Charlotte Dawson – Not Sure She Is The Expert On Twitter Etiquette
It is ironic that Charlotte Dawson took such exception to a tweet someone made to her that she rang up their employer to expose them, possibly with the motivation of getting them fired when she herself is not such a cleanskin on Twitter.
The Australian Next Top Model judge took exception to this tweet ”excuse me @MsCharlotteD on behalf of NZ we would like you to please GO HANG YOURSELF!!!” Charlotte retweeted it to her followers to shame her.
As the news.com.au story states:
CHARLOTTE Dawson has exposed the vile Twitter ravings of a Monash University staffer after she urged the TV presenter and one of her followers to “go hang yourself”.
Taking Twitter trolls head on, the Australia’s Next Top Model judge sent a ‘please explain’ email to the woman and her boss after Dawson’s loyal follower was set upon for revealing she had lost her own partner to suicide.
Dawson’s practice of re-tweeting abusive messages as a form of broadly shaming the trolls drew the widow into defending the former model against a tweet which read: “excuse me @MsCharlotteD on behalf of NZ we would like you to please GO HANG YOURSELF!!!”
The follower leaped in, admonishing the dangerous remarks, posting: “my fiance hanged himself HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING”.
The Monash staffer replied: “If I was your fiance I’d hang myself too #gohangyourself.”
This tweet occurred after a story was published where Ms Dawson slammed New Zealand in an interview when she was publicising the upcoming release of her memoir. She said: “New Zealand is small, nasty and vindictive. It’s a tiny, little village … a tiny country at the end of the earth.”
For the record I think that tweet to Ms Dawson and her follower was completely unacceptable.
However Charlotte Dawson has also made some slurs on Twitter herself including one which asked that someone kill the now America’s Next Top Model judge fashion blogger Bryan Boy. At the time of her tweet it was not known that Bryan Boy was going to be a judge on the iconic reality show.
When this turned into a mainstream media furore Ms Dawson went on Sunrise to say her tweet was to be taken in humour, but is it? If a teenage girl aimed that at another teen girl it would be seen as cyber bullying. In fact Charlotte is a spokesperson for Community Brave a great organisation whose aim is to eradicate online bullying and homophobia. Is this tweet that Ms Dawson wrote acceptable for an ambassador for this charity to write?
She also claimed on Sunrise that Bryan Boy and Patty Huntington were “obsessed” with her. A quick google of both their blogs had me wonder where this persecution complex came from as it revealed no mention of her on Bryan Boy’s blog, and on Patty Huntington’s Frockwriter (who I collaborated with on UNCUT) she has been mentioned her four times. The last mention was two years ago.
Though it should be noted the animosity appears to stem from a story on Frockwriter reported here about comments she made about the then seventeen year old Cassi Van Den Dungen on social media site Facebook. A Sunday Telegraph columnist called this Facebook diatribe bullying at the time and the same article raised the issue that the person was a minor.
@canofwormstv Charlotte Dawson is a bully, she influenced her followers to attack me telling me to kill myself/get an eating disorder etc— CLAIRE (@claaIiyah) August 27, 2012
@canofwormstv Hi, Charlotte Dawson will be on your show next week. Earlier, she publicly harassed me & condoned bullying from her fans— Matty (@MJP0) August 27, 2012
Maybe Charlotte Dawson is not the most appropriate person to be talking about what is or is not appropriate on Twitter or cyberbullying.
Also was she contacting Monash University, the person’s employer, to try to get this person sacked? I am sure she would not like Bryan Boy talking to the creator of Next Top Model Tyra Banks about her inappropriate tweet about him, as I am sure she would not like to lose her judges position on Australia’s Next Top Model for a cyberspace indiscretion.
Just for full probity earlier this year there was a fracas between Ms Dawson and myself on Twitter. However I will leave the last tweet to her.
Good point Charlotte something that has crossed my mind after receiving several vitriolic messages myself….
UPDATE: The girl from Monash University has now been suspended with pay.
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193 comments
she’s a plastic wench. RR would this be karma. People are getting away with way too much with the technology as it is today and somehow it will have to be policed but I can’t even fathom how that would happen unless certain words were blocked universally to stop all this bullying and hatred and abuse – twitter, facebook, forums, etc. The people that do this – in general, hiding behind keyboards wouldn’t have the guts to say it to someone’s face in most cases. It’s a few strokes and submit or send and its gone into virtual world. Does it empower the sender? I know we all like to see our comments or names in print but one needs boundaries and there are none.
god she needs to stop, it’s so embarrassing watching this unfold on my timeline. i understand she’s against cyber bulling and good for her, but jesus. enough.
and since she probably has google alerts for her name, i’m sure she’ll be tweeting about this post soon
Of course cynical me says this could all be about the launch of her memoirs due for release in September.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/dawson-dares-to-confess/story-e6frewt9-1226437541878
hi i’m the claire girl and thankyou for not taking her ‘side’ like every other media outlet haha
Is that ‘Claire’ the drug addicted prostitute? Good on Charlotte for standing up to these trolls. It happens too often.
i dont necessarily think Charlotte Dawson is a bad person, she isn’t the first, nor will be the last celebrity to be under attack by trolls on twitter. But isn’t that the risk all celebrities take? We are your biggest fans and your worst enemies! Giving into trolls by replying is just giving them what they want.
On the flip side, Reposting the things that trolls write to you to 22,000 followers on twitter is counter productive. In my view, her stance on anti-bullying is ruined here. She can tweet til her fingers are blue that she is not partaking in bullying, but relaying the negative comments to her followers just creates a window for more bullying and taunting. So who is wrong, and who is right? Neither.
Charlotte Dawson needs to step down off her high horse, atleast the trolls know what they are doing.
and it’s worth mentioning that i was apart of the trolling, i don’t deny it.
Do we think it’s okay that Charlotte Dawson researched where I live and work and posted the title of my workplace to 22k followers on twitter? This wouldn’t confront me as a problem if it wasn’t posted by someone who claims to be a martyr of “anti-bullying” what a load of shit.
I’m not on Twitter but am kind of flattered that there’s an idiot on there posting under my screen name.
I luvs Charlotte coz she’s the official Patsy Stone of Australia.
Who’d've thunk a caricature created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (and played by Joanna Lumley) would actually live and breath down here in Australia.
A real-life self-professed ‘blow-up doll’ according to her own bio.
All personal indignation, ego-driven outrage and no f…en sense.
Oh, and great buns if you is up for some ‘snow leopard’ action.
Wow actually witnessed some of the arguing on my twitter feed. Agree it got pretty out of hand.
Georgie – I think you are right.
Daze – YOu make some good points.
Bron – they were but a few examples.
Claire – no problems
Roger Morgan – Didn’t realise Charlotte Dawson was anti-prostitution
Caspa – Indeed it could be thought of as bullying as well
BDD – oh I am going to have a look at the BDD twitter account
CB – Agree it does not make sense.
I think it’s sad when people try to fight bullying but end up becoming bullies themselves which is pretty much all that happens with what she does.
She gives them oxygen and fans the flames. They get the attention they want and so does she.
She blocked me after I questioned the wisdom of her threatening to drag someone naked up her driveway whil beating them. Ah well.
This all started because Charlotte Dawson attacked me for making a comment about Big Brother. I simply asked my followers “who is Charlotte Dawson”. One replied to me saying that her careers over etc (not stating anything abusive, just stating facts). However I didn’t partake in this.
This led to Charlotte RTing this, replying to it and sarcastically making fun of me and that other person. She went through my other tweets unrelated to the matter and sarcastically replied to them. I had not attacked Charlotte yet she felt the need to drag me into the mess.
I had her followers telling me to “kill myself” among other things and I simply said to Charlotte that what she was doing was harassment. She denied it and noted that all she did was RT. However, going through my tweets and making sarcastic remarks about me (when I didn’t say anything to her or about her) IS harassment to me and harassment is a form of bullying.
This is actually what it all stemmed from. She disliked that I questioned her role in being an ambassador for anti-bullying and couldn’t understand that I hadn’t essentially done anything wrong. From there, everyone else jumped in.
I appreciate you writing this as it shows she isn’t the innocent one she claims to be. Had I been abusive towards her I would welcome the comments sent to me as they’d be justified.
Charlotte Dawson needs to apologise. She is a role model and in the public eye. Her views, opinions and actions reflect on those people who follow her and it means she’s condoning the bullying and harassment that was done to me and others.
NG – Well darling the best people are blocked.
Matt – I don’t think you alone on getting a ragging by her followers
Sorry Matt, but she is NOT a role model.
She’d make a good butt model though
Daze being a public figure makes her a role model to people whether she likes it or not. That’s just how it works, sadly most of her followers would look up to her or admire her.
and Reality Raver, I know but I’m actually who this started with.
