OPEN COLUMN
Mob mentality on Internet reflects a public hypocrisy

Editor, the Tribune: The Tribune ran an essay by Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. on Nov. 28 "Sick joke no laughing matter." Pitts’ article about Megan Meier’s suicide was insightful without being hostile. Pitts said that now the family of Lori Drew is being "threatened … there are fears for their safety."

I believe the crux of this story lies in how the public treats Drew’s family. It is frightening and similar to lynch-mob mentality to publicly demonize these people. They never would have behaved in such a manner if they did not have implied or overt support from their community and the group mentality common on the Internet.

The people who are now threatening the Drews might be some who have previously participated in Internet harassment without a thought of wrongdoing. That is hypocrisy. I believe that instead of tormenting the Drews forever - or until another fun victim becomes public meat for demonizing - the public might want to start a national campaign to protect every citizen’s rights to live a life without the threat of public harassment, intimidation, ridicule and humiliation by the media or public forum.

This is not a case of free speech; this is a situation that reflects a hate crime in its worst manifestation: where the mob can, with anonymity and most often without consequence, randomly choose their scapegoats to terrorize until the victim becomes either outwardly destructive (i.e. school shootings) or inwardly destructive (i.e. by committing suicide). Children need to be protected.

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Julia Williams

1800 Sunrise Drive, P.O. Box 972

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