Caz Stops Blogging
April 25th, 2006 at 09:54pm
Caz from The Spin Starts Here has announced her retirement from blogging. She says that she has made this decision because in the last few weeks she has
received some extremely nasty and threatening emails directed at my family – including my baby daughter. I have not published the contents of all of these communications, but let’s just say I have reason to be concerned by them.
Caz also says that
In the process an innocent woman has been targeted and “identified” as me on another site with “anonymous” folk people threatening to “pay her a visit”. I can’t tell you how disturbing that is – and I’ve had to contact the woman in question explaining what has happened and why she should be careful. Let’s hope she doesn’t think I’m a crackpot.
I doubt that anybody who has been on the receiving end of one of her campaigns (for lack of a better word) will be surprised that she receives threats, I personally (and half-heartedly) threatened her with a defamation lawsuit last year when there was an extensive campaign against me, and I can’t really say that I’m surprised that somebody snapped and started “real” threats, but the two are in very different categories, and the threats of physical violence are quite simply appalling.
I do think that Caz has brought this on herself to some extent by under estimating what enraged and annoyed people are capable of. Some of the things she has written have been quite nasty, vicious and demeaning, so I doubt that anybody can be honestly surprised that she has received a lot of hate mail, but there is an important difference between hate mail and threats of physical violence.
Let me take you back to the time when I was at the centre of her flamethrower of attention. A lot of nasty things were said about me, but they were only words. Sure it hurt for a while, but at the end of the day I realised that it wasn’t the end of the world, life would go on, and I would eventually leave the spotlight and carry on with my life. Ultimately this meant that somebody else would become the poor sod in the middle of her flamethrower, and that made me a bit nervous, as I realised that the entire purpose of her online presence was to annoy one person or another. Caz probably took things a bit too far, and she eventually landed on the inevitable person who would reach the end of their tether and do their best to inflict pain and misery upon her.
I’ll admit that I have had communications with people who are very annoyed with Caz, I think it comes with the territory…it’s just what happens when you’ve been “featured” on her site, it’s a club of sorts, but I have had no knowledge of any person actually threatening harm against her or her family, and if I had known about it I would have done what I could to prevent it.
No matter how nasty some of the things Caz wrote actually were, I don’t think she ever intended to make people feel miserable, she may have desired to portray it that way to her audience (in much the same way as Big Brother seems to drum up interest by having controversy), but I don’t think she ever intended to inflict misery. She was probably very naive to think that people would see it as a joke when they were on the receiving end, and it is probably a good thing that she is stopping, but I think it is agreeable that the means to the end were not desirable.
To explain my point more clearly, I will bring up something I don’t think I ever mentioned to anyone. Regular readers of her site might recall Troydanger having one of his phrases misinterpreted as a death threat against Caz’s baby late last year. Well following that Caz and Troydanger exchanged emails, and Troydanger informed Caz that I had received threats of physical violence after being featured on her site. After that, Caz sent me the following email:
Dear Samuel,
I don’t do this kind of thing every day, but I am writing to you to apologise if you have received any real threats as a result of my post on TSSH.
You may be aware that my baby received a death threat from Troydanger this week. After contacting him about this, he told us he had heard from you that you yourself have received such threats from TSSH readers. If this is the case I apologise as it was never my intention. It does not excuse Troy’s behaviour either though.
I have to say my opinion of you has changed since I wrote my original post. In the comments on that first thread that started everything, you came accross to me like one of the many radio wannabes we had hanging around when I worked at 2CC many years ago, who quite frankly were annoying. There was one boy at the time in particular - about your age - who used to come in all the time and would tell staff that he was “going to take my job away from me” etc. I thought you might be like this boy, but I was wrong. You seem to genuinely love 2CC. I honestly don’t understand why - they tend to treat staff similarly to what you have blogged about your previous employer doing to you - but so be it.
I would never have posted about you if you hadn’t put up that original post on your site, but I think it’s important for people to have a right of reply, as I am sure you would certainly agree. We were only taking the piss out of you to start with, and there was never meant to be any malice in that.
That being said, after reading your blog since then you have kind of grown on me, and you seem like a nice kid. I think you’ve handled everything really well and with maturity. The readers seem to love you too (most of them, but hey, not all of them like me either) and who would have thought you’d become a celebrity? I’ve never seen anything like it in the time I’ve been blogging. I don’t know about you, but when you get past the weirdness of it, it’s actually pretty cool that they can’t get enough Samuel.
If you’re ever in Melbourne (the Australian coffee capital) we’ll shout you a cup of the city’s finest.
Caz.
As I said earlier, Caz probably brought this all on herself to some extent, but that doesn’t excuse the threats of violence against her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that there won’t be anybody receiving her flamethrower ever again, but I think there would have been much better ways to sort this all out than to have people threatening Caz with physical violence.
