Wests Tigers Captain Robbie Farah has issued the following statement.
I have written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard today to apologise for any hurt caused by a tweet I posted in 2011.
As you are aware I have been vocal in recent days about criticising those who say some pretty disgraceful things through social media and I have appreciated your support in relation to that cause.
It is an experience that has highlighted the hurtful nature of unthinking comments and even those which are sometimes put forward as ‘black humour’.
In the course of this I have been alerted to a ‘tweet’ I made last year in relation to the Prime Minister which was in hindsight clearly offensive.
At the time I did think about what I had done and removed the ‘tweet’ soon after posting it but that of course doesn’t repair the damage.
I make no excuse and offer my sincere apologies. I can only say that I have learnt a lot in recent days and I hope that everyone in the community can learn about the pain that we can cause through such comments.
Hopefully the whole situation will only serve to encourage everyone to think about what we are really saying before we hit the ‘send’ key.
THE Daily Telegraph has today launched a petition aimed at stopping the vile and abusive trolls on Twitter, facelessly and mercilessly attacking not just celebrities and sports stars but other everyday users simply for the thrill.
Our goal is to push for Twitter to be obligated to work with authorities when these cowards break the law, bully or abuse others simply because they can, hiding behind the anonymity of their keyboard.
They also have a "poll" where only option is "yes".
Apparently bullying via twitter and facebook is only bad if the recipient is a celebrity. So they are taking a stand to save the people that make the news they write about.
I think the term "trolls" is incorrect. Signing up to a lesbian forum and saying you only have sex with 18 year old girls that work at MacDonald's is trolling. Claiming you're the best at some endeavour you've clearly never pursued is trolling. Posting false opinions is trolling. Posting an opinion you know is going to offend and posting purely because it will offend is trolling. Being a fake bicurious Nintendo fanboy is trolling. Trolling can be hilarious or annoying depending on who you are.
But I've never thought of outright bullying, threats, stalking and continuous pestering as trolling. Those things are actual intended harassment and generally not quite as hilarious.
Yeah I don't know why we're so eager to create a law that could easily be taken out of context. It's the internet, grow a thicker skin. If you're famous you really should be extra aware about the dangers of Twitter.
Celebs just have to understand that social media tools give users an amazing amount of access to them. I can now say something to Ed Boon about MK and there is a high chance he'll read it.
They also have to understand that using these tools means everything you say is under scrutiny because so many people have access to you.
Also, we need to reclaim the term trolling... I wonder if this is how black people feel when whites steal their terms... Bling bling!
