Same Offender, Different Alt

There is nothing quite like being abused for writing a news report on an assault

by Katrina Eales

So, at the risk of raising the ire of the misogynists who criticised me for having the temerity to write about having been virtually assaulted and shot in my most recent report, I now feel bound to report yet another attack by the same individual, this time on my neighbour in Caledon.

The latest offence took place at around 12.30 pm tuesday in Stormhold. The offender was an avatar named Blak Hax who just happens to share an SL birthday, a year apart, with one Jerome Nitschke, the man who attacked me.

Nitschke was born on 6/22/2006. Hax arrived on 6/22/2007. It would be stretching the bounds of credibilty to believe that two different sex offenders sharing the same birthday turned up in the same place two days in a row and assaulted women neighbours.

My neighbour described her experience.

"He was on my plot but I didn't think anything of it until he popped in through the wall with an animation ball that he'd attached to my head...it was called "fuck this head.

"I told him to leave my house and he refused. it was really quite strange and jolting - my first time being griefed in that way."

She immediately deleted the attached object and banned the offender. But she was shaken and upset by the attack. It goes without saying that many other residents of Caledon are outraged and that the Governor of Caledon, Desmond Shang, has taken appropriate action.

[12:31] (Neighbour) excuse me
[12:32] Blak Hax: LEAVE MY HOUSE
[12:32] Blak Hax: why are you in my house
[12:33] (Neighbour): You need to leave
[12:33] (Neighbour): This is my home
[12:33] (Neighbour): I am reporting you
[12:33] Blak Hax: if this was your home you could just kick my out
[12:33] Blak Hax: its obviously my home
[12:33] (Neighbour): I am about to.

My neighbour was appreciative of the support offered to her following the assault.

"I am very touched that everyone is so up in arms....I hope he does not bother anyone else, as Blak Hax, or as an alt."

A colleague who read the comments following my story yesterday observed that some critics may be in need of help.

"You know katrina, by the looks of those posts, you really get the sense of how many sick people there are in sl.... these folks are warped beyond belief. Many of them grew up on a lot of video violence and they lack grace and respect.

"The psychology of these spaces are really something..... a new world, almost."

There seems to be a body of opinion which suggests that women avatars should just grin and bear it. However, I have no intention of being driven away from Second Life by those who believe it should be a "free for all" in terms of causing grief to other people.

The more these assaults occur the more the eye of legislators will be focused on virtual worlds. If Second Life can't manage its own affairs appropriately there will be a real world intervention. Blind Freddie can see that.

There's an old Australian saying that describes the attitude of my critics very well. That is "piss on the fire, Jack. My steak's cooked."

If you're not careful your goose will be cooked too.

Comments

[Persephone Kirkorian]

How's that persecution complex workin' for ya?

[Ryker Beck]

Is it wrong that I actually find this story really hysterical? :P In the "oh my god, I can't believe he did that" kind of way.

[Rhaegar Aeghin]

Sometimes, all you have to do is take a deep breath, get your eyes off your screen, and realize there is a first life. One in which you are a quiet, solitary geek like me, that nobody's molesting.

Rhaegar, rated R.

[Confuddled]

Can you really attach something to someone else?

[DaveOner]

"There seems to be a body of opinion which suggests that women avatars should just grin and bear it." sounds like reverse sexism to me considering how many "female" avs are really guys in the first place. You're just playing into the invalid stereotypes that women are seen as weak.

What I find entertaining is how the "fuck his head" anim is refered to as though it was a grenade or something. I guess I've just been too busy in real life and have forgotten how SLtards can get.

At least my vacation was fun!

[anon1]

>"fuck his head"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I'm not sure whether this one or the fart gun is more embarassing.

>"The more these assaults occur the more the eye of legislators will be focused on virtual worlds."

Oh wow. I can't wait for griefing to become a political hot topic. I can just see the ad campaigns! "VOTE YES ON MEASURE 83 IF YOU ARE TIRED OF BEING FOLLOWED AROUND BY WIGGLY PRIM DONGS"

[Ari Blackthorne]

I think the issue with the feedback of your previous story has to do with how melodramatic it all was. It was definitely over the top. Now this story is considerably more in-line with a simple reporting of the incident and not so over the top. You did a much better job this time than last time.

I mean, in real life, sure. It's serious business. But in SL, even though it was a griefer, and he was wrong for doing what he did - and even though SL is not a 'game' (yes, some might argue) - it *IS* still just a computer simulation.

Yet, you reported the original experience as horrifying! shocking! ...as though you will be mentally affected for the rest of your life with nightmares and flashbacks.

Hey, SL home or not - just hit the teleport button or better yet - hit the power switch.

The whole 'seriousness' of your previous reporting just made the story entertaining. What makes a clown funny is that a clown experiences huge hurdles and foibles in trying to accomplish the simplest everyday tasks we don't think about.

I don't want to call you a clown. But that original story appears to have been written like an April fool's piece.

That's the point.

[Mytwo Cents]

This article is simply beyond belief. I know it’s probably great for the SLH user stats, but giving this seriously disturbed person a public forum to publish her nonsense is almost unethical.

Could you, dear Katrina Eales, please stop spitting in the face of all the poor victims of real attacks, rape and murder? "You know katrina, by the looks of your articles, you really get the sense of how many sick people there are in sl"...

Leave SL. It’s not the right thing for you – and take this friend of yours with you.

/me shakes head sadly

[Myra]

Prok, Katrina seems to be your just-as-neurotic-but-slightly-more-conservative offspring. Congratulations, it's a girl!

Seriously, Katrina, no one cares about you or your soapbox. You make me sad to be a girl.

[Martien Pontecorvo]

I think a lot of the scornful and downright despicable commentary - which is starting up again for this post, I note - is because, for the majority of the respondents, the virtual nature of Second Life trumps any sense of immersion or participation.

My SL avatar is, of course, at a certain remove from my real self, but there is still an emotional investment in his creation and nurturing; he is, in effect, a part of me. Idealised, undoubtedly, but a part of me.

