(Warning: this post contains links to language that isn’t work or family friendly and have been marked NSFW. It would be a good idea for young kids to cover this topic with a grown up.)

This morning before work, I happened to catch former MLB all star & world series champion pitcher Curt Schilling on CNN discussing his dealings with internet trolls who thought it would be great fun to post vile remarks about his daughter on Twitter. Because I am teaching a course on social media, and because my own daughter is a ball player, this sort of thing grabs my attention. Apparently, he tracked down the trolls and they received the real life sanctions of getting kicked out of college and losing a job for their online actions. Wanting to learn more, I read Curt’s (NSFW) blog about what happened.  What I read sounded really familiar because we’ve been talking about these things in my class this semester.

In my class, we talked about Kathy Sierra’s decade long experience of troll torment, leading her to conclude that the (NSFW) Trolls Will Always Win. It turns out, she’s not alone and this phenomenon of threatening physical violence happens with all too much regularity. Amanda Hess wrote about her own and others’ experience in (NSFW) Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet. She was so frightened when this happened to her, she called the police to report the threats. But the investigating officer replied with the question,

What is Twitter?

The World Wide Web is a couple of decades old now, and the read/write web has been around for about half of that time. Because the read/write web and its child social media require no special skills to use, anyone with an Internet connection can use them. This unfortunately includes people with nothing better to do but to make life miserable for others.

That is why it was so refreshing to see someone of Curt Schilling’s stature and influence speaking out and actually doing something. He writes in a follow up post,

You have a son, daughter, sister or brother? Niece, nephew, cousin? One that you would go to the ends of the earth for? Think about it for a second. Phone rings and that person has died, hung themselves because they were bullied. How are you doing? What’s your reaction?

I don’t know Curt Schilling. I didn’t even really follow baseball until the past few years when my kids got into it and the Royals started winning.  I don’t know his past history, what he’s said that offends people, or anything really. All I know is I see a daddy sticking up for his little girl. He asks,

I grew up in a world where women were treated with respect and dignity. When did that become out of date? Obsolete? How? Why?

and opines,

I promise you even the baddest and toughest, meanest and strongest man reading this sees zero honor in belittling a minor, zero. Zero honor in sexually harassing a woman.

Curt Schilling, I’m sorry your daughter went through this mess, but I’m glad to see you are bringing attention to this problem. You are so right, we are losing kids all of the time because of their quiet suffering of these attacks. I know as a father, I would do all I could to protect my kids too. But most parents aren’t in the public eye, and I’m afraid that many are completely unaware that this even goes on with their kids every day. That’s why even though I made this video several years ago, I still say kids shouldn’t drive alone on the internet.

So what is the right thing to do? Do you call 911 when you are threatened online? Do local law enforcement agencies have the resources to investigate and prosecute when this happens? I don’t think they currently do. I don’t think we have an infrastructure in place to deal with this growing problem. And is Curt is right? Is the best approach to dealing with cyberbullies to pursue them and make an example of them? If you do, you’d better have a really thick skin like Curt Schilling does, because people have an insane habit of victim blaming and try to convince you that whatever bad thing happened did so because you brought it on yourself.

One thing I know for certain is that parents and educators need to be involved with what their kids are doing online in social media. This stuff is real. These attacks are real and the hurt is real. When a kid is on the receiving end, there is nothing quite like knowing that a caring and loving adult is in their corner. But they can’t know that if we aren’t aware of what is going on in their online lives.

Good for you Curt Schilling. Keep fighting the good fight and setting the example for dads everywhere!