May 30, 2011
-Friendster and a "no-escaping the harassment" policy on the Web
Several weeks ago, I got a message from Friendster saying that the service is going to be clearing out people's profiles. I can export my profiles to Wordpress or to Blogger.
I went to the Friendster website today to sign in, and the log-in page had "Sushido" all over it.
Then I tried to figure out which of Blogger or Wordpress would be less harassing; there's no choosing between the two on that basis.
I had a WordPress blog for a while, and it got destroyed.
I've never tried Blogger, but I don't have any reason to think I won't have the same kind of experience.
What I'm wondering is if Friendster was getting pressure from the government and other entities whose behavior I had documented with my pictures, and it just wants to get my pictures and essays off of its website.
Since my Weebly blog was censored more than once last year, meaning that there were times when I couldn't log into it or it would just get wiped out, I don't know that moving the contents of my Friendster profiles will do much more than delay the erasing of those contents.
I think that maybe the best thing to do is for me to make all of the pictures available for anyone to take off of my Friendster profiles. I know that there's an option for that on Friendster.
It might take me a while to unlock all of the photo albums that are locked and to make the two profiles so that people can copy them; I can't create a "download file" option for those profiles, but the essays are short, and I think that anyone who wants to should be able to take the photos once put the setting that way.
There are captions on some of the photos in the photo albums, but I think people might be able to download the albums in their entirety
I'll try to do that first. I might also export the contents of the profiles to Blogger and Wordpress, under protest, because those are my only options.
Copyright L. Kochman May 30, 2011 @ 6:49 p.m.
--More completely endorsed harassment at the shelter
I was sitting here at the computer, trying to work on my Friendster profile. First, there's a cartoon on in the TV room that all about surfing, waves and sperm whales. It's one common area, for the most part, so even if the TV wasn't loud I could still here it. Then the channel got changed to something else about fish, and some of the male residents watching TV start talking about fish MORE, catfish and so on.
I go into the office, where the manager is sitting with a family who both lives and volunteers here, the son of which wore a shirt the other night on his shift as staff that said "The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves." The parents now live here, the son doesn't. I try to tell the manager what's going on; she smiles and says "There's just some guys out there, it has nothing to do with you," and picks up the Times Argus as if to start reading it.
I tell her "That is not true; you know it has to do with me," and she has the gall to say again that it doesn't.
I tell her again that that's not true, and that it's completely unfair to me, which IS true.
Then I got back here to write about it.
For me to get kicked out for objecting to CONSTANT abuse in this place, because I can see that that's where it could lead... what kind of monsters do that to someone?
@ 7:14 p.m.
Let's make no mistake about this; this IS a homeless shelter. Many of the men who stay here have criminal records or pending criminal charges; that has also been true of some of the women who have stayed here.
I'm not a hypocrite most of the time, I don't think, or a snob. I do think that it's irresponsible and unfair to everyone who lives here for the management to promote an unsafe living environment. It's irresponsible and unfair for that kind of environment to be promoted anywhere, but it's especially unfair for it to be promoted in a place which is for people who either are down on their luck and frustrated by that and so more prone to abusing people than much of the general population might be, or who already have drug problems, emotional problems, anger problems, self-control problems.....
If I get provoked by one of these men into hitting him, that's not only not fair to me, most likely he'll hit me back, and then one or both of us will get arrested and one or both of us will be hurt.
If it's worse than that, if I get sexually assaulted or raped by one of the men who makes daily, continuous, deliberately sexually harassing comments, what's my choice then? Go to the police and to the hospital and demand a rape kit, and demand to prosecute a guy WHO WAS ENCOURAGED to sexually abuse me by the management and board of the shelter?
What's my other option, NOT prosecute and continue to have that kind of thing happen while I'm here?
It all starts with thought and words; that's what's being encouraged, and that's what will lead to worse things.
I can't believe she sat there and lied to my face, smiling and saying that the comments had nothing to do with me. Those kinds of comments, and the coughing, have been going on SINCE I'VE LIVED HERE.
What's she planning to do, say I'm crazy? Is she planning to say that I'm imagining the whole thing, that maybe I should sign up for psychiatric disability benefits or live in psychiatric support housing?
@7:28 p.m./ additions @ 7:30 p.m.
