Info Graphic: A Trio of Trolls

It has been over five years since I began penning anti-Federal Reserve cartoons in my spare time. I started drawing them in 2009 and almost immediately I was attacked by Internet trolls. At first I was bewildered and perplexed. I knew nothing about trolling or why they would do such a thing. Many of my friends and family thought I should simply ignore them.

That works in some cases, but when trolling ramps up to libel and criminal harassment...well, that can be difficult to ignore. Just ask Kathy Sierra when she started dealing with trolls. The ringleader was a young man named 'Weev' who mercilessly hounded her so much that she decided to drop off the Internet completely. You can read her story in her own words here:

http://www.wired.com/2014/10/trolls-will-always-win/

Her story was very familiar to me and it DOES seem like the trolls always win. But then, one of them pushed things too far and he was arrested. I was able to obtain justice--even if indirectly. Joshua Goldberg began trolling at the age of 12 and he kept ramping up his activities until he crossed the line--he was promoting murder for laughs. For some reason the young man had a fascination with Australia and many of his aliases were Australian. This even threw off a cyber investigator who tried to help me by tracking down the identities of the trolls.

I can boil the trolling down to three main attackers. One of them is now in jail. It doesn't take a lot of trolls to ruin one's reputation and a few can wreak a lot of damage. My commercial art business has been hurt. I had to leave my art gallery because trolls began attacking the owner. Lawyers were not interested in my case due to the difficulty of prosecuting online libel. Just because justice can't be had, the trolls think what they're doing is 'right' and 'free.' Nope--it's still criminal to change my work into anti-Semitism and racism and then claim I drew them while spreading them around the Web. Copyrights do have meaning and my work is owned by me. It's satire, you say? Wrong. Satire would be to draw your OWN cartoons in my style to mock my work.

One of the lawyers suggested I should go on a PR campaign and tell my story. I've done that. I even wrote a book. I gave away more copies than I have sold. I have also been trying to stay afloat by selling originals of my cartoons. I've sold them all so far (with special thanks to one collector who loves them--you know who you are!)

Drawing political cartoons without editorial constraints is a good example of engaging in free speech. I drew cartoons that mainstream media cartoonists wouldn't draw. I had to be shut up. Whether or not the trolling was first instigated by government provocateurs or by chuckleheads doesn't matter. The only way to get out of this mess is to keep drawing them until my REAL cartoons begin to drown out the ones defaced by trolls. It would be great if I could draw them full time, but that requires some sort of support. It's why I signed up for Patreon. If only a few thousand supporters would pledge $1 a month, I could draw cartoons full time. That's a dream, but I had to try.

https://www.patreon.com/grrrgraphics

To my first three supporters, my hearty thanks and I will do my best to make it worthwhile.

Meanwhile, here is an info graphic that shows my three main tormentors and how they are all interconnected. When it comes to Internet trolls, it's a small world.

Hate Speech and Dopplegängers

I live in Montana and I know it's freer than a lot of states. I'm also very familiar with 'hate speech' since many trolls around the age of this young man have enjoyed using my name and face to spread their hate--and it went on for  years.

http://reason.com/blog/2015/06/05/montana-hate-speech-case#comment_5348331

Is hate speech really 'free' if it destroys the reputations of others and their ability to communicate clearly? Is it free if it threatens lives? I've been told libel and defamation are 'free speech' and that I'm wrong to complain about getting my reputation ruined. I've been told I 'deserved' it because I complained...therefore I'm against free speech. This was the meme they used to keep the hate going.

I'm now known as an 'anti-Semitic' cartoonist thanks to Internet trolls even though I've clearly stated I'm against racism and anti-Semitism. Even a Fox news affiliate said live on air that I was an 'anti-Semitic cartoonist' simply because that's what they heard over and over via hate speech delivered by countless Internet trolls.