Firstly – RR, excellent blog post. You’ve covered both sides really well.
Secondly, I don’t mind the tactic of putting the heat on offensive posts by retweeting them. However it does run the risk of going too far and some tweets can be misconstrued as offensive in the first place.
Not really sure where I stand on this to be honest.
you’ve attacked Dawson for her plastic appearance & her twitter & we get it. You don’t like her. She was in this instance standing up for an innocent follower so give the poor woman a break Emma.
SOS or Roger Morgan please come in under the same non de plume as happy to have the discussion. Not sure why you felt you needed to change. For the record I don’t hate Charlotte. Not sure where I attacked her plastic appearance, in a previous post some months ago I think I called her foxy.
But yes I think her being a role model on this issue is wrong.
Give the poor woman a break, SOS?
Her, like the other members of the anti bullying foundation seems to be be bullies with a short term memory problem.
Anyone who isn’t supportive of her is labelled a bully. She’s a hypocrite and with a book coming out soon I’d say she’s just drumming up attention.
Anyway, last words on the matter.
She’s so terribly mortified that someone would suggest someone else hang themselves? Maybe she shouldn’t make threats to others.
Charlotte Dawson
“@MsCharlotteD
Dear slurry that threw her puppy out her window I’d like to drag you naked by your hair down my driveway then kick you. You’re welcome.”
I’ve found the best way to deal with bullies is ignored them. Charlotte who?
Let’s face it, Charlotte is to the anti-bullying cause, what Ross Cameron* was to marital fidelity and family values.
I almost barfed up me brekkie when I opened the Daily Terror this morning to be greeted on page 4 by a sanctimonious puff-piece profiling Charlotte as if she’s Wonder Woman from Planet Kill-a-Bully.
I’m now with Georgie on this being just some sad-arsed PR exercise for her book with the journos involved to stoopid to realise they is being used.
* For those with short memories, he was the self-proclaimed ‘socially conservative’ Liberal federal MP for Parramatta who couldn’t keep Cpt Todger in his pants and was cheating on his wife. No one would have given a rats – except his wife – if he hadn’t made a career out of loudly preaching exactly the opposite of what he was doing. Ross was famously described in the Latham Diaries as a man on a personal mission to track down ‘quality box’.
The Queen Bees and their Wannbees never grow up it seems, they just move from Facebook bullying to Twitter bullying.
I agree with CB and Georgie. This is nothing but a PR exercise for the new book.
As many people wiser than CD have said “Don’t feed the trolls”. And CD is being one hell of a troll.
Thank you Emma for this post and trying to tell the other side of the story. Drinks are on me when we catch up. x
My guess is that she is a narcissistic person. Complaining that people are “obsessed with” her when they clearly aren’t shows that she is happy to get attention any way she can. Talking to the media about NZ people in the manner she did shows that she is happy to make melodramatic assumptions about everyone in a country. Even complaining against Ms Heti would have been to get her own name in the media. What a media leach (I beg you to look me up love so I can counter sue based on a frivolous complaint).
The girl from Monash Uni has now been suspended on pay. I suspect because of the mainstream media attention the issue received they felt they had no choice. Witchhunt or vigilantism either way it appears Ms Dawson is happy with the result.
Sad to hear Raver, because in the meantime real-life bullying of truly vulnerable people – not the Patsy Stones of this world – continues in workplaces, schools, institutions (including churches), the ADF, and in Facebook threats between youngsters.
But Charlotte and a plethora of other attention-whore, D-list celebs and the dumb-arsed News Limited journalists who live off them will think they’ve actually achieved something. Sad. The only person I feel sorry for is the Monash Uni person.
Tracking someone down where they work and complaining to their employer about a non-work related transgression is bullying. She is abusing her position of social power.
Not sure she should be a spokesperson for an anti-bullying organisation.
god she’s all over the media, she got what she wanted out of this. ughhhh i can’t.
So…am I the only one who burst out laughing at the ‘if I was your finance – I’d hang myself too #gohangyourself’ bit?
Oh, and I have to say I’m rather dissapointed in old rubber face. I mean, I slagged her off (unlike her, in a FUNNY way) on twitter when she was on Celebrity Apprentice – and she actually came back with a very self deprecating funny witty tweet in response. I honestly thought – gee, she DOES have a sense of humour and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Obviously I got her on a good day because this is appalling. I suggest Ms Dawson turn off her computer and take up knitting – she’s about that age she should start that kinda thing anyway.
What happened to people using the “BLOCK” button. Not that hard.
Ms Dawson should be suspended too – if she actually had a job that is!
I thought women liked their partners to be hung.
I think that’s well hung bdd. Also, seeing I’m talking to you, I remember Iron Maiden did a good rendition of Charlotte.
Yes Georgie, Iron Maiden were celebrated only last night on a great show on ABC 2 called Evolution Of Metal. It should be repeated later in the week.
I understand their rendition of Charlotte is based on a true story. Male Hookers Uncovered was great viewing last night, too.
I saw them both on the program bdd and started to watch Male Hookers but just couldn’t stay awake. Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out for the replay.
I don’t know. The link to the Tele gave me the impression this ‘girl at Monash University’ is in fact a woman, going by her job title she doesn’t sound like a school leaver.
And now Charlotte Dawson, at 44 last I heard, should ‘take up knitting’ at ‘her age’.
Funny old world.
Eh, I’m 41 hon – and I knit (badly) Tis very relaxing.
Lol, I used to knit when I was younger but gave it up at age 45 because I started getting cramps in my hands – due to getting older.
And sweet Charlotte was just on ACA blowing off about her traumatic twitter experience. Funny she didn’t mention she’d called RR a c**t on twitter a few months ago.
Good Charlotte will be on Can Of Worms next week.
Thanks for removing the garbage, RR.
I don’t mind people calling me a c**t but what does annoy me is when they do it under regular commenters names.
First thought: whatever else is going on, I just have to come down thinking the abuse she’s currently receiving is far out of proportion to the thing that caused it.
Second thought, a comment like that to someone who has just lost a loved one: Out of order. Every time.
Last thought: feeding the trolls has never helped things. Ever!
That’s all x
It’s so funny how they are saying that the university worker was the one who told Charlotte to hang herself. The papers even screen shotted the conversation and it was another user? Poor lady is getting blamed! Charlotte knows this and is not saying a word! Evil!
NZ TV Blog is querying her use of Twitter and also picks up on the issue that she is using the whole thing to promote her book http://www.throng.co.nz/2012/08/the-other-side-of-the-charlotte-dawson-twitter-abuse-saga/
Bit hard to believe she is using this as a stunt to promote her book – she was not the one that sent the initial vile tweet/s in the first place remember. And IMO CD would do just about anything to get in the spotlight usually.
The more I think about it, the more I’m on her side on this. People love to say they use twitter and facebook as ‘social media’. Well sweethearts, if you want to be in the ‘media’ then every utterance you make in that space needs to be accountable.
Especially these days with job applicants having their facebook and twitter accounts perused as part of the hiring process. Height of stupidity to behave like a dickhead in this day and age.
Five years ago the interwebs was the Wild West where people could say as they pleased. That is changing and changing quickly.
There are going to be hard lessons for some people to learn in my opinion.
Paul but the same levels of accountability should apply to all in my opinion and I think she perpetuates and in fact starts it.
Yes but she only loads the bullets – she does not fire the gun !!!!
I’ve got no sympathy for those that got retweeted. I bet you they won’t be doing that again, in any case. Plus, it may make people think about consequences next time they are tempted to do something similar.
But Paul do you think it will make Ms Dawson think about the consequences next time she publishes her violent tweets?
Given this all seemingly started with Charlotte’s childish slur on an entire nation – NZ – would our media would have been 150% behind a Pommy Charlotte (good name for a Pom) who entered into the same twitter war after shitbagging Australia? (Yeah, that was flying pig I just saw.)
And have any of the morons wringing their hands and wetting their knickers about the goddam awfulness of twitter – put your hand up here Paul – stopped to think that instead of defending the laughably ironic bullying of alleged bullies* by purported anti-bullying crusaders, they should perhaps question whether the medium itself – twitter – might be, in part, a culprit.
While the expression “go hang yourself” seems to have been in accepted use (though not by this little black duck), given that there are some in our community sensitive to such expressions because friends, loved ones, Michael Hutchence etc have committed suicide, is #gohangyourself a wise hashtag for the platform to have?
Do hashtags like this incite offence and hurtful interpersonal abuse?
Perhaps in this case the hashtag #gofuckyourself may have been more socially responsible? (It would have certainly been more apt.)
