So, I read this article today about a gamer, ignored by the cops, who went to his fellow gamers for help when his 360, Powerbook, and TV got stolen. Boy, did he get help. Not only did this band of gamers find the thief, they got everything you could think of: Online photos, his video on YouTube, and all of his contact information. Once the info was gathered, gamers, in bulk, pressured the crook into returning the stolen goods.
Seeing thieves get nailed (truth be told, the crook was an idiot for using 360 GamerTags to contact the gamer) is all well and good, and justice is served, but Ronnie Polaneczky made a good point in the article: Is mass online vigilantism good or bad for our society?
It was extremely nice that so many people came to the gamer's aid, but what if it got out of control? We gamers, let's face it, are very protective of each other, whether we know them or not. This was an online and phone mobbing of the criminal, which is all well and good, but this situation could've easily turned physical.
And that's not ok. Physically mass mugging a person, criminal or not, is wrong, and such action would lead to more arrests.
However, when the cops ignore you or come up empty, then a collective action by such vigilantes would be the best route.
I, personally, think that online vigilantism is okay provided we keep it civil. It's ok for a barrage of e-mails, phone calls, and letters to tell the criminal the gig is up and to surrender. Even, if all the info is provided about the thief is found, to send it to the cops, who can arrest the crook, would be desirable. But, if the action turns physical, then this do-it-yourself justice system is getting shut down.
What do you think? What's the best route?
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Replies: 1 Comment
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By TetsuoTrunks on Thursday, April 3rd:
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While the vigilantism is a nice reassuring way to make you feel like SOMEONE's got your back, even if the cops don't, this is something that should probably be addressed sooner rather than later. Yes, the guy who stole the Xbox was a douche, and a stupid one at that. But at the same time, its very NOT ok for people to just disregard society's laws and do whatever they feel is ok. True, the cops DID ignore him (something for which he could probably level charges against the city for), but that doesn't make it alright for people to go crazy and attack someone for stealing another man's property.
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