Unsolicited Cyber Bullying

Jane Hoffman

If I put on fish net stockings and painted red lips like Marilyn Monroe and did a scene from the 7 Year Itch on video, would my YouTube video go viral?  Probably not.  If I casually state an opinion that is unpopular or engaging, I might get a response.  Sometimes getting a response is not what one is looking for.   On my BlogTalk Radio webpage on Facebook called “Political Gravity”, I garner an average of 15 hits a week.  That’s if I keep up on posting my radio links and commentary.  When I get lazy, it can lie dormant.
 Facebook has upped their suggestive advertising in the last few years so one finds invites to people and pages a person has no interest in.   The ads exist to trap you.  A few weeks ago, I was invited to an “I Support Dylan Farrow” webpage.  I didn’t think much about it, but I went on the page and made a suggestion: maybe Dylan Farrow should forgive Woody Allen.    I had read the book “Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal” years earlier by one of their nannies, Kristine Groleke.  
 Mia Farrow was also my Facebook and Twitter friend.  I had admired her works of charity around the globe and her adoption of 11 children. Her adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, had written an open letter to the New York Times on February 1, 2014 to state she had indeed been molested by Woody Allen at age 7 while in Frog Hollow, Mia’s summer home in Connecticut.   Ms. Farrow did this days before Woody Allen received a lifetime achievement award.  She also opened and closed the letter with
“What is your favorite Woody Allen movie?”  There has always been controversy surrounding the outcome of the situation.  Yale University doctors who interviewed the 7 year old Dylan Farrow could not fully determine if she told the truth because she gave two conflicting stories.  Mia Farrow declined to bring the sexual abuse allegation to trial because Dylan Farrow would have to take the stand.   Moses Farrow, Mia’s older adopted son, took Woody Allen’s side over the years, rekindling his relationship with Woody Allen and his sister Soon Yi Previn (Allen’s wife).   I did not think of the weight of my comment on a webpage that seemed rather general would draw a major reaction.   I got 150 hits on my Facebook radio page.  I received hateful posts by enraged women who were adamant about the way sexual abuse victims should be treated.  I was called insensitive and other things for even suggesting forgiveness take place.   Three women who have been sexually abused  responded positively and fairly to my comments.  They continued the dialogue on my page.  The people who were disgruntled at me tried to get my Facebook page removed.  
American Mother’s Political Party, which is another Facebook page, stated that by me using the word child molestation I was minimizing Dylan’s experience.  I was told I should use the words sexual assault.  They twisted my original post around and campaigned to 8 ball me.  I wrote, “Movie making is trivial compared to child molestation.”  The owner of “I support Dylan Farrow” twisted that sentence, saying, “Jane Hoffman said child molestation was trivial in light of movie making.”  It turned out to be a mess and ultimately, there were no consequences for myself or the group attacking me.   
Facebook will send a standardized message to you if you are cyber bullied after you report it.  They state you should try to take care of the problem by addressing the insulting party.  You can “unfriend” the person or page, block or report it.  If you report it, you will often get a generic response that the other person’s comments are within the bylaws of freedom of expression.  Facebook has these alternatives written guidelines:  
“Don’t respond. Typically, bullies want to get a response — don’t give them one. Don’t keep it a secret: use Facebook’s Trusted Friend tool to send a copy of the abusive content to someone you trust who can help you deal with the bullying. This will also generate a report to Facebook.  
They advise you to document and save the exchange the conversation.  If the attacks persist, you may need to report the activity to an Internet service provider and they will want to see the messages.  “  The bottom line is you can explain to people on wall posts just how sincere you are but those who are angry will not listen.  I later changed my post to this paragraph:  “Forgiveness for some is a 1000 mile gulf between themselves and their soul. Some things are hard to understand. Recommending forgiveness does not mean supporting a crime. Being tired of people spewing hatred in the public eye, thinking it will do some good and redeem the situation proves ineffective. People I have never even met today have offered up soliloquys of hatred just because I suggested forgiveness. They harbor hatred and resentment in their heart because whatever their experience is, hatred has harbored and guided their destiny. Three people responded rationally.
My opinion obviously matters but when you think about it, it was my opinion. I have had to limit the page to friends comments due to the “unsafe” community certain FB members have created.”  My bottom line is in the court of public opinion; there is a grey line of “safe community.”  People are brazen on social media and will go the extreme to make their point.  Twitter has a mute button to mute the conversation.  You also can block a user and protect your tweets to only your followers.  
Twitter is an easier format for expressing opinion on culture, politics and religion because you are limited to 140 characters.  You also only have followers, not necessarily friends.   It is more of a networking community of common interests and not so intimate.  People have a right to express what they want but if you feel it is going to draw negativity, I would suggest users refrain from showing all their true colors.
One of my friends, Wendy, has hid the Facebook posts of her friend Doyle, who continually badgers the liberal crowd with his conservative mantra.  Passion is one thing.  Skepticism is another.  Try to achieve a balance before 100 women on fire are chasing you down the electronic corridors of social media.