I understand that quite a few of my readers will be surprised to see me semi-defend Caz, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you turn on me now, but I’ve been honest about my thoughts and feelings on this matter, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s all that matters.
Samuel
Entry Filed under: General News, Samuel's Editorials
56 Comments
1. Chuck A. Spear | April 25th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
A very objective post considering what has happened to you Samuel. I have followed what has been going on at the spin tonight. It seems to me that people may again have jumped to conclusions about words that people post.
From what I have read, nobody has threatened anybody with physical violence and especially no threats were made to the person who seems to be confused with Caz.
I’m not sure what ‘pay her a visit’ means but it does not sound like a physical threat. A storm in a tea cup.
However, this is only what I have read publically. I am not sure about personal emails.
No one will turn on you for being honest Samuel. If they do then that is their problem.
Maybe TSSH has bitten off more than it can chew of recent times. If you play with fire you get burned I say.
2. Chuck A. Spear | April 25th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Just read a site by Mr Lefty. Again I think that TSSH readers are jumping to conclusions about certain comments. I think the ha ha commentor’s comment about Caz revealing her name to save an innocent party could be taken hypothetically. I don’t see an implied physical threat there either.
Also they seem to be blaming Mr Lefty for all their woes. Anyway who cares.
Wil there be an animated series of Dolgnwot Samuel?
3. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
I probably am reading between the lines a bit, but I believe that Caz is used to receiving all sorts of emails, and I think I am justified in my interpretation of what she wrote, mainly because I think it would take something very very serious to have her make this decision.
Also The Hack (Caz’s Husband) has written:
Even with that, I’m probably still reading between the lines, but if I am wrong and they would like to correct me, then I am more than happy to correct the details.
4. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
An animated series of Dolgnwot? You mean with motion and video etc? It’s not planned, but it is an interesting prospect.
5. Chuck A. Spear | April 25th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
I think an animated series is a great idea. Motion and video for sure. I think it could appeal to children and adults. Maybe some green gold could come your way from it.
It sounds like a debacle over at the spin. However, I don’t mean any disrespect to anybody, but it seems to me that the owners of the site might be slightly hypocritical when it comes to threats. I believe threats come come in many forms and the spin likes to sometimes standover people.
I do have a criticism of the spin and it is that they like to implicate innocent third parties in matters. I am not talking about recent events either. I don’t believe in involving innocent third parties just to bolster opinion from readers.
Anyway, they have enough to deal with at the moment without my ramblings.
6. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
I think the Internet is probably better off without people being put under the TSSH spotlight…I just wish it had happened in a more peaceful way.
7. Chuck A. Spear | April 25th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Amen to that brother. I think Caz will bounce back though.
8. John B1_B5 | April 25th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Could we have a hotlink to this “Mr Lefty” site please .
9. cunninglinguist | April 25th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
Samuel, you ROCK!
You really do!
Good on you for your objectiveness and compassion towards Caz and her family - she’s right, we can’t get enough Samuel!
I am hoping it all turns out well for her - I hope she and her family aren’t in danger, and perhaps she can get back to blogging.
10. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
John, I think this is the person they are referring to, and this is the string of comments in questions…and due to him using a third party comment system, this is the article they belong to.
11. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
Dignified comment cunninglinguist.
It looks like TSSH commenter Dione Bliss has picked up on this article now and linked to it…this should be interesting…
12. John B1_B5 | April 25th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Thanks Samuel . According to “Mr.Lefty —
Caz = Caroline Hammersworth
PS - Caz published my name as ” John Brock ” , but that is totally incorrect . It’s merely a name I used for my Blogshares ( which I don’t have anymore ) .
13. Chuck A. Spear | April 25th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
It wasn’t Mr Lefty actually saying that name but a commentator. Funny if it is her name though.
14. Samuel | April 25th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
According to Atari, that is the name of somebody else “who happens to accidentally share a first name and a profession”.
15. John B1_B5 | April 26th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Ok ….. what about this “Cath Crosby” ? Any truth in that ?
16. Chuck A. Spear | April 26th, 2006 at 12:01 am
Well that could be a diversion. These people think they are twice as smart as everyone else. Would not be suprised if her details were revealed and they are going into damage control.
17. Chuck A. Spear | April 26th, 2006 at 12:05 am
There is always a chink in the armour. This time it is somebody wearing a blue jumper.
18. Samuel | April 26th, 2006 at 12:05 am
Yes, quite possible…I’m just reporting it as I see it.
19. John B1_B5 | April 26th, 2006 at 12:08 am
Right …… seems somebody called “Cath Crosby” (or Crosbey) worked at 2CC at one stage …….. but that may not have been Caz .
20. Samuel | April 26th, 2006 at 12:10 am
Who knows…and quite frankly, if Caz is stopping blogging, who cares?
