Universities in the Philadelphia area were on high alert today after a threat directed at them was posted on 4chan’s /r9k/ board. The anonymous threat (everything is anonymous on 4chan) deliberately called to mind the threat/warning posted on the same message board last week, the day before a gunman shot and killed eight students and one professor at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.
“The first of our kind has struck fear into the hearts of America,” the writer of the new threat declared.
His cries have been heard, even by the president. This is only the beginning. On October 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM CT, a fellow robot will take up arms against a university near Philadelphia. His cries will be heard, his victims will cower in fear, and the strength of the Union will decay a little more. …
Martyr yourself for the cause or support those who have the courage to do so. We have the chance to make the world a better place for betas everywhere.
The deadline passed without incident — as did the deadline for a similar threat directed at schools in Edinburgh. Scotland, posted shortly after the Oregon shootings — but not without shaking a lot of people up.
Now the most malevolent trolls on the /r9k/ board, knowing that they have the attention of the world, are rhapsodizing about the coming “beta rebellion,” gleefully mocking the victims of the Oregon shootings, and posting threats aimed at an assortment of schools around the world, from Texas to the Netherlands.
And so, alongside more traditional /r9k/ topics as “Post your waifu” and “DAILY REMINDER THAT ALL FEMALES ARE DECEIVING SUBHUMAN WHORES,” the board today is filled with simultaneously ridiculous and chilling messages like these:
4chan being what it is, other anons are posting ironic “threats” aimed at, among other places, the moon, Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, and Whoville — the latter a reference to a news reporter who mistook the board’s meme mascot, a frog called Pepe, for the Grinch.
In the wake of a mass shooting that left ten people dead, this is all a good deal less than hilarious. Yes, yes, 4chan apologists, I know that the anons writing the “real threats” are most likely shitposters, like the anons joking about shooting up the moon, in that they most likely have no intention of carrying out their threats.
But at the same time it’s clear they do intend to terrorize real people with their probably fake threats. As they know well, we have to take them seriously, given that a similar threat on the same message board only a few days ago was followed by an actual, real-world massacre.
This isn’t shitposting so much as it is terrorism, a form of terrorism enabled and in some ways encouraged by 4chan’s anonymous nature.
It’s also clear that the “beta uprising” the /r9k/ regulars are joking about — and designing flags for — isn’t altogether a joke to them either.
Aside from the picture of Hitler, there’s not much deliberate irony in this discussion. These are two people discussing the future of a would-be political movement, in the wake of an act of terrorism that may be tied to the message board they are posting on. One thinks the terror caused by the shootings in Oregon will lead people to take their “issues” seriously; the second sees to think that continued violence is the only answer.
I’m not seeing a joke here.
Anon
“Anon Here If you cant see the Irony you are right gtfo of /r9k/ and /b/ but why kill a site for a few bad apples. Do you really think anyone serious would post on 4chan now when a shooting just happened? Some of them might be retarded no one are that stupid.”
Those “few bad apples” are advocating murder and it’s not just a few there are tons of members who are like this. We are spreading the word about these terriorists and not just this site but anywhere else that are bigots and terriorists. Btw read the comment policy no ableist slurs like r*tard. Now you gtfo a-hole.
@Fang
Man do I dislike using a symbol to quote others but whatever. In that case I would be more likely to believe you. I’d also be grateful if the U.S. manages to finally get the internet and make proper legislation on properly dealing with these homegrown terrorists.
4chan can ban ToR exit nodes all day, and the assholes getting banned can just
do ToR stuffuse a different one. It’s not particularly difficult to access the ‘net over an IP that isn’t the one your ISP assigns you — my laptop registers as Singapore currently cuz my UK proxy kept spitting and I like being able to watch BBC. ToR’s slow for streaming video, I don’t need anonymity, and what country your IP registers as can be iffy, so I use a proxy, but ToR is arguably easier since you can straight up download a browser (Videla, spelt however you spell the onion, f’ex) and you’ll be up and running in 5 min, whereas proxy settings hide in the depths of your, uh, settings… that metaphor failed.Next time some asshat tries to tell me that 4chan is being ironic, I’m taking all these links and asking “is THIS supposed to be ironic?” to each one. Thank you David for linking to SEVERAL of their threads just to
Also, mocking a woman who was shot 10 times and saying that she ‘had what’s coming’ because she committed the crime of being attractive and in a relationship? Yeah, I’m gonna be sick
At the very least the ‘daily reminder that women are whores’ thread provides fascinating insight into their minds. For those unwilling to venture, it’s a bunch of “before/after” make-up pictures that clearly prove that feeeeeeemales are evil liars who wear make-up and also ugly without make-up. Highlights include:
-A bunch of commenters declare that the women in the pictures are attractive before the make-up, they are IMMEDIATELY called white knights, cucks, redditors, etc…
-Several commentators declare, with moral superiority, that those women are unattractive both before and after (they think this makes them look cool). They then declare how ‘normies’ have invaded their board because no real ‘robot’ would consider these women attractive.