* tracking them down to their workplace and apparently demanding they be sacked
CB,
Not sure what you’re on about – I use twitter quite often. I certainly don’t think its awful.
The culprit is not the medium. Its the morons who write these tweets.
Why are people so keen to absolve them of responsibility?
These people are grown adults – Hell, one of them even describes herself as a Project Manager so she would be earning 6 figures a year.
There are no excuses for posting that sort of crap.
None.
Charlotte and Paul both recognise a bully when they see one.
Mirror, mirror on the wall…
Georgie, please.
This is way above you intellectually.
And if I were you I’d take this little episode as a personal warning about what can potentially happen to people who post inappropriate things on the internet. So next time you want to post a ‘little bit of hate’ have a think about how your name and picture may one day be splashed across newspapers the next day.
As I said before, the days of posting anything anonymously on the internet are almost over.
See what I mean.
Come to think of it, Paul, you’ve never backed up your slur where you’ve claimed I called Claire Winton Burn a “slut”. That’s because it didn’t happen,did it ? You’ve effectively hung yourself on that one.
Since you’ve never provided your name and address, your frothing at the mouth about anonymity amounts to jack.
Still waiting for your threat to sic the authorities on to me, bully.Yawn.
So hashtags like #ihatewomen, #ihateniggers, #ihatewhitepeople (look ‘em up, they’re within the medium) are okay?
The problem with your approach to this pet issue Paul is that by constantly railing that it’s all the fault of a bunch of bad people who say bad things you don’t actually offer any solution or pathway to improve the things you say are a problem.
Which is probably why many of us on this site get quickly bored or pissed off with you constantly banging on about perceived cyber-abuse.
The point my previous post was making is that if the woman from Monash Uni has used #gofuckyourself (also seemingly a commonly used hashtag) instead of #gohangyourself the charming Ms D’s re-tweet to her twitter army would not have then drawn the indignant woman who said her fiancé had topped himself and then the Monash woman would not have written the offending tweet response that she now most likely regrets making.
Just as she no doubt would, if she spoke it. Even with our heads buried in Ipads and the like people still often say bad and regrettable things to each other in person.
However, I’m not saying twitter needs censorship or strong moderation, but that the way the medium operates can result in dialogues going down tracks that a verbal conversation probably wouldn’t. Dumb hashtags, like the ones I listed in the opening sentence above, can be lightning rods for stupid and offensive comments.
Back to the overblown issue being used to generate publicity for Ms Dawson’s upcoming book, normal people can take this stuff on the chin. Though maybe not precious, trolling D-list celebs.
Apart from the sort of predatory bullying on Facebook that has lead to tragic suicides of young people, the issue of cyber-bullying is in my opinion blown out of all proportion by the media simply because it’s new and therefore newsworthy.
The risk in this is that the real-life and more broadly harmful bullying that occurs in workplaces, schools etc… is neglected.
CB – no those hastags are not okay. I’m genuinely perplexed at what point you are trying to make here.
To 100% clarify.
* I use twitter
* I don’t approve of twitter being used inappropriately.
* It is is not twitter’s fault if people do not understand what is appropriate and what is not appropriate on twitter. The responsibility falls on the user
As to my solution which I have stated a number of times now – Prosecute people who use social media inappropriately. Name and shame them. Jail if required.
I think we are slowly heading down that path anyway.
CB – hastags are created by users by the way. They are not generated by twitter of its own accord.
Think you may be getting a bit confused about that.
In a recent landmark case, a bloke in the UK was acquitted after making a threat to blow up an airport on social media after he received bad service from an airline.
There will always be thought nazis , killjoys and vigilantes who try and impose their own “laws” on others, but at least in this important case, sanity prevailed.
Paul – guess I’m wasting my time trying to engage a discussion whether the medium itself plays a role in the direction of dialogue.
Every time this issue comes up you propose we send the alleged perpetrators of ‘cyber-abuse crimes’ to the courts and/or gaol. I’d be interested to know if you reckon Ms Monash University should be prosecuted (presuming this nation’s parliaments were dumb enough to create a new statute for ‘nasty tweets’).
If indeed these apparently evil perpetrators destroying society with these tweets should be named and shamed , jailed etc etc, then some of the radio and tabloid shock jocks should be sent to the gas chamber for their efforts….like the Adelaide shock jock who broadcast that he hoped asylum seekers would drown. He’s doing a great job of keeping up with the Joneses.
I understand full well that twitter users make the hashtags and the medium that publishes them allows them to exist and flourish. Which was the point I was making.
Given that Twitter is in court in the USA at the moment and is facing a judgement that it “owns” people’s tweet, t this cyber-media business might want to look more closely at the material it is publishing. After all, this is what the traditional media and Raver’s blog have to do.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/48817077
“Who owns your tweets? What about all that personal information you’ve given Twitter? Or tweets you deleted? Or drafts you saved?
Those questions are the focus of a battle Twitter is waging with a New York State judge.
Twitter says that its users own their tweets, and all that personal information. The court says Twitter does, and should hand them over when subpoenaed. This week Twitter has filed an appeal to New York Supreme Court, the second time it’s filed a motion in this case.”
CB – Yes, in my opinion she should be prosecuted.
And there are already laws in place for nasty ‘tweets’. Its called “Using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.”
@CB,
Yes, would be very interested in the outcome of that case. Thanks for posting that.
Paul #65, this is where our opinions would be at total divergence.
I already detest the ‘nanny state’ that both the authoritarian left and the authoritarian right want to impose on our pretty functional society, which has high enough levels of statutory and common law protection from things that may actually harm us, both individually and collectively.
I agree with bdd that if we are to apply your standard then we’d firstly need to gaol the shock jocks. Though we’d be lucky to find gaols big enough to house their egos.
CB – my belief is that it would only take a couple of prosecutions and people would start heeding the lesson.
And whilst I respect your right to that opinion, I disagree.
Pig’s arse that you respect anyone’s right to an opinion here.
Sorry, Let me clarify for the mindless swill.
I respect everyone’s right to an educated opinion.
CB you have articulated yours well. I just disagree.
Anyone who disagrees with you apparently has some sort of mental deficiency, as we’ve seen you dribble so many times. If you can’t see that and the sheer folly of expressing it, you are a whole lot dumber than those you seek to denigrate, bully.
Spot on bdd.
Rofl – here’s an excerpt from one of Paul’s MC comments:
“OMG, did you see Mindy’s fingernails. They were RED I tell you. RED. Hang her !!!!!”
That’s the only comment I’ve ever seen on this blog using dangerous suggestions like that.
Far more serious harassment & bullying culture allegations reported today:-
http://www.smh.com.au/business/is-that-a-donkey-on-your-apron-8230-or-is-the-boss-making-an-ass-of-himself-20120829-2514u.html
- which at least, unlike this boringly pathetic CD issue, provide some amusement with the report that:
“…a man identified as [a] Global Express manager, wearing an apron depicting a penis, can be seen apparently simulating sex with a small stuffed donkey…Other photographs appear to show [him] grabbing from behind [the] sales and marketing manager, who is also wearing an apron depicting a penis…One Toll employee said female Toll employees were asked to leave the meeting before the incident with the toy donkey*.”
* Some secret Masonic ritual perhaps??
Note – I removed the names because I don’t believe in the ‘name-and-shame’ bullying tactic.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/is-that-a-donkey-on-your-apron-8230-or-is-the-boss-making-an-ass-of-himself-20120829-2514u.html#ixzz24zdUaCUM
Again to clarify for the mindless swill.
I am happy to have a discussion with someone who disagrees with me provided that person can articulate his or her point in a reasonable fashion.
Right again Paul – you’re far too superior, both morally and intellectually, for the “mindless swill” who post on this blog.
Like I’ve said before, it’s got me beat why you hang around? Unless of course it’s because our inferiorty just highlights your superiority.
Mirror, mirror on the wall…
Now I don’t condone the abhorrent tweets sent to Charlotte Dawson, however if anyone has seen Australia’s Next Top Model (there was a time Lisa made me watch it), Ms Dawson was certainly not backwards in providing comment to the models on the show, and I anticipate she was as equally forthright in her treatment to crew and support staff. She handed out some pretty distasteful, and clearly upsetting comments to models week in week out. As disappointing as it is to learn of what has happened to her, it might just be that everyone (including Ms Dawson) may have had their eyes open a bit to how comments in social and public forums may affect a person.
I’m not buying the poor Charlotte guff on the basis that:
- as pointed out by Twist of Lemon, she’s dished out some crap commentary herself in the past
- this still strikes me as a PR stunt (inc. the latest hospitalisation development)
- what normal person sits on Twitter and forums all night reading shit about themselves (especially if the stuff is abusive, vitriolic shit)?