And I bitterly resent any part of me being abused in any fashion, which the dissociated seem to think is just fine; "Awww, it's just pixels."

NO. There is a living, breathing human being animating those pixels, and who takes pride in them, and is naturally affronted when some imbecile, incapable of differentiating twixt regular computer game and MUSE, decides to frustrate their enjoyment of this environment.

"Sticks and stones will break my bones," the old saw goes, but broken bones and flesh wounds heal over time. Well-chosen and well-timed words, on the other hand, can inflict far more enduring - and profound - wounds.

Second Life is no longer a protean chaos of do-as-you-please. There are rules of behaviour now, and Ms Eales' detractors would do well to remember that. If they must go on sprees, there are better places for them to do so than some random victim's private property.

I do not see why I should have to live my Second Life in fear. Nor do I see why anyone else should have to do so.

I will now grit my teeth and endure the probable storm of petty griefing that will ensure next time I log in.

[Strato Habercom]

Sorry, don't really get the point... when I was younger 3D on computers meant zombies with machineguns dropping through the roof and you are complaining because somebody don't leave when asked?

[Greefin Oh]

So that's what we're calling Griefers now? Sex Offenders? ROFLCOPTER!

Wait wait, take a step back from your computer, breath in deeply. Realize what you just typed. "Sex Offender".. last time I checked, those people didn't jump on top of your head with animation balls, while a sound clip of "fuck his head! fuck his head!" repeated over and over and over again.

No my dear, I hate to break it to you and burst your little virtual bubble here, but Blak Hax is not a Sex Offender.. at least as far as we know in reality (you remember what that is right?). No I'm sorry, what happened to your friend was just a dimwit punk, using an animation that at least 50 of my friends have in their inventory... myself included. Ooh my wait I Guess I should call the police huh? I'm a sex offender.. OH NOOOES!

This is just sad.. and I hate to say it but your rants on this just brings more griefers in to peck at you. You and you're friend sound like people who seriously need to get up from the computer and get some fresh air.

And before anyone says anything about me... I'm not the one going bonkers over what's not even tangibly real.

PS.. I know what a real sex offender is because I had it happen to me in Real Life when I was 5. Yeah.. what you're describing is no where near what I have experienced.

[Buretin Peart]

The fact that you labeled everyone who criticized your last article as a "misogynist" is unbelievable.. Such audacity almost leaves me at loss of words. Did you actually read the comments they were trying to tell you?

I've already expatiated my thoughts on the issue in your last article, so I'm not going to bother repeating myself. I figure it won't do any good.. you'll probably choose to ignore all our points and just call us all woman-haters again.

P.S. That whole "eye of legislators" line though.. that gave me a nice chuckle. I actually contemplated not posting a reply because at that point I had to consider whether or not I was being trolled..

[Gando Thurston]

Neither sexual assault nor sexual griefing should be tolerated in any form.

Finding this article "hysterical" is wrong and shameful, posting point and laugh encouragement is a very irresponsible action.

[Gando Thurston]

Sexual assault should not be tolerated anywhere; so, yes pointing out that you found this article "hysterical" is wrong, childish, irresponsible and rude.

[Angel]

Katrina,

Do you realise that by crying like this you are giving him Lulz. He will come back and back and back. He will keep creating alts he will start to enlist his "friends" very soon you will be under a plague of newbs with cages and 100' eDongers.

If you know ANYTHING about the psychology of adolescent boys, that is who these people almost always are, you will know if you don't feed them they will move on.

Either that... or send them to me... I love giving such adolescents a taste of man-on-man sex. I can turn them towards their obvious Gay side so that they are no longer interested in you.

[Maria Leveaux]

Of Course he came Back, you Overreacted so marvelously last time, how could he resist. You gave him a veritable Goldmine of what he Seeks.

And now you've Posted Again, and Fed the griefer even More.

Mute, Boot, Ban, and AR and Leave it at that. anything else is just laying out Attractive bait for them.

Maria.

[Plot Tracer]

Actually, I agree with the sentiment of this article. A rl friend of mine logged into sl a few months back and was "assaulted" by someone on her first night. She decided SL was not all it was cooked up to be and has not been back. Which is a loss actually as she would have been a great addition to sl discussion groups, political groups and educational groups.

SL is getting the name of "sleazy" - as the recent BBC Jeremy Vine Show here in UK outlined. This place is going to sink if it is seen as just a place for pervs and virtual rapists.

Sexuality and sex is being totally abused in SL. Sexual freedom also means the freedom to express your own sexuality without hindrance or without being subjected to unwanted advances etc. And I agree that the unfortunate outcome will be the stepping in of real life legislators and law men/women.

Ledoof Constantineau wrote this article on our blog - http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/2007/08/whats-harm.html

[Cocoanut Koala]

I'm with ya on that, Katrina.

No reason why we should grin and bear it while others get to do whatever they want to us, is there.

Unless - of course - the space is theirs, not ours, and we have nothing to say with what goes on in it.

Which, of course, reduces it all to the lowest common denominator, until that is all there is left.

It's really just a spin on an old bit of chauvinism: You aren't supposed to have any emotions at all.

coco

[padijun loll]

I was just beginning to forget why I fucking hate everyone who plays SL

[Aetuneo Novi]

I am inclined to take this article as further proof that the internet has developed an intelligence (or multiple intelligences), that live in SL. As they have no experience of the world outside of the internet / SL, they are inclined to think that everything that happens inside of SL is real, and have no way to escape from SL.

If this theory is incorrect, please learn how to turn your computer off when you are "assaulted" in SL. Or at least get a sense of perspective! Learn to laugh this stuff off, and laugh at how scared you were after banning the offending Avatar from your land. Isn't that why people watch scary movies - because they like being scared?

[Anon]

Angel, I don't think anyone will be up for that if they've seen your RL picture. Sometimes stereotypes of nerds DO pan out.