21. John B1_B5 | April 26th, 2006 at 12:13 am
Word around town is that this “Cath Crosby” got the sack from 2CC , and of course Caz worked there for awhile around the same time ….. but that doesn’t mean it’s her .
22. Chuck A. Spear | April 26th, 2006 at 12:15 am
Yeah that’s true John.
23. John B1_B5 | April 26th, 2006 at 12:16 am
This woman….whoever she is… launched a vicious attack on me …… so i DO care !
24. Samuel | April 26th, 2006 at 12:20 am
Ah yes, I had forgotten about that John…sorry about that.
25. BuffySlut | April 26th, 2006 at 12:54 am
You must admit Samuel you did prosper from the unwanted attention that Caz threw at you!
You now have a whole crew of TSSHers that stop past your site regularly.
I remember when it all started, one of the TSSH members commenting ‘never let this thread die, this kid is gold’.
Now you have a fan base. And a whole heap of ‘best blog’ awards from what I hear. Congrats
xxx
BuffySlut
26. wonko the sane | April 26th, 2006 at 1:18 am
Vicious attacks… secret identities… fame… death threats… children in danger… journalists that Knew Too Much… is it just me, but could this make a killer episode of Dlognwot or what?
I love the internet. It’s sometimes better than Neighbours for crap entertainment value.
Hey Sam, what about a special request for Musician O’ The Week… Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead from Wizard of Oz?
27. Chuck A. Spear | April 26th, 2006 at 2:57 am
A series climax even. I agree Wonko this is all quite entertaining. I propose a show called ‘Celebrity Blogger Deathmatch’ or ‘CBD’. it would be silimar to the stop animation show ‘Celebrity Deathmatch’.
However it has a twist. It is done in the style of Dlognwot. Instead of finding gold, the bloggers meet a gruesome end.
Match 1
Hack vs Ms Fits
Match 2
Caz vs Mr Lefty
It would be great because there would be no clean fights.
28. Aunty_Jack | April 26th, 2006 at 9:08 am
Good riddance to TSSH, i dont really care about the woes of such people. The net will be much better off without that rubbish. John dont you think its time to get over it a little bit? There are hundreds of people who have come under TSSH spotlight, Samuel not the least of them and you dont hear him complaining.
29. Chuck A. Spear | April 26th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
Yes well it is like reading the death notices of an underworld figure over there. Do people forget that Caz claimed to work in PR and spin and that her blog is called The Spin Starts Here. Don’t believe everything you read people as you are being taken on a ride.
30. Aunty_Jack | April 26th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Jesus Christ! Anybody would think that Osama had just flown a plane into the Spin Starts Here! Has everyone seen the tripe being bandied around there? You would think someone had died seriously. Ive only read the spin 3 or 4 times and I say bad luck. Im all for freedom of speech but if you keep up personal attacks (which is the whole point of TSSH as far as i can see) I guess eventually someone will bite back.
31. John B1_B5 | April 26th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Yes, the eulogies are certainly flowing in over there , haha .
On the topic of “death threats” - I found it sort of ironic that THIS appears on the site —
Contact Us
Fan mail, death threats, marriage proposals and/or cash-for-comment deals can be emailed to: ( Caz’s Email address was originally there ) .
32. Chuck A. Spear | April 27th, 2006 at 12:50 am
Ironic indeed John. I think it is meant in jest though. However, I smell a rat somewhere in the whole debacle.
33. John B1_B5 | April 27th, 2006 at 5:37 am
Seems somebody took it seriously and decided to accept her offer (of sending a ‘death threat’ ) .
34. Samuel | April 27th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Quite possibly, but seeing as I don’t know the full facts I won’t be speculating, especially with it (apparently) being the matter of an ongoing police investigation.
35. John B1_B5 | April 27th, 2006 at 11:26 am
I received a death threat for posting comments on Samuel’s Blog — but I decided to ‘take it with a grain of salt’ .
36. Chuck A. Spear | April 27th, 2006 at 11:58 am
It is interesting John, that Caz has not published this new death threat. She published Troy Danger’s supposed death threat though.
Therefore, either there is no new death threat or she knew that Troy Danger’s email was not a death threat and put some spin on in and made it look like one.
She has used the police investigation line on many occasions and I wonder about the truth of that statement and I wonder about the truth of this whole affair.
Apparently the were not very nice to you John.
37. John B1_B5 | April 27th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
I couldn’t publish my death threat even if I wanted to, because I simply deleted it as soon as I saw it .
Has anybody else here received a ‘death threat’ for posting comments on Samuel’s Blog ?
38. cunninglinguist | April 27th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
I sent a death threat to myself for posting here on Samuel’s Blog, but I didn’t take myself seriously.
39. John B1_B5 | April 27th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
As a result of declaring the fact that I received a death threat, I have received an email from my life insurance people demanding that I pay higher premiums on my Life Insurance Policy .