- on the off-chance that this is may indeed not be a PR stunt, then clearly Charlotte needs some form of treatment for a form of self-obsession that is actually harming her.
PM Gillard cops torrents of personal abuse and even ‘death threats’ and no one in the Murdoch press bats an eyelid –
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/misogynists-and-nut-jobs-need-to-turn-down-the-volume-20120827-24wiz.html#ixzz24oRfWS55
But someone ultimately as inconsequential as Charlotte D becomes the cause celebre for a so-called twitter hate issue.
Go figure?
Other more famous celebs have had to endure the more menacing attention of stalkers and the like.
If Charlotte has indeed had a melt-down from reading abuse on twitter, than perhaps she should, as others have said here, stop feeding the trolls. Oh, and find a hobby other than reading about herself.
CB – You make some interesting points particularly in relation to the PM. However anyone who puts out a cry for help or attempts suicide must be taken seriously and assisted.
Back in the olden days self-harm usually meant an enforced stay at the sanatorium.
Raver, I’m probably a bit cold-hearted on this, but I reckon the real victims of suicides are those loved ones left behind. I can’t remember thinking much more than “silly bastard” and “pity, what a waste of talent” when Michael Hutchence, Kurt Cobain and Heath Ledger ended their lives. Guess I’d just be thinking the first thought if Ms Dawson went the same way.
CB,
These twitter messages would have been sent directly to her via the @ function – Charlotte would not have been searching for them.
Paul, I didn’t say she was searching for tweets. What I wrote was “what normal person sits on Twitter and forums all night reading shit about themselves (especially if the stuff is abusive, vitriolic shit)?”
Presuming she wasn’t strapped in a chair with her eyes forced open like Alex in ‘A Clockwork Orange’, she consciously decided to waste her time and perhaps fry her mind reading what anyone with sense would have anticipated was going to be a mixed bag of tweets ranging from deranged & abusive brickbats to equally deranged & effusive bouquets. Prior to this thing called Twitter people would have spent that time chatting on the phone to a friend or having someone over for a wine and a whine.
Maybe she is indeed a victim, but not in the sense she and the news ltd media are trying to portray. Maybe she’s simply a victim of mis-use of social media*. All new technologies have risks that often become apparent later than the benefits.
* Though I’m still putting my money on the cunning stunt PR campaign theory.
Hard to believe that I watched it unfold and escalate while I coincidentally ran into @MJP0′s account. I went to visit again and he seems quite proud about what has happened and he’s happy. What an asshole. Oh and he and his gay mafia are laughing about it too. Thanks for representing for the rest of us in the LGBT community asshole!
Get well soon Charlotte.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10830456
I agree with CB #77 & #81.
What happened to CD; in hospital due to ? Just heard something on The Project…..
From the article I read on smh I think she tried to kill herself? No details though.
Daze – Check out the link in# 83 for more detail.
FFS this is too bizarre for words. If this conversation between Ms Dawson and Ms Heti had taken place in private, would Ms Dawson have contacted Monash University to complain?
By making this whole thing a very public stoush, on TV and in newspapers, Charlotte has woken the sleeping giant and painted a target on herself. I wonder what she expected – a little bit of publicity for her book or her ’cause’ perhaps? Well obviously she got a lot more than she bargained for.
Get a grip – the original comment wasn’t a death threat. It wasn’t even bullying. It was no different from saying “drop dead” or “piss off”. It then escalated into a childish fight with Charlotte saying “I’m going to tell on you.”
When I was a child I was taught to fight my own battles. I was also taught a little rhyme to recite if I was subjected to verbal abuse:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me” – and you know what, I actually believed that back then and I still do now!
Paul has made numerous derogatory remarks over the last few months concerning my intelligence, but it doesn’t bother me in the least. I don’t even feel the need to defend myself – primarily because I know it’s not true and I have enough self-respect and intelligence to realise that.
CB is right – we’re becoming a nanny state and along with a lot of basic life skills, people are losing the ability to look after themselves.
Tap dancing jesus – my email has gone MENTAL! This thing has gone off. Will refrain from my opinions on the issue personally – will not be popular.
thanks bdd, well written article on the link I thought.
Boy oh boy, this has all gone a bit too far
With three Diggers and two Kiwis being killed in Afghanistan this week, there’s really not much of a care factor for me as far as Ms Dawson’s meddlings on Twitter are concerned.
Daze – Charlotte Dawson was taken to hospital in the early hours of yesterday morning, details here http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/charlotte-dawson-in-hospital-after-twitter-attack/story-e6frfkp9-1226461526394
Paul – check out this blog post by a social media specialist http://laurelpapworth.com/charlotte-dawson-cyberbullies-and-social-media-pot-and-kettle/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/10_october/21/absolute_power_synopsis.shtml
Absolute Power – spin is dead, long live PR
Written by Guy Andrews, Mark Lawson and Andy Rattenbury
Stephen Fry and John Bird star as spin doctors Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe as they bring the popular and satirical Radio 4 comedy Absolute Power to BBC TWO.
Written by media commentator Mark Lawson, writers Andy Rattenbury (Teachers) and Guy Andrews (Chancer), Absolute Power casts a witty and acerbic eye on the machinations of PR gurus and does for the PR industry what Drop The Dead Donkey did for the newsroom.
Stephen as Prentiss and John as McCabe are an unscrupulous pair who run the blue chip PR agency Prentiss McCabe. Dealing with commercial as well as personal PR, their remit covers everything from political communications to celebrity media relations.
Their manipulation skills are tested to the full as they frequently find that their work brings them into conflict with political parties, newspaper editors and celebrities.
Stephen Fry says of Charles Prentiss: “He’s a brute of a man, out to win, with no morals, he’s completely shameless. There’s not much to say that’s nice about him, except that there is some pleasure in watching a natural born killer at work and knowing whatever happens he will win.”
Absolute Power is a satirical comedy about a world in which style triumphs over substance, tabloids are the new judge and jury and where five minutes of fame is considered a long term career.
Zero empathy. Not something to be proud of.
planb, I base my both my sympathy and empathy on facts.
Not potentially dodgy, unverified media reports.
So like bdd I’m not happy that more ANZAC soldiers have died in the quagmire that is Afghanistan, or that some poor sucker’s reported to be getting engaged to Kim Kardashian.
Let’s see what tomorrow reveals. Some more cynical types than me might be speculating which women’s mag is working out how many zeros the cheque book can take?
Back on topic…
“Rock veteran Alice Cooper is urging youngsters not to watch reality TV shows as he fears children will aspire to finding fame instead of carving out a proper career.”
The Voice of Reason #full stop#
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/no-creativity-cooper-hits-out-at-reality-talent-shows-20120829-24zwp.html
And for some proportion and perspective.
The sort of ‘bullying’ kids of my generation had to contend with:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/nsw-priest-charged-with-child-sex-offences-dating-back-to-the-70s-and-80s/story-fndo2j43-1226461735640
Charlotte Dawson is receiving justice. She is a social media whore. Is it okay for Dawson to bully with her own cyber antics? She resorts to fighting fire with fire…flamed!
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/charlotte-dawson-twitter-attack-sparks-call-for-changes-to-laws-against-cyber-bullying/story-fn5izo02-1226461962215
“THE Federal Coalition is pushing for tougher laws for online abuse, after TV host Charlotte Dawson was viciously targeted on Twitter and admitted to hospital yesterday.
And NSW police minister Mike Gallacher said he wanted the trolls “dragged out of their mother’s basement and put before a court” following the Twitter attacks on the Australia’s Next Top Model host.
“These are sick minds we’re dealing with,” he said yesterday. “I’d be interested to see if they’re still tough guys when they’re in handcuffs.”
**********************
Shamefully we are now most probably going to get legislation put in place to put stricter controls on the internet. Both sides of politics agree on this so its now pretty much a given.
As said before, if people are too stupid to see the warning signs that law enforcement now take this extremely seriously then soon they are going to be in for a nasty surprise.
Hopefully a few arrests will make people take notice and the internet can once again become a place where people have discussions like normal human beings.
RR, Please delete@97, its vile and disgusting.
This has gone on long enough, thanks.
Society just got dumber.
Oh, and the federal Coalition (who like Labor have no form whatsoever dishing out childish vitriol in the parliament and the media) have finally announced a policy.
And given the extraterritoriality of Twitter I guess that following the passing of Charlotte’s Law (though I reckon people on this site agree we should call it Paul’s Law) the Foreign Affairs Minister will have lobby the world for a Tweet Treaty (try saying that quickly!). That way a US-based D-list celeb like Bryan Boy could have had Charlotte extradited following her “someone please kill Bryan Boy” tweet. That’d be ironic.
Better still send @97′s IP address to the police.