-Some idiot tries to claim that women use make-up to ‘trick’ men into a relationship to them (getting a bit of deja vu on that one). One poster questions this assertion and how stupid it is. Another poster explains to him that ‘Yes. AFTER they fucked. AFTER she was given a chance.’
-Posters start arguing over use of memes, over overuse of memes, use of “go back to reddit” (which btw is considered an insult in their culture). Then, some Poe declares that “women are a meme”.
-Towards the bottom, one poster wants to declare that the pre-makeup women are ‘pretty cute’. Of course, he’s smart enough to see how well that went over so he frames his opinion in the only way a bigot knows how: “I’m not a [insert homophobic slur] but….”
Well, the first step is to ensure none of these cretins can actually get their hands on guns…or semi automatic/automatic weapons.
Oops, should read “Thank you David for linking to SEVERAL of their threads just to make it abundantly clear how awful they are.”
A few bad apples? 4chan is well known for being filled to the brim with trolls, misogynists, Nazis, homophobes and every other type of asshole that walks the earth. You can’t call it a few bad apples if it’s the entire orchard that is putrid and rotten.
Who cares if it’s “irony?” There only needs to be one person who takes it seriously and carries out a threat and you have blood on your hand. Even if the threats are never carried out, it still traumatizes people. It’s not cute. It’s not funny. It’s not even irony. Grow the fuck up. Learn to write properly while you’re at it.
@ altofronto
It’s certainly a lot easier to get guns in the US, both legally and illegally but it’s pretty easy to get illegal guns in the UK too, as the chap recently sentenced demonstrated.
You don’t even need to use the net, there are lots of places you can pick them up. You don’t even have to buy them outright, you can even rent them. It was a pool weapon that Mark Dungan was transporting when he was stopped.
interesting Interestingly under English law the 4chan posts would count as inciting terrorism but there’s a rather strange procedure whereby the police have to give notice and allow the poster an opportunity to withdraw the post before someone can be prosecuted.
Miss Andry, OMG, more AVFM drama, thank you thank you! And I’ll be adding your site to a new sidebar on whtm 2.0.
You can make this argument against any law or regulation. If it becomes more difficult and more risky to post threats on the internet, fewer people will do it. Dedicated trolls will find a way, but bored, immature brats may quit.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Big Brother invasively monitoring the internet. That’s why I’d like for there to be some mild common sense steps to curb the worst of internet troll culture. I fear that if nothing is done there will eventually be a huge backlash that will cause governments to go too far.
This makes me really glad this shit wasn’t around when my brother was growing up, he already has enough issues with toxic masculinity. Thank god they weren’t exasperated by shit like 4chan which I’m sure if he read in his teens would have only made it worse.
Yeah, this is what I’m growling about, you said it better than I did. I think I’m just taking it out on the SPLC because, as something that only exists to track hate crimes, they should bloody well know better.
Cool! Thanks, Dave! 🙂
They security agencies almost certainly already scoop up tor data. Actually, it’s not secure if you have wide enough data collection, if you watch the in ports and the out ports, you can use stuff like the data packet size and other details to link up the outgoing traffic with an incoming IP address.
This is one of the reasons I left 4chan, When I left, the site pretty became a cesspool anyway, now with the GG fiasco and this..,
I think it is time to start calling them for what they really are: Terrorists, they may not have a political motive but they are doing it on the basis of hate, striking fear in the people.
This has got to stop, and unfortunately the media is going to blame solely on mental illness, guns, etc. instead of the obvious motive: Misogyny and toxic masculinity. It’s this deep and toxic culture that is causing these deaths. when are MRA’s and PUA’s are going to see that masculinity is screwing them over and not feminism.
Finally when these guys complain that women won’t date them, maybe they should look at their damn selves and see why no one will date them.
Dear Anon,
You’re wrong: now would be the perfect time for a bastard to post a real threat on 4chan, just because so many people like you would automatically assume it’s a false threat since so many other 4channers are being ‘helpful’ in muddying the already stinking cesspool with additional fake threats.
No one can really tell the difference between the fake ones and the real ones, and that’s a problem.
4chan’s users need to knock it off. Now.
They’re just like the jerks who yell fire in a crowded theater, and their speech should be just as illegal.
Our legal codes have just failed to keep up with technology.
Well, you guys all know my reaction.
http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/blow_it_up_ugly_americans.gif
WWTH — I was commenting on the idea that since 4chan can block IPs, they must be traceable. The ethics of gov’n intervention online is definitely more in depth than my quick ToR 101 post could hope to cover! I’m not sure there is a good answer to that one besides sites self policing, but 4chan refuses to and thus we end up with these pea brains making threats for fun.