I also drew a custom cartoon for an organization whose ideals I support. They were delighted with the cartoon and they were going to use it for their promotional materials. Then later....no. They changed their minds. Why? Because even though they knew I was heavily trolled, they decided they didn't want to be associated with a cartoonist who is thought to be 'anti-Semitic.' It would be a distraction from what they were trying to do. There! My cartoon goes unseen and my free speech has been shut down because of hate speech. That's why I may give up drawing cartoons altogether...what's the point in extending the joke and further ruining my own reputation? In essence, I've been shut up and I've also lost business due to hate speech.

The young man in question is an obvious Internet troll, which is now a sport or a game among many. He probably doesn't hate jews...he was doing it for the 'lulz.' He was doing it because he can. He is being charged with 'hate speech' under Montana law. I'm surprised Montana had such a law and I expect his case to be tossed out of court. What he was posting was completely reprehensible--he calls for the murder of people based on their religion and some find that hilarious. I don't. And if he had been using my face and name to do it (as trolls were doing with regularity) I would have loved to see him brought to justice in my state because that is libel and it would be far easier to try the case in state court.

As it is, he's free to express his hate. It's legal in America. The problem is, too many are now doing it 'anonymously' and they're able to escape any responsibility or accountability. If they said these things out on a street corner, they'd be ignored or countered and humiliated by reason.

Here's the problem with 'anonymous' hate speech: It encourages abuse and more hatred. The constant repetition of death and hate callouses minds and even starts to make such death threats acceptable. They're not acceptable. Hate speech should be considered 'legal,' but it's not 'free' when it cries for the death of human beings based on their race or religion. When someone is killed as the result of hate speech, their free speech is gone forever. What I'd like to see is responsible speech on the Internet. Do you love Hitler and hate jews? Then go ahead and write that, but PUT YOUR OWN NAME ON IT. Very few will do that. So instead of jail time for this young man, instead let's make him accountable for what he is saying and make sure people know HE is the one behind it. Right now a lot of these young people enjoy online anonymity and they've lost their sense of decency because of it. They have no shame. It's anything goes and they push the envelope because they think free speech is also absolute free speech.

Absolute free speech. Sounds great, huh? If allowed, however, be prepared to accept child porn--kids who are abused and scarred for life. Be prepared to accept anonymous trolls who torment grieving parents whose kid has just died. Be prepared to accept online snuff films. Be prepared for people posting grisly auto wreck scenes featuring horrific photos of someone's dead loved one. (That has happened).  Be prepared to accept someone calling for YOUR death and torment you and your family because you happen to be a targeted race, religion or have a different sexual preference. Be prepared to have your online reputation completely ruined by libel. Be prepared to have your business attacked. Be prepared for people changing your work and your words and into hate. (Happened to me--they've even edited podcast interviews so that I sound like a Nazi). This kind of hate speech has spread to social media--Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and so forth. The anonymous trolls do not own these sites, but the abuse there is increasing daily and sites such as Facebook have a bad track record of enforcing their own stated community standards.

America has long since tolerated hate speech as the price for free speech and the haters were easily ignored. But now, due to the internet, the unheard and the powerless have access to a giant megaphone that is used to make their repeated and very loud cries for murder. Again, they will usually NOT attach their own names to their hate, nor will they pony up their own dime to pay for their own website as a means to spew hate still further. Instead they use free social media and when hate is repeated constantly, impressionable minds start to believe it. (Think of Nazi Germany).

Removing hate speech from social media is not violating free speech. In fact, it's a way of PROTECTING the real free speech of REAL people. If we don't police this ourselves, look for big government to step in and shut down all free speech on the internet. They will use the out of control hate speech as one of their excuses. --Ben Garrison

------
Additional:

Quinn Norton is a marvelously talented writer who penned this response to David Blumenstein's cartoon. If only I could write half as well...she uses the word 'dopplegänger,' which is extremely appropriate. It reminds me of a 'Twilight Zone' episode in which a woman is haunted by a dopplegänger who looks just like her, but has mischievous and even malevolent intent. David has done a lot to help me finally tame my dopplegänger.

https://medium.com/@quinnnorton/4chan-tells-is-very-little-about-ben-garrison-but-it-tells-us-a-lot-about-the-net-bf3b75ccbc54

OK, it's back on: ROGUE CARTOONIST

My book will be published after all. Look for it on Amazon and elsewhere in a couple of weeks.

