Caller's reason not to shame Greta trolls only makes James O'Brien more determined
2 March 2020, 15:13
This journalist said that Greta Thunberg abusers shouldn't be exposed - and James O'Brien shows him why he's wrong.
Seb in Bristol talked to one of the men highlighted in the Bristol Live article for his abusive comments and attempted to dissuade James from revealing their identities.
"The strongest argument against it is the lack of background research into the mental health and the life situation of the men involved," said Seb.
James responded, "How do you make these men contemplate the impact on a Greta Thunberg or a Caroline Flack?"
Seb said the answer isn't immediately apparent so we "shouldn't rush to naming and shaming them."
"They named themselves and they shamed themselves on the public page of a media Facebook page," said James, and reflected that he wouldn't expose people who privately send him abuse via text.
"Surely these people do and should realise how stupid they're being."
The journalist countered, "Millions of people have access to the internet and millions of people can be of low intelligence or poor mental health and make stupid decisions. I think there's a very different ethical consideration if journalists choose to broadcast them."
James responded that Seb is completely ignoring the fact that they've chosen to do it themselves in a public space and so the phrase naming and shaming is actually redundant.
"If the aim of the article is to discourage bullying and harassment, what they've done is create much more of it because these men have obviously been attacked by thousands of people," said Seb, to which James said they've been attacked for being disgusting.
Seb revealed that the elderly father of one of the named men has received abuse on Facebook.
"The thing to point out here is: this is the world you create and only by showing you what you're creating are we going to persuade you to stop doing it...how are we going to stop him doing it again?" said James.
When Seb said an eye for an eye is not the way forward, James pointed out this was not an eye for an eye, Greta Thunberg is a "blameless harmless 17 year old woman" and he is a "bigot a troll and a bully."