Dammit ! I should have kept it under my hat ! Seems EVERYBODY reads Samuels Blog .
40. Chuck A. Spear | April 27th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
It seems you are right John. I just recieved some kind of nasel spray in the mail. It says it will improve my life and make me longer.
41. heatseeker | April 28th, 2006 at 6:53 am
After contributing to this blog, I sent a death threat to myself for my participation as one of the many Samuel clones (complete with Santa Claus picture attached).
Alas, when I changed addresses and even e-mail addresses, the death threats kept on coming.
However, the stalker lost some credibility when I started to threaten my children, and then I discovered I didn’t have any, which I should have known.
42. Aunty_Jack | April 28th, 2006 at 8:34 am
You should do your homework on yourself next time heatseeker.
43. John B1_B5 | April 28th, 2006 at 9:48 am
Anyway, despite the ‘death threat’ , I shall soldier on, posting appropriate (or inappropriate) comments on Samuel’s Blog , where applicable.
44. heatseeker | April 28th, 2006 at 10:29 am
I have to admit, the death threats caused me some anxiety, and I was seriously thinking of living a life in exile on Samuel’s roof.
45. Aunty_Jack | April 28th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I think there may be a great hiding place in the nice garden in reid heatseeker. Oh no…..now I know where you will be, automatically implicating me in any rock dropping resulting in your death. Can you warn yourself that I might be a threat? I hope the “police” embroiled in that huge investigation into death threats dont read this…..AAAHHHGGG!!!!!
46. John B1_B5 | April 28th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
I wonder if there ARE any ‘remains’ to be found in the garden at Reid …… and if so … were they the recipients of some sort of “death threat” prior to their demise and subsequent useage as fertilizer ?
47. Chuck A. Spear | April 28th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
I think Samuel should present us with a current photograph of a nice garden in Reid. Depending on how well the plants have flowered, we should be able to discern if there are human remains buried there.
Reid may yet become more notorious than Snowtown.
Heatseeker, I would advise you to arm yourself to the teeth with tins B&G Pineapple Pieces if you are receiving death threats from yourself. I would also stock up with tin foil, brown onions, crayons and an analouge clock that shows the time in am or pm.
Apparently the Grim Reaper sent himself a death threat.
48. John B1_B5 | April 29th, 2006 at 3:45 am
Snowtown ? Oh yes … Famous for its “bodies in the barrels” . The town in South Australia that somebody unkindly referrred to as a “barrel of laughs” .
Oh…. and for our overseas readers …. No…. They don’t get any snow in Snowtown !
49. heatseeker | April 29th, 2006 at 9:36 am
Ahh yes, normally sound advice Chuck, but since I am stalking myself, I may be prone to doing myself a mischief by garnishing my head with one of those tins … all I can say in thank goodness my children are safe!
50. jam tart | April 29th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Every dog has its day. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
51. heatseeker | April 30th, 2006 at 10:31 am
One really frustrating thing I’ve found about stalking myself is how the phone’s always engaged when I dial myself late at night to wake myself up ….
52. Chuck A. Spear | April 30th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Have you considered taking out an AVO on yourself heatseeker?
Failing that you may want to place yourself into the winess protection program.
It’s good to have Jam Tart back on board.
53. John B1_B5 | April 30th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
Besides receiving a number of ‘death threats’ for posting comments on Samuel’s Blog, I have also received a ‘destruction threat’ from some disgruntled Blogger who seems to be infuriated by all the attention Samuel’s Blog is receiving .
This person has threatened to “destroy” Samuel’s Blog, Samuel’s Persiflage, and yes…even “Dogglewort” (sic) itself !
Footnote — Don’t think I’d take much notice of somebody who can’t even get “Dolgnwot” right .
54. Chuck A. Spear | April 30th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
One can only hope that this threat of annihliation does not extend to readers of Samuel’s Blog John. I only worry because the premise of the film Plan Nine From Outer Space was that aliens invaded earth so they would prevent humans from constructing a light bomb.
This before mentioned light bomb would explode anywhere that contained sun light. However, the humans did not see beyond there own backyeards and were ignorant of the fact that if the bomb was detonated , it would cause a path of destruction all the way back to the Sun itself. Rendering life in our solar system extinct.
I can only pray that if this disgruntled blogger destroys Dolgnwot that I do not get vaporised too. I will go down to SuperBarn and purchase all of their tin foil. I will also make sure to check the back of the reciept.
55. John B1_B5 | April 30th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
And make sure you purchase only genuine “Black & Gold ” brand tin foil .
Remember - there is no substitute for quality !
56. heatseeker | May 2nd, 2006 at 10:16 am
Yes Chuck, I investigated talking out an AVO, but after I reported myself to the police I refused to give them a statement, and they said it seemed to be a private matter.
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