Give over, Paul.
I’d prefer the police focus on rapists, thieves wife-bashers, paedos (including those hidden in the cloisters of our churches) and the back-log of other serious crimes they have sitting unsolved in their files.
This story is not even getting a mention on reputable news services like the ABC. Props to them.
Just putting BB recap up and then will be making a comment about the debate.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-30/tv-presenter-in-hospital-after-vicious-twitter/4234120
Gidgit – Haha, same. Probably best not to use the new comment email alert on posts that will get a lot of replies, it just clogs up your inbox.
It’s not making the ABC television news services, bully. They don’t do hysteria -unlike you.
Social media provides us with the means of having conversations with people we know and people we don’t know and like any conversation, private or public, we need to take responsibility for the things we say. So I can guarantee you, if we start making laws to govern ‘what we say to other adults’ on social media, it will have to include the roll Charlotte played in this sorry saga – which was inciting bullying and abuse.
For someone who has stated on numerous occassions, that an intelligent discussion should only concern facts, Paul is getting sidetracked by the emotive side of this discussion.
Georgie – Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.
At last we are seeing some proper remarks from you.
Re 108, I’m sure her role will be covered if any prosecutions come about but in the end it won’t be she who will be charged – it will be the others who delivered the actual comments.
Other than that, agree 100% with what you say there.
A Police Minister talking fire and brimstone on law and order….well,he would say that, wouldn’t he? It’s as predictable as the bully on here defending bullying while continuing to bully other commenters.
Sadly Paul, I’m going to disappoint you and say that I don’t advocate for legislation to govern adult interaction on social media. In fact I don’t think it’s desirable or even possible to adequately legislate to protect adults from themselves.
I advocate for adults to be adult about this and take responsibility for themselves and their actions. If they don’t like what’s being said to them or about them on social media sites, then take whatever steps are necessary to stop it – like turn the computer off and walk away for a start. CB covered that very well in #81.
Like I said earlier, Charlotte chose to make this whole business very public by contacting the original commenter’s workplace and then going to the media to publicise her actions. If she feels entitled to express an opinion and to take the action she did, why would she then be surprised that every loony with internet access feels they have the same entitlement.
You understand I’m just talking about the facts here Paul, I’m not getting involved in the emotional side of what has happened to Charlotte.
Well… it seems comments 99 and 101 dont like my comment.
As for you PAUL… yes, you self-pontificating, trolling BULLY!
Yes. Paul is a Bully. A graduate from the Charlotte Dawson Academy of Hypocrisy.
Both Charlotte Dawson and you, Paul, deserve whatever nasty fallout that may happen online, because both of you initiate ‘flame war’.
Yes. The fake anti Bullies are Bullies!
Charlotte Dawson is fake!
Paul is fake!
They start trouble, expecting any victim to simply ‘deal with it’.
When others reciprocate by troubling them… they start to show their true Bully personality… panic, fear, a yellow streak and cry for justice… just as long as their victims are punished, not themselves.
Actually BDD it made ABC radio’s PM program last night.
I think the problem is people are saying things in public that very few would actually dare to say face to face, because at arms length it is harder to appreciate the consequences of ones actions.
None of these people (including celebrities) would be making these comments routinely in non-real time media as they’d quickly be brought undone by libel and slander laws. However, the law is not in a position to adapt quickly, and furthermore the volume of potential legal action (criminal or civil) far outweighs the capabilities of the system.
I’d suggest the only way there is going to be an modicum of control is by targetting the carriage services (such as twitter / facebook etc) and making them responsible for censoring the medium. Before people complain about the notion of censorship, the USA has the right to free speech, but that is not at any cost – there are plenty of checks and balances.
With any luck this will die down as quickly as it came up and we can get on with worrying about other problems – I don’t think there is going to be a workable solution to this issue any time soon
Thanks Dr T and good to hear from you.
Today ABC TV are rightly focusing on asylum seekers, ADF deaths in Afghanistan and the Sydney double “Underbelly” shooting. I’d hope that your average PM listener would produce a better class of troll than those stirred into action by Ms Dawson’s appearances on the tabloid current affairs and infotainment vehicles.
Hey bdd… half the people I know are above average…
Yes, I’m still alive… it’s my off season – waiting for the next flurry of cooking shows… Enjoying Gordon Behind Bars, hope they do another conviction kitchen at some point in time actually.
Oh… I see RR is spruiking for lawyers below through her adverts
Well said Dr T.
I tried to engage Paul yesterday on the issue of whether the medium itself is part of the problem here*. And therefore should be part of the solution. But he seemed intent instead on criminalising what is no more than nasty, uncivic behaviour to the point where I could picture Premier O’Farrell being asked to order prison hulks be built to sit in Sydney harbour housing thousands of ‘vile’ cyber-abuse crims (including those we’d had extradited from other countries**) but no right-wing shock jocks, if you don’t mind. Oh, except perhaps for Kyle Sandilands because he’s apolitical ‘vile’.
The social media platform, Twitter, is a business. Like other businesses it should take some responsibility for any societal downsides of its product, that isn’t patently blatant mis-use of the product. And, if not, this business like all others can probably expect some form of regulation. If such a measure is indeed needed, when assessed rationally and dispassionately by people with some intellect and sense of proportion. And, of course, provided the cost to everyone’s freedom of speech is not disproportionate. However, legislating to criminalise nasty comments or tweets or rude hand gestures or telling someone to ‘get a dog up ya’ is a policy and political nonsense worthy only of some nutty totalitarian state.
* Noting though that I think the high level of media interest in this has blinded some people to the fact that this is not an issue of any national consequence.
** Here’s a tip to all you would-be refos trying to jump the queue to get this country. Don’t waste your time or risk your life on some leaky Indonesian fishing boat. No no no no. Just become a twitter troll and post that you reckon “Lara Bingle should kill herself so that Australia’s IQ can be doubled”. Then sit back and wait for the thousands of crack new Aussie cyber-bully police to track you down and jet you over here to answer for your vileness. All expenses paid. Sorry about the accommodation though.
Just for your holiday pleasure ,Doc. Forget about those catheters and enjoy this.
A guy walks into the doctor office and says, “D d d doc, I’ve bbeen stttutering ffor yyyears and IIII’m tttired of it Cccan yyyou hehehelp mmme?”
The doctor says, “Well, I’ll have to examine you to see what’s going on.”
So he examines him and says, “Well I think I know what the problem is..”
The guy says, “Wwwell wwwhat is it, ddoc?”
The doctor says, “Well, it’s your penis, it’s about a foot long and all the down pressure is putting strain on your vocal cords…”
The guy says, “Wwwat cccan we ddo?”
The doctor advises, “Well, I can cut it off and transplant a shorter one.”
The guy says, “Dddeal.. ….Dddo it!”
The guy has the operation and six weeks later, he comes back into the doctor’s office and says, “Doc, you solved the problem and I don’t stutter anymore, but I’ve only had sex once in the past three weeks. My
wife’s not happy doesn’t want it anymore. She liked it with my long one. I don’t care if I have to stutter, I want you to put my long one back on”
The doctor says, “P p p piss o o o off. A ddddeal’s a dddeal.”
CD you dish it out, you get it back – hence post #1 reference to karma. Anyhow as bdd said there are far bigger issues in the world today than worrying about all this (losing more young boys on the front, one being same age as my son) so sad for their families RIP
As for Dr T I agree – twitter and facebook need to be made accountable as does any decent forum and blog – for what rages totally out of all mind blowing proportions of bullying and getting away with literally murder/suicide etc……… what more has to happen before this will be enforced? Gutless people clicking a few keyboard keys and poof its gone into cyberworld, makes them feel tough and important and there are no boundaries or laws. I guess at least with some forums they do have moderators that censor and delete and then the bullies move onto other places so they can cause havoc cruelty and pain but as I said too, gutless if it came to a face to face.
Bullies in the school yard or work place normally have a posse, but this is a new form of bullyism that knows no bounds and is done by the gutless and faceless
There is some good discussion here. Some a bit past remarkable, but still, that is the life and times of a social forum.
I must admit, I would far prefer to see the Government spend more time on the likes of removing our troops from Afghanastan before 2014, or reaching a pragmatic end to the boat assalym saga, than concern themselves with the issue of abuse and bullying on social networks.
It strikes me as strange the reaction of the Police minister, and the Governments, given they have been unable to successfully implement sanctions to stop bullying in schools, workplaces, etc, but are now reaching bipartisan support to rush legislation through at break neck speeds. It is quite laughable.