[DrrrDrrr]

@Anon

u mean this http://wiki.patrioticnigras.org/wiki/Angel_Fluffy?

[Penance Sautereau]

What most posters forget so easily here is that while for YOU it's "just a game" you play to fart around on and pass a few hours, most likely because you're desensitized to everything and think feelings are for wussies, a LOT of people play themselves in a game like this, and that means there are real feelings involved. Katrina may not be aware that the eternally gross and irritating "Fuck His Head" anim doesn't actually attatch anything to your av, but she IS fully able to have unpleasant feelings because of it. When you're playing yourself then even in a virtual world it hurts when someone is treating you like an object for their amusement. Sure she can TP away or turn the game off, but she'll still feel upset that someone treated her so poorly. How about instead of being anonymous, misogynest, insensitive macho jackoffs belittling her her for being capable of something you buried, you just say "Different strokes for different folks" and move on? Why is it so all-consuming a goal for YOU to prove your lack of a life by spending so much time attacking her column? At least I have an excuse to spend so much time online. I'm disabled, I have nowhere else to go. What's your excuse?

[Prokofy Neva]

I'm glad you persist in writing these accounts, Katrina. I find it more than humorous -- sick really -- that the Herald wouldn't stand for these principles when all of these things were happening to me and my tenants. I guess in Pixeleen's world, when this happens to a girl, it's worse than a guy, even a transgendered guy -- and she concludes, as does Uri, "Be a man, suck it up." And in fact, everyone's telling you essentially the same thing -- it's virtual, so take it on the chin and shut up.

Why is it ok to be a fucktard online to other people? It's not.

I had to take no end of abuse when I went to bat for my tenant who experienced rape from these thugs, and when I wrote very forthrightly on my blog, as you are doing, that rape in cyberspace is still rape. It's still wrong. It still needs to be condemned by moral and thinking people, and it still has to be punished and the perpetrators removed. Not condemning it, making light of it, even letting emotional blackmailers from those purporting to preserve real-life rape as the greater crime (you don't have to work so hard at preserving it, gang, it's a RL crime and prosecuted as such) -- none of them should dissuade you from denouncing this and trying to raise awareness of it.

It's interesting that you should write about Blak Hax. Blak Hax is one of these evil fucktards from Woodbury University and the v-5/Prokofy Fan Club/PN/W-hat axis -- which they feign is all separate, and "hates" each other but is really all a kind of continuum.

Send you columns to the dean of Woodbury University, and to any trustees you can, and ask them why the HELL they aren't monitoring what is being done in their name.

Since Blak Hax hangs around with Tizzers Foxchase, and has done attacks frequently on Ravenglass, I'm thinking he's likely to be Hazim Gazov's new alt, or at least someone in that same group.

The kinds of attacks that Blak Hax would do in recent months would involve these Eddie Haskell "plausible deniability" sort of thuggish nasty behaviours, like dressing up as a Jew, wearing a pink t-shirt with a Star of David (a gay Jew?), and a haircut vaguely reminiscent of the Orthodox Jew, and a tag even from an authentic group called Jews of SL which is an open group, and pretending that this amplified hate wasn't what it was -- anti-Semitism. It was just "being Jewish". Yeahhhhh right. Lovely dress you have there Mrs. Cleaver.

The way you could tell it wasn't a celebration of Jewish culture spontaneously taking place in Ravenglass (*rolls eyes*) was that when banned, he would keep flitting back, taunting, flying around, and of course with Alyx Stoklitsky or Tizzers Foxchange in tandem, or never far behind, or arriving to feign fake dismay at a griefer attack by a group they claim they "control". It is all as phony as a three-dollar bill.

And the task is to just keep abuse-reporting and exposing what these fucktards do assiduosly. Because they mess up -- or deliberately at some point move from one level to the next, and then do stuff like make sexual attacks and even rape assaults.

Blak Hax was clearly who is he -- and should have long ago been removed from the People list for the petty crimes he did repeatedly perpetrate. But the Lindens pretend each new alt is innocent until proven guilty and behave like lunatics, not realizing that anyone joining the Woodbury Group is indeed suspect, the group itself should be frozen and/or dismantled, as they now have racked up a huge thick dossier of crimes (which they fly aroud denying, and trying to get the Chronicle of Higher Education to claim is authentic education, and portray those who question it as Anne Coulters bent on destruction of academic freedom or something ROFL. I think it would take some of the writes at CHE -- and for that matter, the Herald -- to get one of these "fucked in the head" attacks before they "got it".

Certainly Pixeleen is challenged on this, because she's never been able to stand up and take a stance against Woodbury. This is what I fought for, for nearly a year, Katrina, connect up the dots, do the math here, you are not discovering America here.

And what you are writing about Katrina, is Woodbury. And it's Woodbury that I began exposing months ago, and kept at it, despite all the harassment and vicious attacks I suffered here, and it's what made me finally conclude that I simply didn't wish to post articles here anymore, because the publisher and the editors simply refuse to take a stand against this morally, which they could be doing, and instead, prefer to let it fester and provide endless news copy and traffic hits as all these somethingawful.com fucktards come and take hits at people like you and me.

And now you're the latest shill for Pixeleen, Uri, and Wallace to set up, let you pour our your heart and soul, and be viciously attacked by these fucktards. So don't let them do that. Either stand and fight, or get out of the Herald and have your own blog. The immoral publishers and editors of the Herald here are not your friends. This is not your home.

It's men running this site, Katrina. You will not get justice here. That's why I said in my first post: LOG OFF. Not forever. Just for five minutes. Deprive the goons of the attention while in world.

Just don't give up. Don't let even people who are victims of real-life rape attacks try to dissuade you that it's wrong to care about rape in cyberspace. Keep caring. Keep writing. Keep exposing. People spend more and more time online. It matters what kind of world it is. Just because a rape in cyberspace is virtual, just because it cannot be compared to real-life rape, doesn't mean that it isn't a crime, and that there isn't a victim.

