home after sheriffs released his details. Of course, some in the US prefer guns. It's hard to drum up an ounce of sympathy for child abusers, but there's got to be a better way to deal with them after they've served their sentences than vigilantism or this judge's solution. Anyone have any bright ideas?

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 15:24:33 -0800

People who only twigged when they got to the "woodland" line should re-read. The very first sentence says: "We are concerned parents, many of whom have children of our own". Think about it. Whoever wrote this has mastered the difficult art of constructing plausible sentences that have the shape and form of one thing and the content of another. Stealth semantics. I hope the author is content to continue as a satirist. If they ever turn to copywriting or opinion columns, they'll be deadly.

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 15:37:52 -0800

From Mediareport's second link: Judge J. Manuel Banales' order on Friday that forced more than a dozen registered sex offenders to put signs in their yards and on their cars warning the public of their presence. The importance of the signs to the community, he has said, overrides the sign's impact on offenders' family members. Critics have argued the signs could cause vigilantes to attack offenders, their families and property So tough noogies to anyone else, such as a child, who lives in the house.

By: swell

swell — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 16:33:38 -0800

Also tough noogies to the neighbors, whose property values just went to zero and now can't move away.

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 16:53:15 -0800

I just find it hard to believe that, in this day & age, we are resorting - under judge's direction - to humiliation (for offenders) and scare tactics ( for the victims). Anyone who disagrees is labelled a sympathiser or soft on crime; I want to see effective sentencing & treatment, which almost certainly costs more than posting signs up. Gah! Knee-jerks, makes us all feel better. Now back to your usual programming, executions at 11.

By: tolkhan

tolkhan — Sat, 14 Sep 2002 16:57:36 -0800

do we have any information on what sorts of sex crimes these sex offenders committed? i know in my hometown, being convicted of mooning someone or drunkenly flashing your breasts outside a bar will include a posting of your address and photo on the online Sex Offender Registry.

By: Dillonlikescookies

Dillonlikescookies — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 01:28:53 -0800

"Protest march to demand justice for murdered children from troubled backgrounds who weren't 'happy' or 'popular' and didn't do particularly well at school. (Cancelled due to lack of support)." Thanks Metaforth. Well written satire. I like it.

By: Baranephelion

Baranephelion — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 07:46:46 -0800

What drivel... there's nothing to indicate though that it's not satire... is there?

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 08:43:27 -0800

baranephelion, have YOU confused a pedophile with a pediatrician lately?

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 09:27:56 -0800

do we have any information on what sorts of sex crimes these sex offenders committed? Good question. This article discusses it, along with other "loopholes" in Megan's Law: There have been concerns as to a lack of standardization of information-exchange protocols when offenders travel from state to state...a person charged with "indecent exposure" in another state might have been in the state of Washington charged with "public urination", not inherently a sexual offense and certainly not a predatory one.

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sun, 15 Sep 2002 14:43:47 -0800

If you read the article I linked, quonsar, you'll see that in fact people do confuse paedophiles and paediatricians. The clues that it's all a joke are more subtle. But Baranephelion probably needs to stop skim-reading...