Binjabreel — oh certainly, I just doubt they’d sift through all that data every time someone is an asshole online, even if limited to threats sorting the actual threats from the braggarts probably makes it impractical. For an anonymous bomb threat followed by an explosion? Oh fuck can they, and will they, trace it. I’m just not sure it can really be used for prevention, maybe with a clear enough threat, but with “don’t go to school in [fairly wide region]” on a board known for its bullshit?
Granted, if they call it terrorism then we have handed them a nearly blank check, so maybe then they’d give every possible threat the packet tracing treatment.
lol @ these suburban whiteboys complaining that their lives are “hell” because they’re annoying, disgusting, ignorant nerds. If they’d just, you know, stop being pieces of shit their lives would be much better. Instead they’re entitled manbabies who do nothing for themselves.
I don’t think they understand what “a living hell” is really like. Ironically, they tend to make fun of people who do know what actual living hells are like so lol. Their whiny, weak asses are fucking pathetic. These whiny idiot fascists aren’t worth the air they suck into their lungs.
But….but….they exist and were told how awesome and special with boundless future potential…so gosh darnit they should get to keep on doing whatever the fuck they want with no punishment, limitation, or fear of reprisals!
“Thanks Bush/Obama, this recession took away all the jobs that were keeping the troll army too busy to do this kind of shit” (sarcasm).
4Chan is like Reddit in that it freely allows horrible people to organize crimes, share illegal content, and generally shitlord around. It’s also like Reddit it is divided into subsections and you only read the ones you like. It is like Reddit in that not only do the shitlords have their own dedicated groups, they are allowed to freely roam the less-shitty groups shitting up the place.
It is also like Reddit in that it is used by huge numbers of people, most of whom are not terrorists or terrorist-sympathizers. We should probably try to discuss it the way we discuss Reddit — call out the site owners for bad behavior, point out the way the site’s structure encourages douchebaggery, and condemn channels like b and r9k. But I think we should make sure not to say “4Chan” when we mean “r9k.”
I have never gone to 4Chan before, so I loaded 4Chan.org a few minutes ago. I saw they had an LGBT channel and decided to check it out. What I saw was pretty shitty, to be sure.Quite shitty indeed actually. But it was nothing like r9k. I saw
–lots of slurs
–a whole bunch of photos and drawings of attractive men; surprisingly few were pornographic
–trans kid asking for advice on Facebook: post an announcement or just change name and pronoun? Some people endorsed both, others suggested quitting Facebook.
–gay man who was raped when 14 saying he found the rapists address, wants t confront him, asks advice. 3 people suggest killing the rapist because 4Chan is awful.
–straight troll asking why gay people have to be so gay
–people complaining that there’s too much trans on the LGBT channel
–people shouting down the complainer
–people asking and advice on how to pay for hormone therapy
–people asking and receiving info about the effects of hormone therapy
–people saying that they’re stopped hormone therapy and are happier without it
–male-assigned person with gender dysmorphia saying they don’t believe in “trans;” they wish they were a woman but don’t think it’s possible for them to “really” be one.
–multiple cis trolls saying trans is just a crazy fad popular with kids these days and will surely go away any day now
–poll asking what people look for in a boyfriend.
Conclusion: 4Chan is a terrible place full of terrible people. Mostly they aren’t nazis, terrorists, or right-wingers. If you had a very strong stomach, you could scroll past the shitlords to see some neat art, and if you asked a question you have about 1/3 odds of getting no answer, troll answers, or actual answers. I can imagine a decent person reading 4Chan regularly and posing occasionally.
I am not trying to take a stance in this post. I’m not saying that 4Chan shouldn’t be regulated, shut down, censored, or monitored. I’m just saying we should get a clear idea of what we’re talking about here.
Why does 4chan still exist?
Drive-by link drop:
The “Male Suicide Epidemic” http://zite.to/1hmV3O2
“no one are that stupid.” — anon
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/Sephirajo/tumblr_inline_ngtnaq3xJa1rohyae_zpsot2jlvgi.gif
@Orion
Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck if there are decent boards. 4chan is shit, it’s always been shit, and it should be condemned even if there are decent boards out there. If there’s a pile of shit with some chocolate scattered throughout it, I’m not going to defend the shit or say “It’s not that bad.” It’s just a bunch of edgy kids that call each other f*ggots and harass other people. By saying, “It’s not that bad”, you’re just contributing to the problem.
I’m sorry if I seem aggressive, but I’m really fucking sick of people trying to defend places like Reddit and 4chan by saying “Just stick to the good places, not everyone’s like that!” No shit everyone’s not like that, stop playing the semantics game. Both are terrible hovels filled with manchildren that should be called out for what they are.