I disagree with Maria that you "feed the griefer". No. You need to keep exposing and publicizing and matching up information and running it to ground. Here, this idiot is flying around abusing people, when 3 months ago he was among those perpetrating racist and anti-Semitic attacks and palling around with those crashing the grid and spewing particles for days on end - had the Lindens not been spineless pools of jello, he'd be gone, and that rape wouldn't have happened, see? And no, don't tell me there's another one ready to take his place. It matters to fight each one. It matters to the starfish...

SLCC was attended by the real-life typist of Hazim Gazov. So if you're serious, go to FlipperPAY's much-vaunted lawyer and serve him notice that you'd like him to reveal the identity of Hazim Gazov so he can be questioned in the matter of this rape and other crimes in SL. And get the trustees of Woodbury -- this story is far from over.

[Kezza]

Gotta feel sorry for you guys in SL...I mean, really, having to wear a strap on must be such a drag.

[Angel]

Nuh I'm not Angel Fluffy guys.

[Terra Ellison]

Am I the only one who thinks this whole thing might be another attention seeking hoax?

[Martien Pontecorvo]

As I suspected, the jeering brigade have continued to point and laugh.

Assault exists even when it is only the internet-mediated meeting of minds, as I have said. There IS such a thing as psychological abuse, no physical violence required.

Why do the imbecilic think that because SL is one of them there intertube thangs, that violence is automagically impossible?

[sage]

Just because someone happens to share the same birthday with a different year doesn't mean it's the same person.
actualy it doesn't make any logical sense.
Griefers create accounts whenever they
A) get banned.
B) want to rig votes easier.
C) don't want their main accounts banned when they grief.
D) want to grief someone without them knowing it was that person.

i could go on but i'm not gonna because i've already put too much time and effort into this. the birthday thing does share some relevance but is highly improbable.

[Lucien Godenot]

The moron(s) who do this sort of thing to other avatars need to be stopped. It's very annoying. But to me, your being hurt and feeling grief because of their actions makes you as ridiculous as them.
Your horizon is too narrow. Widen it and you will see the insignificance of this experience.

[Beathag McMahon]

I think what needs to be remembered by some of the posters is that not everyone who comes into SL comes in with a background in violent video games. They're NOT expecting to be attacked - they just want to have fun. And when one is not expecting attack, one can be taken off-guard, and not react as well as one should.
This is what happened to me. I was at an event at my favorite club, with plenty of my pals there. I was being my usual SL self - dancing and being bawdy - a little over the top. (Very unlike RL me.) A man in attendance who, in retrospect, obviously disapproved of my behavior, accused me of having a male typist running my av. I was stunned. I didn't know what to say - just muttered something inane. My friends leaped to my defense, and he apologized - but not very graciously. I accepted, said something about having to get dinner, and tp'd out. The closest of my friends there immediately IM'd me, to make sure that I was ok. We chatted - I IM'd another good friend and vented - and then logged off. The jerk was banned from that club.
Now - did I handle that well? Hard to tell. But, under the circumstances, that was all I could do. I was stunned - not expecting this at all.
Pushing a female av off a mountain with a large cock is not funny. Popping into her house with a gun and shooting her is not funny. This is not WoW, or any violent video game. Folks that want to do that sort of thing should find the RPGs within SL that allow it, and leave the rest of us alone.
I just want to chat, and dance, and have fun. I don't think this is too much to ask.

[Boston]

Seriously, you honestly beleived that some random idiot greifer waited exactly one year to the day to create a new account?? Do you honestly think that 'SL birthdays' carry any significance whatsoever??
This better be this idiot's last ever official SL herald 'story' or this site should be rebranded the SL whingers. Every 'article' this moron writes errodes the credibility of this whole site. It would make for some serious comedy though if it wern't for the damage idiots like this do to SL.

[shockwave yareach]

So, now in addition to griefers being sex criminals, anyone who disagrees with you is a misogynist as well. Why not just call everyone who fails to sob along with you a nazi and get Godwin's Law out of the way already? YOu were NOT raped; you were griefed. Almost nobody condones that you were griefed or hassled, but almost everyone agrees that it doesn't rise to the level of a real life sex crime. Period. I've no use at all for the griefers or any of their escapades. But likewise, I've no interest in chatting with drama queens who can't tell the difference between virtual and real, either.

[Shiraz]

This is turning into quite the story. I think a feature on separation of SL and RL is perhaps in order?

[Angel]

I am a faggot

[archie lukas]

Lets just cut the bastards goolies off

(testicles, balls, ie castration)

I am qualified to perform this surgery and will do so gladly

[d3adlyc0d3c]

>"The more these assaults occur the more the eye of legislators will be focused on virtual worlds."

Bitch you got mental problems.No one will ever give a shit because you were 'virtually head raped'. I bet you're one of those bitches so starved for attention that you fantasize about being raped so you can tell everyone about it and be all leik ZOMG I WIZ RAEPD so people wil actually notice you exist. I bet you poison your children for the same reason too. Un fucking believable. Please hang yourself, kthx.

[Nina A]

OMG It's nasty griefing. Yes it is serious as it disrupts your game, but to call it rape is unbelievably naive and quite frankly disgusting to people who have been raped.

Take time off from SL. It's not doing you any favors.

[Tizzers Foxchase]

Ok Prokofy you win.

I really do control all griefing in Second Life. In November of 2006, I was hired by Linden Lab to head up an experimental program to measure resident response and reaction to virtual terrorism. Robin Harper (Linden) and MC Fizgig made arrangements for the experiment to be conducted by an educational institution that was small enough to be willing to risk their reputation in the academic community. The Woodbury University group was created to serve as a cover for the experiment.

