Re: Threats and unacceptable behaviour

Rod Hagen (rodhagen@insane.apana.org.au)
Thu, 01 Dec 1994 09:20:47 +1000

In article <3as245$i34@wumpus.cc.uow.edu.au>, collier@wumpus.cc.uow.edu.au
(henry w collier) wrote:

> This is a copy of a message that I received from one Mr. Gil Hardwick.
>
> There is an unveiled threat in this message that is, IMO, totally
> and wholly inappropriate for this network.
>
> From gil@landmark.DIALix.oz.au Mon Nov 21 10:24 EST 1994
> Received: from perth.DIALix.oz.au (gilsuucp@perth.DIALix.oz.au
[192.203.228.2]) by wyrm.cc.uow.edu.au (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id
KAA26970 for <collier@uow.edu.au>; Mon, 21 Nov 1994 10:24:07 +1100
> Received: from landmark.UUCP (gilsuucp@localhost) by perth.DIALix.oz.au
(8.6.9/8.6.4) with UUCP id HAA21333 for collier@uow.edu.au; Mon, 21 Nov
1994 07:24:00 +0800
> Received: by DIALix.oz.au!landmark; Sun, 20 Nov 1994 17:38:40
> X-Mailer: WinNET Mail, v2.20
> Message-ID: <188@landmark.DIALix.oz.au>
> Reply-To: gil@landmark.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
> To: collier@uow.edu.au
> Date: Sun, 20 Nov 1994 17:38:39
> Subject: What are you up to?
> From: gil@landmark.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
> Content-Type: text
> Content-Length: 535
> Status: RO
>
> I still want to know who you are, Henry W. Collier, and what you
> think you are up to mailing Jeff Johnson at DIALix about having my
> access to the Internet cut off.
>
> No worries if you don't want to reply immediately. I travel quite a
> lot and you never know the day I will look you up. Maybe I'll just
> call in, and ask you myself in person.
>

Well, I know Gil Hardwick raises a lot of ire in this conference but I
find it difficult to see the "unveiled threat" in this particular piece of
mail. Externally it seems like the sort of message which someone who
believes that somebody else is trying to have them cut off from access to
a newsgroup might quite reasonably send to that person. Sure the style is
a bit rough but I don't see any threat either physical or otherwise in it.
(Unless the recipient feels that having to discuss their actions, or
purported actions, threatening)

This seems simply to be a person wanting to know why somebody else is
threatening them!

While context may give it other meanings (if for example Gil Hardwick had
a habit of beating up those whom he called on, rather than speaking to
them) I would have thought the boot was on the other foot in this
situation. That Hardwick was feeling that he was being threatened and was
seeking to resolve the matter directly with the person concerned. Mailing
a copy of the message to the newsgroup seems to me to inappropriate in
these circumstances.

-- 
Rod Hagen
rodhagen@insanity.apana.org.au
Rod_Hagen@maccontent.apana.org.au