Mayor’s Witch Hunt Continues for ,”anonymous bloggers”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-continues-series-of-panels-on-lack-of-civility-in-society-1.1277140
So who sent Councilmen Sedon’s job and anonymous email ?and which “community leader ” spams the Ridgewood blog with thousands of nasty messages daily using Anonymous IP providers ? Even issuing semi terrorist threats and attacking even student success stories?
While anonymity of blog posters took a hit as expected some pointed out that even on facebook were you know who everyone is the comments can be even nastier . A resident put it down to a type of “keyboard bravado.”
https://theridgewoodblog.net/it-all-comes-down-to-keyboard-bravado/
And of coarse who could forget Yik Yak attack on RHS , Yik Yak is called the “most dangerous app I’ve ever seen ” https://theridgewoodblog.net/psychiatrists-view-yik-yak-is-most-dangerous-app-ive-ever-seen/ Again nothing to do with the Ridgewood blog .
Now for some interesting facts :
Notice these social networks offer few options for anonymous functions and also notice Facebook (no anonymous functions) is a major source of cyber bullying clearly uncivil behavior .
CyberBullying and Social Networks
Facebook: of all youths polled, 75% of them use facebook and 54% of those experienced cyberbullying.
Youtube: of all youths polled, 66% use Youtube and of that number, 21% of that percentage experienced cyberbullying.
Twitter: of all youths polled, 43% use Twitter and 28% of them experience cyberbullying.
Ask.fm: of all youths polled, 36% use Ask.fm and 26% of them experienced cyberbullying.
Instagram: of all youths polled, 24% use instagram and 24 of those experienced cyberbullying.
Tumblr: of all youths polled, 24% use it and 22% of those experienced cyberbullying.
Myspace: of all youths polled 4% use it and of that,89% experienced cyberbullying.
Another Survey done by legal experts Slater and Gordon and the Anti-Bullying Alliance, reveals that over half of children and young people in England (55.2%) accept cyber-bullying as part of everyday life.
67% of children would turn to their parents if they were bullied online. However, 40% of parents do not know how to respond if their child is cyber-bullied or how to set up filters on computers, tablets and mobile phones that could protect their children.
49% of parents say that the amount of opportunities their child has to access the internet leaves them struggling to monitor online behaviour, with 51% saying this also makes them afraid for their child.
69% of teachers and 40% of young people said that more should be taught about cyber-bullying and online safety through the national curriculum. However, 43% of teachers said their school did not currently teach anything about cyberbullying and online safety. More than 30%of teachers said they didn’t have adequate knowledge to match the online behaviors of their pupils, with 44% saying they didn’t know how to respond to cyber-bullying.
https://nobullying.com/cyberbullying-bullying-statistics-2014-finally/
Maybe Borg and the mayor can have success in N Korea.
Many people are intimidated from speaking up using their own name. They fear retribution and so they stay silent. And why would they fear retribution? – because it happens all the time. You complain about (this is a random example) garbage collection, and suddenly your garbage bags are breaking open in your driveway. You read such stories all the time. A parent fears complaining about his child’s teacher because the child may be made to suffer in the classroom. Yes, it happens. You complain that your mother’s caregiver in the nursing home is being rough with her, and then you get sick with worry that the caregiver will be angry about the reprimand and God-forbid somehow take it out on your mother. Years ago I reprimanded a paper boy (back when The Record came later in the day and was delivered by local teens) for taunting my elderly dog who was sitting on the porch. The very next day I had a flat tire, and a line of nails was seen in my driveway. The police officer who came to take the report asked if anyone in the house had been in a recent dispute with anyone. The officer was almost saying “well, what did you expect.” We learn early that complaining out loud can be disastrous.
Then along comes the internet, and we now have a chance to state our opinions loudly and clearly without fear of retribution. This is a huge benefit to the average Joe and Jane who have a right to an opinion but a fear of stating it. LONG LIVE THE BLOG !!!!! In terms of our own elected officials, we know they read this Blog every day and we know they act upon some of the comments. Or sometimes they react to some of the comments. But it does get their attention. It is a wonderful thing. As a regular reader of, and anonymous poster on, this Blog, it is glaringly apparent that some of the anonymous posts come from mission control. The language, the defensive tone….. at times you know exactly who from the Village Council is posting. They cannot have it both ways – they want to eliminate anonymity when they practice it themselves. Seriously.