Our original vision was to create a hub where the v-5/Prokofy Fan Club/PN/W-hat axis could converge and collaborate. Unfortunately part of our vision was foiled when you released the "Griefer U" article due to w-hat backing out (in their attempt to appear legitimate in the eyes of the community). After the PN started to fall apart in late June, Robin Linden decided it was time to end the experiment, and the Woodbury sim was no longer needed. Plastic Duck, Mudkips Acronym, and myself were flown to San Fransisco to meet with Michael Linden, Socrates Linden, and Chadrick Linden to review the data for future use by the NSA and Department of Homeland Security.

You were right this whole time Prok. How did you become such a genius?

[Ryukurai]

I feel the urge: No one can attach *anything* to anyone against their will. Period. All they can do is target you with a follower. Like a pet, it follows you around.

No one can "steal" your Linden $ or your Avatar. Period. You would need to say "Yes" to the ORANGE menu asking for "Permission to Debit".. just say NO! Unless you are a vendor using a scripted vending gadget, you will never see this menu.

And, the surest way to deal with the vilage idiots is to simply log out or teleport somewhere else and report them. Too bad you can't do that so easily in RL.

[billy]

To some of the feminist man hating dikes such as Penance Sautereau :

You are fucking retarded. Dont hate us because you are weak, or because your father abandoned you or your husband doesnt wanna fuck you. Gender doesnt have anything todo with anything. For those of you crying about men beating women and ZOMG, CAVEMEN and shit, the bitch you're defending is sure doing you alot of favors. Reinforcing the image of women being weak fucking waifs. Only reason you hate us so vehemently is because you dont have the balls to mouth off IRL and let one of us know. Now, go do mah fucking laundry bitch *smacks you on the ass*

[Katrina Eales]

There are a few good minds at work on this thread making pertinent points and reviewing my reports objectively, some critically. That's all to the good. There are others that would take human morality down to its lowest common denominator - bestial minds defending bestial acts whether virtual or otherwise. The sad part is that some of you even think your written reactions are funny.

Sick humour. There's more than immaturity at work here. There is a love of virtual violence against women that virtually knows no bounds. These comments are not being made in SL and they're not part of a game. These are real life minds at work, sick minds, and the incredibly abusive reactions to my report demonstrate clearly that the attitudes you display in SL translate to the real world.

Ugly little men with ugly little minds and souls, disordered, utterly unattractive and habitually abusive. You're a burden on the collective spirit of humanity.

[Witness X]

Maybe someone should ask Tizzers when she is not bullshitting about using alts to do her dirty work to keep her main clean. Ask her about the time she lead a PN cell during one for their operations, of course it was with an alt. She will deny this of course and spin of on a usual stupid Chan retort comment.

I'll give Tizzers one thing. She uses alts with the best of them to the point where it's pretty hard to trace it back to her. It's about the only thing she's good at in the metaverse.

[Mytwo Cents]

Ok, let’s reiterate Katrina’s opinion in her thread post above on people that criticize her:
- Immature
- Love of virtual violence against women
- Ugly little minds and souls
- Utterly unattractive
- Habitually abusive

I don’t even bother to comment on this; you have simply disqualified yourself from being taken seriously ever again. In my eyes, you are just a whining attention seeker.

I actually feel quite relieved when I read most of the comments across the articles around this topic here. The amount of people that have a sensible view about the differences and similarities between SL and RL and are willing to stand up against your nonsense is much larger than I would have imagined. This gives me hope and keeps me enjoying SL.

[Reverse Writer]

Re: 5:10pm

You say "my report." This implies you think you're doing some sort of investigative journalism rather than just blogging in public about the crazy little flea circus of fears and phobias that lead you to write histrionic screeds like your last comment. Don't misinterpret the Herald publishing two weirdo rambles as them saying they believe you, much less in you. It's a freakshow, and when everyone is gathered around you, poking you with sticks, guess what that makes you?

[firey]

oh do shut up lady.

[Shannon]

First, there is really no need to resort to insulting anyone on either side of the debate. Second, I wholeheartedly agree that psychological trauma is very real, and sometimes much worse than physical trauma. With all that said, my take on the whole thing is this: Any perceived trauma, which you actually have 100% control over whether you have to put up with it or not, is not really traumatic. Being raped, I can assure you, as I have real life experience with this, is very traumatic. The difference between what I experienced in real life and what you experienced in Second Life is merely this: you could walk away. You could teleport. You could mute and ban, and make it as if this person that bothered you so much never existed to you.

You had many choices - all of them available to you at the touch of a button, or flip of a switch.

I, on the other hand, could not walk away. I had a choice, too - but my choice was comply or die.

You see Katrina, that's the difference. Although I can accept that some people might be so sensitive as to be truly traumatized by what they might experience in SL - however far-fetched I might personally believe that to be - I accept that it's possible. I do *not* believe that you have any reason or right to play the victim when you had every tool and ability available to you to not experience it.

Your melodramatic post sincerely does make light of every woman (or man) who has ever been sexually assaulted in the real world, and though I wish you no ill and believe you're entitled to feel whatever you might feel, I am personally offended that you would toss around the words rape and sexual assault in the manner that you have.

[Artemis Fate]

Way to put a giant throbbing target on your head Katrina. You were so unbelievably butthurt over the last article you wrote, (I couldn't believe it was serious), that you've now made yourself a lulz-worthy target, who will continue doing these things to you while you continue writing long whiny articles claiming you've been raped and assaulted.

You know why rape is so psychologically damaging? Because it tears away the illusion of control and safety in the world for the victim, that they suddenly realize that there is nothing keeping any particular person with mal-intent and the ability to do so from doing to them what they want. Now, in Second Life, you never lose control, and you never lose your safety, nothing anyone can do to you in Second Life (especially some stranger griefer) can harm you unless you let it harm you, and no one can do anything to you that you cannot escape from unless you don't want too.

If you feel that you have been raped in Second Life, then it was you who raped yourself.

[Penance Sautereau]

Billy you're a drunken idiot. I have no "Leftist lesbian agenda". The only men I hate are the ones like you and in real life I very much DO tell them to shut the fuck up before my WIFE feeds them their own testicles. (She's butch and can probably pretzel your redneck ass in under 60 seconds).