The actual blog to this matter by RR highlights the problems associated with legislation and police involvement. Dawson’s own tweets regarding this Brian Boy could be foreshadowed as breaking the anticipated laws. She will say it was done in good humour, however, unless she has the ability to second guess what everyone thinks, does, and reacts, then such a tweet is as abusive and abhorrent as the next. It is absurd that such legislation could be contemplated. As one poster has already pointed out, there in fact exists legislation that covers the extreme levels of exchanges between person via electronic means. I assume Twitter, and other social media forums and devices fall within the boundaries, and if not, then a simple amendment to this legislation would suffice, rather than stand alone laws. It allows the scum to be caught, and does not penalise the many millions for the behaviour of a few.
Finally, I totally agree with the poster who made reference to a time before twitter, and all this social media fanfare. Sometimes I yearn for a time when we didn’t have this technology.
Well said Dr T and CB.
Love the image of prison hulks overloaded with cyber bullies CB – maybe we can start a colony on another planet. I mean the whole idea of criminalising the content of conversations between consenting adults is off the planet anyway.
Yeah, Georgie, a planet of no-nonsense, piss-taking, quietly hard-working larrikins. But who down the generations, as the year’s progress, and their standard of living increases transform into a bunch of whiny self-centred sooks who can no longer properly look after themselves, or those around them who are less fortunate. The final phase sees Planet Larrikin renamed Planet Victim as the inhabits now spend all their time demanding the governments they moan about and despise do idiotic stuff like give them middle-class welfare and legislate against uncivic behaviour.
Fanny-phobic shock jock’s latest ‘vile’ rant –
“Women are destroying the joint” – http://www.news.com.au/national/alan-jones-women-are-destroying-the-joint/story-fndo4eg9-1226462326339
Lol CB #122 – fibre is what’s missing nowadays and not just from our diets. The moral fibre we used to call backbone and character.
This whole issue of whether there should be legislation is definitely debatable however they would need to research it very carefully and the ramifications of legislating or indeed how it is legislated. At this point the coalition and NSW Govt have not said what this legislation should be at the moment their response appears to be a bit of a knee jerk though I expect committees will be formed to look at this issue. Though it should be noted politicians can say what they like under parliamentary privilege. However conversely I don’t think Twitter is or should be taken as a bastion of free speech.
It is my understanding Charlotte Dawson was the victim of a professional trolling attack. This attack resulted in Ms Dawson becoming distress with her tweeting a pic of pills (now taken down) and an ambulance being called to her apartment and her being hospitalised. There is speculation that she attempted suicide. There has been no confirmation of this, but what is clear she was in mental distress. No one wants to see anyone in this sort of mental distressed or that emotionally vulnerable. Whether she was mentally fragile leading up to the trolling attack or it was the catalyst of this crisis is unclear. Her appearances on TV on the Wednesday she spoke of being quite strong. Clearly this was not the case. Let’s hope she is getting assistance and she gets well soon.
It is thought this attack occurred because a section of the online community were outraged by the outing of Tanya Heti and her being suspended from her job wrong. As we know Charlotte on Wednesday was talking about Tanya in the media nationally and about Twitter trolling.
Tanya Heti’s tweet has also resulted in her being nationally humiliated and castigated. She has made no public comment on the story and has taken her twitter account down. I have heard conflicting stories on whether Ms Heti did end up apologising for her tweet. There are conflicting opinions on whether the actions Ms Dawson took on this matter by contacting the girl’s employer was appropriate. What we can presume is Tanya Heti is feeling the ramifications from her tweet.
But as I have written above I have queried whether the way Ms Dawson behaviour on Twitter or other web forums has been appropriate and I still hold this view.
By the way on a similiar but different topic I would also like to see the media take Alan Jones to task over his comment that Julia Gillard should be put in a bag and thrown into the ocean.
You mean Anal Jones. Calling Chopper Read. We don’t find Julia Gillard cruising for sex in public toilets, do we?
Clearly vaginas and those amongst us who possess them don’t rate in Alan Jones’s strange and demented world.
Good assessment Raver.
This is what crikey.com’s editorial says on this issue:-
“The internet certainly provides a bonanza for useless no-names who get a kick out of being very, very nasty to people more successful than they will ever be.
The trolls went for TV host Charlotte Dawson this week, tweeting all kinds of horrible rubbish they would never have the guts say to her face. She ended up in hospital.
That irrepressible populist Tony Abbott leapt on the story, calling for tougher laws against online abuse. “I don’t believe in censoring the internet but we do have to have reasonable protections,” he declared.
Manners were certainly on Abbott’s mind this week — he also offered us this gem, in relation to Liberal headkicker Grahame Morris calling Leigh Sales “a cow”: “I think we should have, as far as is humanly possible, a civil discourse in this country and this gentleman in question has apologised.”
Abbott’s thought-bubble is typical over-reach. A free, open internet is not something to be tampered with lightly. There is much to lose from well-intentioned efforts to “civilise” the net.
So we’re not going to run any of the nasty tweets Dawson received, and we’re not linking to the stories that do. There might be better ways to dissuade — or ignore — the trolls than using a legal sledgehammer. We’d like a more “civil discourse” too, and we’re open to your ideas on how to get there. “
RR mentioned that CD aka Charlotte Dawson is no “cleanskin” on Twitter, et al. Fact///
Maybe, instead of Kony 2012 it appears to be Charlotte Dawson 2012? (nuances from comment 113…)
So Charlotte Dawson is to publish a book soon?
Is Dawsons current Twitter saga somehow a PR stunt to help her forthcoming book sales?
Will Dawson continue to retweet tweets & troll in order to incite flaming?
Based on her past behaviour, likely…
Fibre, backbone and character?
Good point, Georgie.
Good words.
Seems we rarely hear them uttered nowadays.
Or see them written.
Let alone acted out.
You’ve reminded me that I need to spend more time educating my kids on these concepts so I don’t end up adding to the slurry of brats that comprise a good portion of our community and an ever greater proportion of our public figures.
Just to clarify on this blog post http://laurelpapworth.com/charlotte-dawson-cyberbullies-and-social-media-pot-and-kettle/ a person has said that they contacted Lifeline who dispatched police after she saw the twit pic of the pills.
excellent read thanks RR, very relevant points !
Raver #131.
Gee, if only Twitter were around in 1994.
Someone might have seen Kurt Cobain twitpic the gun he was about to use, call the cops and thereby avert the event that meant we had to endure the Foo Fighters.
It’s all fun and games until someone ends up swinging from a lamp post.
Just read this:
Within hours of being admitted to the Emergency Psychiatric Care Unit at St Vincent’s Hospital and as her agents asked for her privacy to be respected, Charlotte Dawson left hospital to conduct an interview with 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown yesterday afternoon.
This afternoon, Dawson’s agent, Kathy Ward from Chic Management, confirmed the interview had taken place, telling PS: “She was quite lucid. We thought about whether it was a good idea to do the interview, she wanted to do it. It was only short, a few minutes, talking about online bullying.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/private-sydney/dawson-talks-to-60-minutes-20120831-2552f.html#ixzz23OtPL3u3
Reading the link RR provided, it seems CD has no real friends and when in time of need, no one was there except this twitter friend in Vic who alerted police because of the pic she uploaded – I also wasn’t aware she suffered depression – there is all sorts of baggage we have from our past and why we all wear masks, more so if you are a ‘celeb’ I guess. She, like any other, would have been hurt by what happened and by her own re-action which lead to further media fodder and backlash. Some have learnt to stop twittering personal stuff (ie Dannii doing a cryptic twitter to Kris prior to them breaking up? Why don’t they keep their private lives, private, then one wouldn’t get ‘attacked’? as no one would be the wiser)
I don’t know littlepetal if it’s a good idea by going on 60min straight out of hospital. She is only setting herself up for more abuse as she is not all that popular and I don’t know if she is strong enough to campaign bullying – it’s been there since day dot WHAT will make it stop and go away? Who has the answers, or the power? But, something’s gotta give and something will happen
Would this issue be any different if it was a young girl who decided to take her life (like so many have). Bullying is real and whether or not you like or dislike to person getting bullied these recent events are putting the spotlight on bullying and more important online bullying (which seems to have no consequences.)
No one can comment on what CD was going through that night. Unless you were in her shoes shut the hell up. Helen Razer wrote a blog showing her real life bullying. Maybe read that to get an insight into what can happen.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Yes Kevin it would have been different if it was a ‘young girl’ because then there would be no issues related to:
- hypocrisy (e.g. CD’s abusive tweet to Brian Boy, tracking down the offending tweeter to their workplace to get them sacked) or
- mobilising a twitter army of 20,000 anti-bully crusaders to bully alleged bullies or
- book launches and publicity.
It would be entirely different.
#137 – “Unless you were in her shoes shut the hell up.” followed by “Everyone is entitled to an opinion.”