-Friendster and a "no-escaping the harassment" policy on the Web
Several weeks ago, I got a message from Friendster saying that the service is going to be clearing out people's profiles. I can export my profiles to Wordpress or to Blogger.
I went to the Friendster website today to sign in, and the log-in page had "Sushido" all over it.
Then I tried to figure out which of Blogger or Wordpress would be less harassing; there's no choosing between the two on that basis.
I had a WordPress blog for a while, and it got destroyed.
I've never tried Blogger, but I don't have any reason to think I won't have the same kind of experience.
What I'm wondering is if Friendster was getting pressure from the government and other entities whose behavior I had documented with my pictures, and it just wants to get my pictures and essays off of its website.
Since my Weebly blog was censored more than once last year, meaning that there were times when I couldn't log into it or it would just get wiped out, I don't know that moving the contents of my Friendster profiles will do much more than delay the erasing of those contents.
I think that maybe the best thing to do is for me to make all of the pictures available for anyone to take off of my Friendster profiles. I know that there's an option for that on Friendster.
It might take me a while to unlock all of the photo albums that are locked and to make the two profiles so that people can copy them; I can't create a "download file" option for those profiles, but the essays are short, and I think that anyone who wants to should be able to take the photos once put the setting that way.
There are captions on some of the photos in the photo albums, but I think people might be able to download the albums in their entirety
I'll try to do that first. I might also export the contents of the profiles to Blogger and Wordpress, under protest, because those are my only options.
Copyright L. Kochman May 30, 2011 @ 6:49 p.m.
--More completely endorsed harassment at the shelter
I was sitting here at the computer, trying to work on my Friendster profile. First, there's a cartoon on in the TV room that all about surfing, waves and sperm whales. It's one common area, for the most part, so even if the TV wasn't loud I could still here it. Then the channel got changed to something else about fish, and some of the male residents watching TV start talking about fish MORE, catfish and so on.
I go into the office, where the manager is sitting with a family who both lives and volunteers here, the son of which wore a shirt the other night on his shift as staff that said "The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves." The parents now live here, the son doesn't. I try to tell the manager what's going on; she smiles and says "There's just some guys out there, it has nothing to do with you," and picks up the Times Argus as if to start reading it.
I tell her "That is not true; you know it has to do with me," and she has the gall to say again that it doesn't.
I tell her again that that's not true, and that it's completely unfair to me, which IS true.
Then I got back here to write about it.
For me to get kicked out for objecting to CONSTANT abuse in this place, because I can see that that's where it could lead... what kind of monsters do that to someone?
@ 7:14 p.m.
Let's make no mistake about this; this IS a homeless shelter. Many of the men who stay here have criminal records or pending criminal charges; that has also been true of some of the women who have stayed here.
I'm not a hypocrite most of the time, I don't think, or a snob. I do think that it's irresponsible and unfair to everyone who lives here for the management to promote an unsafe living environment. It's irresponsible and unfair for that kind of environment to be promoted anywhere, but it's especially unfair for it to be promoted in a place which is for people who either are down on their luck and frustrated by that and so more prone to abusing people than much of the general population might be, or who already have drug problems, emotional problems, anger problems, self-control problems.....
If I get provoked by one of these men into hitting him, that's not only not fair to me, most likely he'll hit me back, and then one or both of us will get arrested and one or both of us will be hurt.
If it's worse than that, if I get sexually assaulted or raped by one of the men who makes daily, continuous, deliberately sexually harassing comments, what's my choice then? Go to the police and to the hospital and demand a rape kit, and demand to prosecute a guy WHO WAS ENCOURAGED to sexually abuse me by the management and board of the shelter?
What's my other option, NOT prosecute and continue to have that kind of thing happen while I'm here?
It all starts with thought and words; that's what's being encouraged, and that's what will lead to worse things.
I can't believe she sat there and lied to my face, smiling and saying that the comments had nothing to do with me. Those kinds of comments, and the coughing, have been going on SINCE I'VE LIVED HERE.
What's she planning to do, say I'm crazy? Is she planning to say that I'm imagining the whole thing, that maybe I should sign up for psychiatric disability benefits or live in psychiatric support housing?
@7:28 p.m./ additions @ 7:30 p.m.