Shannon; She's not calling it real rape or making light of real rape, she's pointing out how offensive and intrusive this kind of griefing is.

[Reverse Writer]

"Shannon; She's not calling it real rape or making light of real rape, she's pointing out how offensive and intrusive this kind of griefing is."

Comparing griefing to rape is, in fact, making light of real rape. Not sure why that's not sinking in. That'd be like me saying that someone stealing my parking spot is akin to Hitler invading Poland. One of these things is not like the other, and griefing is not an analog for rape, plain and simple, no matter how much you try to argue otherwise.

[Shannon]

Direct quote for her article, Penance: "With the benefit of quick thinking and a couple of months of SL experience behind me I was able to escape his rape attempt..."

Emphasis added.

I'll concede that she didn't specify his "real" rape attempt, but it's not a word to throw around. It's just not. Justify it however you like. As to the offensive and intrusive nature of griefing: you have the tools to eliminate it, use 'em.

[Jessica Holyoke]

Katrina, its stretching things to say that proof of someone being an alt of another avatar is that they share the same creation day,but separated by a year.

Having said that, I have seen Blax Hax's name in the griefing allegations by Prokofy a lot. The fact that Katrina brings up their name in this article suggests Prok is on to something. (yes, I can agree with Prokofy on occassion, the universe is not collapsing.)

And I am really bothered by the concept that if someone is bothering you or griefing you, then the preferred response is to TP away or log off. Someone else gets to decide what you can and can't do on SL because they are getting their lulz? Why aren't people outraged by that?

Rape isn't about sex, its about control. And while no one here was in any physical danger or drugged, there was a loss of control by Katrina and her neighbor through the actions of others. So maybe its not rape in the first degree, but it is a type of rape.

[Cocoanut Koala]

Oh for God's sake.

Sexual harassment against women is sexual harassment against women, whether it happens online or at the local delicatessen.

Sexual assault is sexual assault, whether it is online with virtual appendages or in real life.

Obviously it is worse in real life; that's a moot point.

(Sexual harassment and assault against men is also sexual harassment and assault wherever it occurs, but it doesn't occur as often.)

One gets SO very tired of all these uneducated little adolescent bad boys (or developmentally-arrested grown men)constantly spouting all the reasons why you shouldn't get upset at the things they do to try their hardest to get you upset.

Probably because they never get any irl, or couldn't get it up if any were on offer.

I get especially irritated with the blame-the-victim mentality: It's not what they have done to you that is wrong - what's wrong is you "let it" upset you.

(And we hear too much of that from non-griefers, as well.)

Then there's the notion that you are supposed to remain indifferent and emotionally unaffected no matter what is done to you, and DEFINITELY not talk about it to condemn it.

Yeah, take it AND keep quiet about it, that's the ticket.

(Another theory also put forth by too many non-griefers as well.)

As for not reacting emotionally or having feelings about these attacks or you're a wuss, well, guess what - THEY get to feel every bit of the emotional payoff they do it for in the first place!

They get the "fun" part - to feel the thrill of dominance over and surprise attack of someone unsuspecting (female, in most if not virtually all of these sexual cases).

But YOU don't get to have feelings of dismay, disgust, humiliation, or of having been assaulted and taken advantage of, because hey, you're just an avatar.

We can sexually harass you, degrade you, and do whatever we want to you, and enjoy the hell out of it. But if you react poorly, or have FEELINGS about it, then that's YOUR fault, never ours.

As an aside, I think I know what you are talking about with this head fucking thing. I have a friend who I like a lot, but his sense of humor is a little different from mine.

One night he had on this thing that did this thing where he leaped on my face and went out it bang bang bang. It really wasn't a good looking animation, or even a funny thing to me, even when done by someone who is a good friend.

It was, somehow, quite disturbing, even though I adore this guy and knew he would never do anything to deliberately upset me.

"Stop it," I said. "Get off."

So he did.

Now this was something I didn't like at ALL, and couldn't tolerate for even for two seconds, even when done by a friend, as a harmless joke. And I normally have a pretty high tolerance for this sort of thing.

So I can understand it would be very disturbing and if something like this was sprung on you by someone you don't even know.

Screw all these griefers that regularly flock here to excuse their own rotten behavior. (Practically courted by the SLH, in fact.)

Screw them for telling you it's your own problem, and you shouldn't have any feelings about it one way or the other.

Their mommas obviously didn't do a very good job with these specimens. They need to gtfo and go somewhere where they are wanted, if there is such a place.

coco

[Anonymous]

I hate to say it, lady, but expect more of these events in the near future, by making a huge deal about this that spans more than one news story, you just sealed your fate on SL with all the griefers in SL.

Well you got the attention you wanted so badly.

what's worse is you're doing everything imaginable to get all the wrong attention.

Welcome to the internet.

I fucking lol'd.

[Nina A]

Coco, reality check. You're too immersed in a stupid game if it's hurting you that bad. Is this a gender issue? Do women in general tend to be more involved and see it as reality more than males. Or is it a character trait? People who are more sensitive and imaginative tend to see more meaning than is actually there?

[Inga Embers]

Katrina, for the record, Hex eventually got tired of chasing me thru the shopping mall to hunch my head on or about the very same date you reported in your story. Since I am very new to SL I couldn't quite manuver a kick in his "super-charged, amphetamine induced, out-of-control, teenage level testosterone directed" groin. However, as in RL there are people who take matters into their own hands. Hex will do well to watch his back. And not forget there is a cremation oven on one of the islands. He may find himself on a virtual platter--very "well done" !!!!!!

[Artemis Fate]

@Jessica
"And I am really bothered by the concept that if someone is bothering you or griefing you, then the preferred response is to TP away or log off. Someone else gets to decide what you can and can't do on SL because they are getting their lulz? Why aren't people outraged by that?