Pardon me if I don’t quite understand what it is I’m allowed to do.
Charlotte Dawson on 60 Minutes?!
It could go something like this…
“I was keyboarding on behalf of this victim because a nasty Twit Bully told her to Hang herself & she said her boyfriend had hung himself & that the Twit Bully had made an unacceptable Tweet & that this Twit Bully is in fact a Monash Bully & I outed her for being a Twit Bully to Monash & the media & the planet & the whole of New Zealand Vindictive Bullies & then these other Anon Twit Bullies started to Troll Bully me on Twitter & by the way I am to publish a book & the nasty Anon Twit Bullies kept on Tweeting me & I resorted to keep them online while the Anti Bully Twits & me kept Tweeting these Anon Twit Bullies & this Twit Tweeting Bullying went on till the early hours of the morning & now I am here & I am a victim of Twit Bullies & I am also a spokesperson for an Anti Bullying mob & I know what I am saying & Tweeting & Bullying & Trolling & Flaming & Feeding the Twit Trolling Bullies & I am a celebrity & I need Some sympathy & I dont expect to get it from Kiwi Fruits/Twits/Vindictives/Bullies & ‘I’m a model, you know what I mean… and I do my little turn on the catwalk… I’m too sexy for my love’…
Barry Lyndon, # 140, ROFL.
I’m too sexy for my love…
Culinary Boner you may have called it right it does have an Absolute Power vibe about it now.
If Ms Dawson’s appearance turns into a fracas which I suspect it will be she and her PR handlers have no one to blame but themselves. For someone in severe mental anguish to be able to frock up and talk to a media organisation is bizarre to say the least and will be met with great cynicism by a lot of people.
Kevin – I am not sure you can plead for privacy and at the same time go on 60 minutes and not expect criticism.
CB the difference is that it doesnt get talked about when a young girl takes her life due to online bullying. i just saw on the Today show that they are talking about online bullying. That can only be a good thing. if it takes someone like CD to be ridiculed and mocked like she is getting on this thread then its well worth it. Whether or not you like who is getting bullied is irrelevant its getting talked about. If the media hype created by the latest events saves one young girls life then I have no problem with CD
Daze-
It’s been reported her close friends Alex Perry and Jo Thornley were with her in the hospital. Most people who commit suicide don’t even leave notes, (or blurt out their distress on twitter, as CD did) let alone phone their bloody friends.
It has also been reported she left St Vincent’s to do this interview and was then readmitted to the psychiatric care unit. She must believe passionately in the worth of doing it, and one assumes the doctors whose care she is under saw the point also.
I think it will be dangerous when the book comes out because anyone reading it could be bored to death. What’s the dang thing going to be called by the way? I’d plonk for “Revenge Is Tweet”, myself.
“Trick or Tweet”
“We Can’t Go On Tweeting Like This”
“Where The Tweets Have No Name”
In addition to a segment on this topic on it’s morning show that Kevin referred to,Ch9 will butter up on Monday’s ACA with a story on kids’ sport coaches who verbally abuse and bully on obesity, “boat person” issues etc. The promos are disturbing enough but hey, CH 9 have recently “retweeted” and celebrated the T.Rex of bullies , Kerry Packer in his ****ing heyday.
I haven’t watched 60 minutes for a long time , so I’ll have to come here to see how Ms Dawson goes down. Rather see Kel get bullied on the Kath and Kim Souvenir editions.
Kevin, if you want to waste some time, read my comments above and you will see that I don’t condone bullying especially in its broadest sense – the serious bullying that occurs across our workplaces, schools etc…(including abuses of power by authority figures – e.g. the paedos that have been cloistered and protected by so-called ‘men of god’).
In fact, this type of bullying is the very stuff that one other commenter noted above our political leaders (and society in general) had failed to adequately address.
I actually think the online bullying issue is getting undue prominence over the more general issue of bullying because its new, and therefore newsworthy. And I firmly believe that, based on all available evidence and as I stated above, CD is a hypocrite who is “all personal indignation, ego-driven outrage and no f…en sense”. The sort of Facebook bullying that sees teenagers target each other and leads to actual harm and suicides is a problem that needs addressing.
However, D-list celebs with narcissistic personality disorders may be in Charlotte’s debt. Clearly such types need to handle Twitter and Facebook with more care, otherwise it will blow up in their faces.
Mean Ms Tweeter.
If I could talk to Charlotte Dawson, I would tell her to shut down her facebook and twitter altogether. She would find life a whole less stressful that’s for sure.
I had a family member who shut down facebook after having a few problems and they said it’s the best thing they ever did and they feel so much happier. I’ve never been on either, it doesn’t interest me at all.
I’m not saying that Charlotte hasn’t brought some of it on herself, but two wrongs don’t make a right and when hundreds of people are all ganging up on her saying such hateful, vile things, well then, no wonder the poor woman is in hospital!
The person @113, you are a bully yourself and a coward too because you can’t even use your own name but take Charlotte’s name, I’m glad some of your comment was deleted.
As BDD said, there are much more sad things happening at the moment with our Aussie soldiers being killed than worrying about all these twitter comments.
Daze@136, I agree with you, good comments.
lol bdd
T. Rex of bullies… hahahhaha
While Howzat was fun to watch, it was also an instructive exercise in kissing a dead man’s arse. Was residual fearful ‘worship’ of the Bullying Goanna, now clearly embedded in the corporate culture at Nine, a motivation here?
I’m sitting here thinking about solutions to this problem ….and a Chuck Norris infomercial comes on. Problem solvered.
It’s the Total Troll(tm)
Every time the issue comes up, Ch 9 get PTSD over the Kerry Packer days ,Boner.
Kevin, I believe there would be very few people whose lives had not been touched by suicide. Someone very close to me took his life because his wife was going to leave him for another man and I believe there would be many similar stories to that one. What do you suggest we do about that, legislate to make it illegal to leave your partner for someone else?
The son of a close friend of mine hanged himself because he abused drugs and his mind gave out. At the time, using drugs was illegal and it still is, however hundreds, if not thousands of young people take their lives each year due to drug abuse. A friend of my daughter jumped to her death from a hospital balcony because she was suffering post-natal depression – solution barricade all balconies? A headland near where I live is famous for people jumping off for whatever reason, much like The Gap in Sydney. What do we do, fence off every headland and cliff top on our coast and then put up a sign do not go beyond the fence?
Making something illegal or difficult to access won’t stop the problems because people will continue to choose to do the wrong thing, even at the risk of prosecution or self-harm. Look at the gun laws – the only people who gave up their guns were the law abiding ones. If someone is intent on getting a gun and using it, that law isn’t going to stop them and by then the damage is done.
We can never legislate adequately enough to protect oursleves from ourselves and own choices. The key is education – in our homes and our schools so we are equipped to look after ourselves and behave sensibly because the list of potential threats to our wellbeing is endless. It would be novel to see all the public money that’s wasted each year on inquiries, analyses, reports and legislation, put into education and intervention instead.
I work in the tertiary education sector and I can tell you with authority, that over the last 22 years, our budgets have been pared back by millions of dollars each year to the point our head teachers now spend most of their time chasing other sources of funding to deliver courses and staff who leave the organisation aren’t being replaced.
Ironically, the law now says educational staff are responsible for mandatory reporting of suspected abuse and duty of care of children, vulnerable people and clients and there’s nothing wrong with that I hear you say. I agree, however these laws are passed and implemented but funding is not forthcoming to enable it to happen at the grass roots level. Instead, it’s expected to be managed by the people who are battling to offer courses with an ever shrinking budget and workforce.
Staff are now so bound up in compliance and the resulting paperwork, that they themselves are becoming a casualty of the system because they can no longer cope with the workload. Morale is very low and their physical and mental health is suffering. Nothing is ever said about this in the media, except when the Premier announces thousands of job cuts in the public sector and the firies, nurses, teachers, police etc come out and vainly march through the streets trying to engender public support. The world is going mad I tell you.
Sorry everyone, I got off the track a bit, but education is a soapbox issue for me.
I know I shouldn’t feed trolls, but that was great, Georgie.
“Making something illegal or difficult to access won’t stop the problems because people will continue to choose to do the wrong thing, even at the risk of prosecution or self-harm.”
Agreed . And like Dr Phil says , the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour.
Why is someone with a different opinion to the majority here automatically a troll???
I didn’t see anything offensive in Kevin’s posts.
I thought bdd was referring to me planb and if my interpretation is correct, then I can see the humour in his remark and I don’t take offence.
Good point planb.
Mr. bdd calls anyone who doesn’t agree with him or who doesn’t appreciate his lame contributions a troll or a bully.
He will then ask RR to remove the comments that he doesn’t like. That’s what I call a bully!