Bear in mind I have no publisher. I'm my own publisher. I had to fork over a small fortune to get a modest book filled with expensive color plates printed. I'd love to sell the book cheap, but it can't happen and I won't get much in the way of royalties, either. It's a money-losing venture. Then again, I never drew these cartoons to make money. I've lost a LOT of money doing them. I've lost a lot of time removing libel.

Thanks again to all of you who wrote me with your encouragement. If I can, I will send you a free signed copy after they're printed.

"Rogue Cartoonist"

I continue to receive email from young people who are encouraging me to publish my book. I am considering it. There are some very awake people of the younger generation out there who really do appreciate my cartoons. A few kind words from them makes it all worthwhile to me....and their encouragement cancels out all the discouragement and hate from the trolls.

I've already published my 'fine art' chapter on my blog. I was considering publishing other chapters...but now I will wait. I may release my book after all. To be sure, the trolls will deface whatever is published, but many people are now aware of their ruse, so their power to confuse people is waning.

Stay tuned....

Where I get my ideas

People have asked me where I get my ideas. I do a lot of reading, for one thing. I listen to podcasts. Alex Jones inspired many of my cartoons because he often speaks using vivid metaphors. I get many ideas when I go on a daily walk. They often come in a flash. If I try to 'force' an idea, it never comes. I call it vertical vs. horizontal thinking. Artists use vertical thinking. Sometimes the ideas are somewhat vague at first, then they develop on their own in a random way.

Here is a case where I was inspired by a Star Trek episode, 'The Apple.' The inhabitants of the planet feed and pay tribute to 'Vol' who takes care of them in return. In our case, people often expect government to meet all needs and solve all problems, but in exchange people lose all freedom. The country becomes a banana republic. That's what the cartoon is about.

I have a cheap notebook in which I chicken scratch out some basic ideas. I've had many good ideas that have gone undrawn simply because of no time. I make no money from the cartoons and commercial art must come first.

Trolls such as Andrew Anglin claim I 'copy' a racist, anonymous cartoonist now known as Nick Bougas. It's a lie. Just because Bougas once drew a train means nobody else can ever draw a train? That's absurd. It’s my contention that Andrew Anglin is not a Nazi at all. He uses his silly, cartoon Nazi schtick as a means to troll. He knows hate pays and figured out he could make a living from doing what he loves best in life—trolling. That's why he drives hard to the donation hoop. You’ll see him often call his ‘troops’ out to troll various targets. When he himself is trolled he cries crocodile tears and fails to see the irony in his own hypocrisy. My lawyer said what he’s doing can be considered satire, but pasting my name onto A. Wyatt Mann cartoons and claiming I drew them crosses the line. He also publishes defaced cartoons which he claims are ‘originals’ and that is clearly libel. Again, I don’t want to censor anyone and they’re free to call me every name in the book. They can ridicule my cartoons all they like. Fine. I can take that. I can’t take them defacing my work and leaving my name on it and then claim it’s the original while mine are fake. If that’s not libel then libel does not exist. --Ben Garrison

Racist and anti-Semtic cartoonist A. Wyatt Mann is Nick Bougas

http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/the-surprisingly-mainstream-history-of-the-internets-favorit#.afP5l97XLR

See for yourselves. Oh--and he also has a Jewish girlfriend.

Unlike Bougas, I've never penned an anti-Semitic or racist cartoon and I never will. Case closed. 4chan trolls are free to choke on the facts. --Ben Garrison