Rape isn't about sex, its about control. And while no one here was in any physical danger or drugged, there was a loss of control by Katrina and her neighbor through the actions of others. So maybe its not rape in the first degree, but it is a type of rape."

Well, TPing away or logging off is just one of the easy quick options a person can do when being griefed like that (and as another person said, I bet you a woman who got raped would give ANYTHING for the ability to Teleport away when it happened), I've dealt with griefers quite a bit, all they want from you is a reaction. You give them a super serious "I huddled in front of my computer screen protecting my kids from the virtual bullets as my son clenched his fist in silent rage" reaction, and she's basically made herself griefer target number one, because that reaction is so melodramatically over the top hilariously serious that even I want to grief her to see what she does. However if you laugh along with them, ignore them, teleport away, log off, make no big deal out of it, mute them, land ban them, or overall just don't take it seriously (It's a virtual attack in a virtual world after all), then they'll eventually get bored, leave, and look for an easier target.

So yes, there's some loss of control I suppose in that doing what Katrina did would be the absolute farthest thing from the proper reaction a person would want to do to make the griefers go away, but then, there's that same loss with not wanting to hurt friend's feelings, or talking to cops, it doesn't mean you're not free or you're being raped (or even a form of rape), it just means that if you want something to happen (like griefers going away or your friend not running off crying when you tell her her butt is huge), you have to think about the proper courses of action.

@Coco
"Then there's the notion that you are supposed to remain indifferent and emotionally unaffected no matter what is done to you, and DEFINITELY not talk about it to condemn it."

I think I should clarify, it IS possible to be hurt in a virtual world, there are still the same relationship ties in real life that get people emotionally hurt.

But here's the difference:
getting hurt because a long time friend suddenly hates you: emotional response appropriate
getting hurt because a complete stranger does a stupid little animation on you in a virtual world for a brief time, or shoots you with a harmless gun for a little while: emotional response inappropriate

And afterwards:
Writing an article about the griefer problems, and suggested solutions: appropriate
Writing a long melodramatic article with flowery language of how you were raped in SL, and how you had to protect your children from the PC monitor, and how the person is probably a rapist/murderer in real life: inappropriate.

You shouldn't have to WORK to remain indifferent to it, something like that just shouldn't make you feel anything but indifferent. It's a virtual action, by a virtual stranger, in a virtual world, to a virtual person, who isn't even virtually harmed. If that turns you into an emotional wreck, than you need pills.

[Not a misogynist.]

The thing that probably upsets me the most with your articles is that you're turning this into a gender issue, when it's not. They are GRIEFERS, they don't care whether you are a woman or not. I'm a MALE, yet griefers shoot me and run around pushing me around with huge prim cocks too. Do NOT think this is only happening to you because you are a woman.

Gender is a complete non-issue in this case, and you're using that excuse to insult everyone who didn't agree with the way you handled your incident by calling them all "misogynists". As offended as some were by your blanket insult, I was offended since it showed that you didn't listen at all to the points they were trying to make, nor did you realize that a lot of people who disagreed with you were women themselves.

Not being outraged at this incident does not automatically equate to supporting the griefer, sympathizing with them, or condoning their actions. I hate griefers too, however writing an article about how badly they traumatized you and your family in real-life only encourages them to continue on with their kiddie shit.

[Astonished]

I thought Katrina's first "report" was genuine, but sadly misguided. With the additional evidence of this one, I have decided that Katrina is simply trolling, or, more likely, writing this as grief-bait for reasons of her own. How could you be on SL and read SLH and *not* know what this would lead to? The trap is set, I guess.

[Michael Seraph]

I can't believe a word of this. This person is an adult? Please. This person has children? Yeah, right. Katrina claims these attacks were so horrific they were emotionally scarring AND that she let her kids watch. What. A. Load. Of. Crap. Either it's all true and she's a sick puppy who likes screwing with her kids or it's not and she's a sick puppy who likes to screw with us.

[Cocoanut Koala]

"Coco, reality check. You're too immersed in a stupid game if it's hurting you that bad. Is this a gender issue? Do women in general tend to be more involved and see it as reality more than males. Or is it a character trait? People who are more sensitive and imaginative tend to see more meaning than is actually there?"

_____

Well, if you mean me specifically, it doesn't "hurt me that bad," or hurt me at all.

Then again, I'm older than the average koala. I was also repeatedly forewarned about the prevalence of these various cretins before I ever joined SL, having read about them (and God knows, FROM them) often enough on the SLH, which I read long before I joined SL, starting back when it was the Alphaville Herald.

Doesn't mean I'm not annoyed by it, though, or don't understand it to be the sexual harassment and assault it is.

And it certainly doesn't mean that I fall for any of this intimidation nonsense: "OK, you talked about it, now you're really gonna get it! You've just painted a huge target on your own head!"

As for seeing "more meaning than is actually there," the only meaning is to debase, harass, sexually assault, humiliate, and/or otherwise make life miserable for others.

What more meaning could there possibly be? It's not like one has a relationship with these jerks.

coco

[Cocoanut Koala]

Well, Artemis, I see what you are saying, but I was responding to this article (I didn't read the previous one).

And the things I talk about - how we're just supposed to take it, and how yes, it can be very upsetting, and yes, they are sexual assaults - represent my own thoughts for a long time now.

coco

[Alyx Stoklitsky]

Sex offender?

SEX OFFENDER? HAHAHAHAHA!!!

As for Blak Hax, I know who he is - and he's not 'Nitschke' whoever the fuck that is.

If you think the freebie 'headfuck sphere' is 'rape' or 'sexual assault', I suggest turning your computer off, going outside and looking at the 'real world'.

Don't try and stretch this into 'sexual assault *AGAINST WOMEN' either. It's not *AGAINST WOMEN*, because we all know that there are no girls on the internet.

From the short chat log you posted, which is infact Blak's standard trolling routine (go into someone's house, pretend it's his and watch them get pissed), there is not even the slightest hint that he gave a rats ass about the gender of the owner.