Oh!
Like I said, the way I read it, bdd was referring to me, so maybe he can tell us himself.
The only comments we both ask to be removed are the ones a certain dickhead makes, using our names.
My troll is back! A person I think of with irritation and mild affection. What is your opinion of this whole scenario as a troll I would like to know your view!
That comment was for Georgie, who appropriately took it with a grain of salt.
I didn’t intend to confuse you,plan b.
I have a feeling it is turning into a trainwreck and the one who will be hurt is Charlotte herself. I was watching her twitter that night for a little bit. Whilst retweeting and engaging with the trolls she was also tweeting about her book due out soon, those tweets are now removed. It has been reported that she posted a pic later that night of tablets in her hand, that pic was also removed? Did she clean up her twitter account prior to being admitted? It is all very strange.
As an ambassador for an anti bullying organistaion I would hope that they wouldn`t engage in a form of reverse bullying, seems like she wasn`t above a spot of throwing taunts & nasty comments at others. How disheartening to families of patients with mental illness that are desperately trying to get their family member into the system when Charlotte gets admitted to a psychiatric unit but within hours can take a breather to go out & talk to the media & then return.
I just hope it isnt a publicity stunt to promote her new book.
Thanks bdd, I was reading your comment correctly and appreciate your irreverent humour yet again.
Thank **** for that, Georgie. I was going to go and hang myself …some curtains.
And I’m sorry that some time back plan b , you were on the end of some collateral damage when I was being trolled.
Based on some comments that charlotte dawson made on facebook a few years ago calling someone an aray of nasty names ..scrag, whore And attacking their class based on where they lived ectera…
http://www.realityravings.com/2010/07/30/alex-perry-and-charlotte-dawson-in-a-facebook-scuffle/
is appears miss dawson does not really understand the actual meaning of the word bully… Because she is one and even in light of the last week the way that she has reacted to being bullied and acting as the victim… Come on ….shes nearly a fifty year old woman.. She really needs to be setting a better example for young people using the Internet… I Believe she is sending a very wrong message…..
Maybe everyone should stop posting, tweeting, commenting, etc about Charlotte Trollson… hmm Dawson.
The more Charlotte Dawson this or that in cyberspace, the more this increasingly apparent C grade Celebs ‘Tweet the troll’ vanity is fed…
Next Charlotte Trollson… Dawson, will run against Juliar Gillard and promise the electorate that “Under my Tweets there will never be a Troll Tax”…
I find the whole story very suspicious. Dawson took on the trolls and then weakened so quickly. One second fighting the good fight the next second caving in.
I just don’t buy it.
Yowsa! This has exploded. All I know is if this Dawson skank encourages our piss weak government into bringing laws against freedom of speech just because she felt she had no option but to fake a suicide attempt – I’ll be pissed. Britain already have this law and several people have been arrested over comments.
I’m a HUGE twitter person as in shows and personalities – all of the sarcastic and smart arse – but I would never tell someone to kill themselves or hurt themselves or anything like that – it’s not funny, it’s not witty and it’s not clever. That being said – the minute we start to censor that – where does it end?
We are already starting to live in a Nanny Country – with massive restricitions over things that are absolutely legal. How far do we want to go? All I know is if this bullshit ‘poor me’ crap takes hold and actions are taken – I’m moving to Holland!
Don’t worry Gidgit, with Charlotte’s Twitter history, she’ll be one of the first ones arrested.
I guess I’ll be sucked in to watching Ms D’s appearance* on 60 Minutes tonight despite my better judgement and despite the undeniable fact that institutionalised bullying like the following -
“There have been 11 deaths by suicide or drug overdose of men who had been students at St Pius X, the most recent being a 45-year-old father of two who took his own life on July 22 (http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hidden-horrors-in-halls-of-learning-20120901-25738.html#ixzz25GVmoywZ) –
makes Ms Dawson’s case pale into insignificance.
* Presumably paid appearance, I should add. Hopefully, given the self-professed community – rather than personal – interest of the issue, Nine’s cheque will be donated to Community Brave or Lifeline. We wouldn’t want people to unfairly reach the ‘vile’ conclusion that this was some strange money grubbing PR exercise now, wouldn’t we?
Reported in today`s Sunday Sun : “During her stay, it is understood doctors advised the “fragile” Dawson not to take part in the paid 60 Minutes interview but that she insisted because she wanted to send a message to the trolls.”
Fragile uh huh but able to still talk to the media *rolls eyes* I really now feel this is just one big publicity stunt and us the public are being duped by poor fragile Charlotte
bdd #145 – rofl. Didn’t get around to saying this yesterday – too busy preparing my ‘Troll Tome’.
Charlotte Dawson. Look at me, I ‘m a saint, I ain’t sinned. I’m innocent. Pft! Yeah right.
This is chick book journalism at it’s lowest.
More worrying… is certain blogs biased slant about Charlotte Dawson…
A great example being ‘Mammia – What Everyone’s Talking About’.
Their Discussions, as they like to call it there, while appearing to write a balanced view have actually minimised Dawsons far from angelic Twitter & professional history and appear to have bias toward promoting the saintliness of CD and…
No! No way, is CD milking all of this as a PR stunt!
According to Mamamia, she is a beautiful, innocent, celebrity-like Goddess.
Many posts disagreeing with other pro CD posts or moderater removal actions have been deleted.
Mamamia! The bias?!
@fran mamamia? people still read that tripe? In Mia`s attempt to build her empire she is certainly losing touch with her readers. sigh. Is she still treating everyone like they are 5 yr old children?
Good to see Charlotte did get to promote her book on 60 minutes, no surprise there.
for a start thats the wrong twitter account, hers is charlotte D, she defended a friend that was getting bullied on twitter, then the bullies turned on her. the image you posted isnt her twitter account.
Anna – Sorry what do you mean that it is the wrong Twitter account?
[...] is a snapshot of that behaviour in a blog post I wrote last Tuesday querying whether Charlotte Dawson was the best person to be a spokesperson on [...]
I have now blogged on 60 Minutes interview http://www.realityravings.com/2012/09/03/charlotte-dawson-speaks-out-shaken-media-reporting-should-also-examine-the-national-vilification-of-tanya-heti/
If she had have said these things about Austra;ia, I’m sure we would have lashed out at her as well. I would never go as far as to wish her to hanf herself, but she should never have said the things about NZ. She was a complete idiot for doins so, as she polarised her home-country. And as for wishing for another person to be killed, well at least she is getting the feeling to what she had said to that BryanBoy person.
Finally, a balanced article giving the ‘two’ key stories at play on this issue. They are stating to appear now that various media people are being reminded of the Bryan issue. If Dawson had come out and said in the past week….you know what? I laughed that off…but Bryan..I am now really sorry…etc etc..that would have been worthy of some admiration. And, strangely enough, that would have won her the same or better marketing for her work and books. I too felt chasing that woman was perhaps a vindictive act. It would certainly be a coup to see the two of them now face off on a current affairs show. And well said re if that same vindictive act had been actioned by Bryan. (Not excusing the woman’s actions in saying this). The other issue is that it was a woman defending Dawson who was also abused..a woman who said her fiance suicided. Now, that person – given it is cyber space – may not have been telling the truth (heck, they may not even be female), however, she had decent grounds to be very distressed. Where is Dawson’s concern about her in all this?? And finally, off-topic, must we have xx at the end of Tweets. Even Dawon’s pals who have blogged about this do that. It’s a Tweet accessory that seems odd to use on just about everything you say. Kisses are blown no matter what? All the time? Everyone out there is loved. Are we sharing the love? Not at the moment.
@anna and Reality Raver… Isn’t that simply an older account with image? She certainly was reported by both SMH and NZ press over those Tweets and she didn’t dispute making them at all. It’s not unusual for people to amend their account name a little over time.
Anna and Susan – That is her twitter account MsCharlotteD
@Reality Raver…yes…you’re right. No issue here.
people should just stop retaliating all the time esp you young ones. so what if she said we’re vindictive (i’m from nz), i’m sure you’ve said worse, just grow a thick skin SMH #don’t judge
Well, I’m disappointed Charlotte has deleted her twitter.
But I understand why she probably did it. I thought going private would help her. Thought she did a great job on fashion police!!! She’s just doing her job! Emmaxx
Emma xx
Charlotte’s twitter account doesn’t exsist now
but I will miss her on twitter, sorry she felt she had to do that! She is just doing her job!!
Hope she will be ok x
Charlotte’s twitter account doesn’t exsist now
but I will miss her on twitter, sorry she felt she had to do that! She is just doing her job!!
Hope she will be ok x
Emmax
Well if that’s the case Twitter’s IQ just jumped from 35 to 38.
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