It's like watching a train wreck - you just can't stop!

[layla]

So it turns out that LJ advisory board candidate legomymalfoy received actual death threats urging her to drop out of the race. Rather than let the bastards win, she's staying in.

Former candidate (and buddy of jameth) cambler, who was losing anyway, dropped out yesterday over a rumor of death threats against an unspecified LJ-er. Now that it turns out he's not the target, rather than offering sympathy to legomymalfoy like a decent human being, he's accusing her of not caring about her family's safety and whining like a five-year-old that he was unfairly forced to drop out of the race [ETA: post is now locked] and that LJ should invalidate the whole election on his behalf. (Wahhhhh! Mommeeeeee! They made me drop out! It's somebody else's faaaauuuult!) And the commenters, who are pretty much the same group of Jameth-supporting trolls who have been acting like fuckwits all over every OTHER election post, are quick to claim the death threat's a fraud and any rise in her vote count at this point must be due to sockpuppetry. (Please note in regards to that last comment thread, the only "flak for cheating" that she's been getting, that I've seen, is from Jameth's camp's unsupported claims that she's been cheating, which is rather a different thing.)

I'm alternately horrified at these people's utter lack of human decency, and horrified at myself because I can't seem to leave it alone.

Here's a link to the voting page again, because god, I do not want to see this batch of scum win this election.

EDIT (5/30): The election's over, I'm about snarked out for a while, and so, I'm stepping away from this discussion for the moment. Non-friend comments are still screened, and I may be (very) tardy to unscreen/reply.

Comments

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

I hope whoever issued that death threat discovers very harshly and very swiftly that in the US, ISPs, by law, must take that shit very seriously.

And, that if the threat was delivered from a person in the US who is outside of her state?

It's now a FEDERAL matter.

May the beating with the chairleg of justice be through.

[tinpan.livejournal.com]

Is there a quick explanation of why we should vote, the issues involved, and your candidate recommendations, that I can just gank and put on my lj?

[tulleandtiaras.livejournal.com]

I have a few friends who have had the unfortunate experience of meeting cambler in person. He is a definite asshat. I feel sorry for his children.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Very easy for you to armchair this without actually seeing the emails that LJ corporate sent telling we candidates that we were, in fact, targets of threats.

They've also acknowledged the voter fraud and chosen to not take action.

So yeah, good job there drawing conclusions without actually having the facts. Bravo.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Um, okay...I voted already (mostly thanks to your posting, I wasn't much aware of this election otherwise...they've not exactly been public about it.) And I'm on the cynical side regardless...

That being said, you got any ideas why this 'election' is driving people totally batshit? Is jameth 16 and mistakenly of the belief that this is the contest for prom queen, or what? It just seems a bit...er...excessive, putting this kind of effort into a relatively small affair?

...and then you're getting trolled by the folks themselves. Wow, that's kind of awesome. How'd cambler even find you?

[zixi.livejournal.com]

*shakes head*
*shakes head harder*

This whole thing is making me completely sick. Makes me weep for the future of humanity with entitled jackasses like this running around. (also, I don't like to risk calling wolf, but I find it all too suspicious that the candidates causing the problems are males and the ones they are attacking are women and so much of the trolling is such misogynistic, gendered language). Giant entitlement complexes running around.

I love how this "flack for cheating" bullshit is completely unfounded and they can link to two fans commenting of having tried to vote with one other journal and this is a VAST conspiracy. And jameth's camp keeps complaining about unfounded rumors about his envolvement with, um, frenditto and encyclopedia dramatica and other places I've never heard of and...honest to god in all the election posts I've read I've only seen his camp mention that - never any of the people campaigning against him.

I'm alternately horrified at these people's utter lack of human decency, and horrified at myself because I can't seem to leave it alone.

Exactly. The death threats are horrific enough. Certain people's responses to them are completely disgusting.

[scotty2naughty.livejournal.com]

[caseus.livejournal.com]

YOU TELL 'EM GF

Just don't get too excited or you might re-soil your muumuu. :/

[jeshala.livejournal.com]

With all the hulabaloo and whatnot, I'm... finding it hard to figure out just why this advisory board thing is so important. I mean, yes, it'll help shape LJ hopefully and not just be a figurehead thing, but... death threat important? Harassing people important?

I'm not accusing anyone. I know precisely dicks about what the heck is going on. I'm just curious as to what brings about this amount of passion for it?

[thekamisama.livejournal.com]

I still don't understand why people are being encouraged to vote for a person based on the sole fact that they are in a "fandom", as if all fandoms are the same, much less that like or respect each other. I doubt that the whole of Harry Potter "fandom" even agrees with the smaller niche of Potter slash fiction fandom, so it seems hard to convince me that this person could represent ALL FANDOM ALL THE TIME like some discount 24-7 market. It is fluff and hyperbole in order to convince people to vote.

Further, These dramas also seem to display a very glaring and obvious fact that most of these candidates have no platform other than generic monikers and mudslinging.

Thanks. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Your post sums it all up very well. I'm using anonymous commenting because my journal is a fandom-related one, and though I've mostly stayed out of this election, there's enough drama going on over there without any following me home. :)

I love how the trolls continued to attack you. Brilliant camp, that.

[burned-rose.livejournal.com]

I'm not here to troll, but I am here just to mention that C Ambler is a rather good internet friend of mine and I know him on other communities. he is very well respected in all those communities as a professional photographer who produces amazing work. In my multiple correspondences with him, both as a model and a make up artist, he has been nothing but professional and polite. I know that won't mean much coming from me, but he is not the "asshat" that people make him out to be.

I am a friend of Jameth, via online, for several years. I can testify, and would testify in court, that he has never, ever, in ym entire time on his friends list, asked for people to troll.

He will post a link, and the most that he will say is "Oh boy, I don't know what is going on here!" or "Can someone help me clarify these rumors? They are writing libelous statements about me."

With a friends list of over 1300 people, you can guarantee that someone will, of course, troll. However, I have seen Jameth ask them not to troll and ask them to be nice. But again, it is hard to control a crowd of 1300 from a keyboard and computer screen, as you have seen in this post.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Horrah for drama. Keeps the toes toasty. Much chuckle worthy stuff here - crocheting little asshats! Wack-a-troll!

Hi there

[ingenuemuse.livejournal.com]

I was linked here, and got to looking at your journal. I actually only wanted to say that I like your writing style, and you seem like a cool woman.

One thing I'm enjoying in spite of all the insanity is reading interesting peoples ljs. (I *am* a friend of jameth though, but respect your right to choose the way you like).