So in short, yes, grin and bear it. What exactly you have to 'bear' I'm not sure - the crude animation of SL hardly seems particularly traumatizing.

Even as a Male, I get 'raped' and 'sexually assaulted' on an almost hourly basis in SL. The difference between me and you is that I'm not a fucking crybaby and I have a grip on the REAL. WORLD.

[Dalien Talbot]

So, what's the problem ? I heard that Caledon is a tight-knit group with a few hundred people. Get everyone from that community to get a habit to send a friendly reminder to a said kiddie when they login, something along: "Your make yourself look rather funny with your actions, what do you think ?", and send him a friendly postcard with a view of a nice sim to visit, in case he does not have anything better to do.

Keep doing this for a couple of weeks and I have a suspicion he will have lots of lulz from this little show - and a valuable set of snapshots from good places which he can explore on his own time :)

[Anonymous]

wow coco, with that response, you just proved the guy right by how serious you are about these FAKE DEALINGS.

Okay, news flash, Second life is just a name, it doesnt literally mean a second life to live in, they just strive to make it a life-like entertainment platform.

Second, it's more or less a social experiment. and you're pawns.

The whole system is fake, all the way down to the money. what makes anything serious or "real" are the people who take it for more than what it is.
The fact this lady can jump off the computer and interact with something other than an avatar proves that second life is fake, that it is nothing more than a viewer that connects to an array of servers.

Want another sane reason why this isnt a case about rape? Simple, it's impossible to not consent to harassment on SL, you can ignore it and go along with the troll's mentality, which will bore him and make him leave, but if you react, and let the fucker get to you, you are acknowledging he has some control, you are consenting to allow him to get to you.

unlike real rape, where if the person has a knife to your throat, and is going to end your life if you don't do what he says, all by force, is rape.

The "control" factor here is being allowed by your actions, the troll has won by getting you to openly bitch here, you have allowed yourself to be "raped" you have allowed trolls to control you. but it cant really be called that as IT IS VERY MUCH CONSENTUAL. and rape is a non-consentual act.

you're allowing this to happen, you're allowing a troll to get you to squirm.

YHL, YHBT, HAND. as they say.

But really this seems more like a cry for attention more than anything.

Instead of just explaining to your kids that the idiot on the screen is a bad guy in a fantasy world who's more or less stupid, you jumped up, got scared, and shieled your kids as if they were in danger of being shot. instead of minimizing the window, smiling to re-assure them it's okay because "mommy is okay" and sitting them down elsewhere and spending time with them, where later you can open the window up, laugh, possibly log out if you've been crushed or orbitted, and your AV be fine, and all for a little inconvenience.

You let the troll not only get to you, but scare the living shit out of your kids by your insane reaction. To which you need help.

you'll probably ignore this piece of logic, but whatever, I know if I were in your shoes, I'd have done the above instead of wigging out and getting the reaction the troll wanted from you. You should really be spending more time with your children than playing second life, and submitting articles about how you got raped on a fucking game but some newbie with a penis popgun.

You're probably the worst example of modern parenting to date, well not the worst, there was that couple who played WoW who let their kids starve to death and contract illnesses only found in the 3rd world because WoW was "more important and serious". but you're bordering around that.

[Bobby Davro]

Wimminz+internets=lulz

[MachineCode]

You keep trying to make it about the "rapist" that attacked you. I agree with you that raping a person is an unforgiveable act and should not be tolerated. Whether what you experienced was rape is a matter of opinion, and it's my opinion that it was not. That doesn't make it OK; the individual who did it has more than a few problems, and this kind of thing should never happen. He is an embarrassment to the internets.

However, the comments directed at YOU should be treated as such. Criticism of your personality in this space is warranted because what you are doing is best described by an IRL idiom: "Making a mountain out of a molehill." The facts stand that it is very easy for you to escape the situation you found yourself in, and you made it seem like it was impossible. You experienced no physical harm, which cannot be denied. Any "mental scarring" you incurred could have been avoided merely by looking away. You and many people seem to insist that people who write this off as stupid or pointless are just as bad. We're just trying to keep it real, because we know what happens when someone takes the internet seriously. They turn into someone like you.

[Mark]

Yup yup yup. Crazy people who think they actually live inside their computers.

I dislike griefers as much as the next grown up, but for fuck's sake, you are just feeding this guy by giving him EXACTLY what he wants.

Not only are you made of glass, you're stupid to boot.

You scared your kids over this - you did much more harm to them than had you minimized the window and calmly explained LIKE AN ADULT. Instead, you reacted like a child yourself, freaking out and cowering, which of course freaks your kids out. You did more damage to them than the griefer.

Kids are resilient, and weak minded adults barraging them with fear factors only makes things worse.

What I think I see here is a person who may or may not even have kids using these childrens to try and play to people's emotions. And of course, Cococarebear takes the bait.

[KK]

Ohhhhh....I get it! I see what this is. This is a Halloween April Fool's joke. Katrina is role playing, just pretending to be one of those useless stupid people...it's for her (or his?) thesis to graduate - it's all about the mob response to the human stupidity gene in a virtual setting.

Funny! Well done! Bravo! You skunked us all, joke's on us for falling for it.

Because if that's not the case and Katrina is actually for real, then she - along with her "supporters" are completely mentally unstable. Besides, in a real life scenario, if a real life rapist cornered ole Kat in a dark alley, all she'd have to do is open her mouth, unload this load of stupidity and no rapist in his right mind would put his dick anywhere near her...

See, if Katrina is for real, she's EXACTLY WHY the pro choice movement is fighting so hard to make sure abortion stays legal...to head that kinda shit off at the pass.

PS...where can I find one of those "fuck his head" balls? That rules.

[KK]

And finally, for the record, everybody knows (who has a firing brain cell) that the only raping going on in Second Life is paying 1600 bucks and 300 thereafter a month to own virtual land...just to feed our addiction! ;-p