Moreover, when you go in person with your face in plain sight and make a comment at the Village Council meetings, you might get severely reprimanded. Heck, they even reprimand their own elected colleagues, village employees, and the chief of police. This council in particular has been hideous with their behavior at times, just embarrassing, and in fact The Record has published a couple of articles and editorials chastising their inappropriate behavior. The put a timer on when someone steps up to the microphone and you are not allowed to ask any direct questions of any person and the speaker is often met with a “thank you for your comments” sort of response which accomplishes nothing. One person I know told me she was watching on TV (which many of us do) and got so mad that she jumped in the car to go speak her mind, but then she got afraid and slunk back home instead of going in to the meeting. Of course she was afraid. Who would want to chance being publicly humiliated?
All of this makes it all the more disingenuous that THIS mayor is trying to pose as a civility in public discourse guru. A leopard cannot change its spots. We see right through these elaborate smoke and mirrors.
And yes……WHO SENT THE ANONYMOUS EMAIL TO COUNCILMAN SEDON’S EMPLOYER?????? Care to step forward and identify yourself?
Anonymous blogging allows one to express ones true concerns on an issue, even if it is a minority opinion that we feel reluctant for various reasons to express in a public setting. For example, when I wrote and spoke about my reasons for not wanting the requirement of electronic phones for parking , I wrote about and stated the reasons of added expense, concerns about credit card hacking.
But my main concern is that I don’t think we, the public should be forced to use cell phone technology for basic functions in society such as parking.
My greatest concern is becoming all to comfortable about the non ionizing radiation that is emitted from these phones. By coming pervasive in society kids will think they are perfectly safe? Are they? No one knows. I read a few weeks ago in the New York Times Health page that it turns out repeated mammograms from non ionizing radiation weakens the functioning of a woman’s heart by several percentage points. As women age this would affect ability to function optimally. When former senator Ted Kennedy died from the brain tumor on side of face, there was a flurry of articles stating increased incidence of these tumors from cell phone use. Then the articles died down.
Many articles have spoken about the over exposure to this radiation from sources such as C scans. etc. and the deadly tumors resulting.
I did not want to express my concerns in public , because it might frighten children who were listening. I am frankly shocked that people are so comfortable using this radiation and having it emitted on or near them.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked. Consider how everyone bought into the promise of Promise Margarine,, the whole partially hydrogenated oils, the over use of antibiotics. and so on. And tobacco.
Its the radiation. Thats the ticket.
I too love this Blog and how it’s moderated. While there are certain individuals that clearly just want to spew venom and have nothing insightful to add, it’s our obligation as readers to ignore these people. If others of us want to either poke some fun or make sarcastic comments on our way to making a valid point then great – these are the posts I want to read. To label sarcasm or pointing out the amusing level of hypocrisy that exists with the current Council Majority as “uncivil” is just misguided. Kind of like when Fox News bristles at Jon Stewart. He’s not exactly being “nice” but he’s not exactly wrong either. To call this kind of commentary out as “uncivil” is just clueless and blatantly agenda driven.
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Mrs. Hauck seem to need a reminder that they are public servants not members of some private club or executive board. Time to stop trying to silence your critics and get back to work for the people you were elected to serve.
I want to know how Ms. Hauck can pretend to be the seniors’ friend with all her lunches and lectures and then gush at a council meeting about how much SHE wants to pay for parking with her smartphone. How many people over 65 do you know who have any interest in owning those stupid things? Gee, I thought our ruling bodies were worried about how retired people had no place to live after downsizing and would need hundreds of apartments downtown. Nobody cares about seniors here–let’s admit it.
Here is a good modern example of how those who dissent from the reigning progressive political orthodoxy are uncivilly insulted and marginalized (so much for defending to the death someone’s right to say something you disagree with):
Rob Bell, the widely popular and controversial former megachurch pastor, is now convinced that a church doesn’t support same-sex marriage will “continue to be even more irrelevant.”
It’s one thing to disagree in anonymity like the examples noted above, it’s another to make personal attacks, insults etc. while hiding in cyberspace. Whether it’s referring to Valley opponents as NIMBY idiots or the deputy mayor as “Pooch” or opponents to high density housing as bitter old fools, that’s not dissension, that’s spineless drivel from cowards. And best yet, I’m sure the blog staff filters out a lot worse. If you have an issue, state it and get your point across.