Dawson has been defending her actions today :
'‘‘Who are they, or you for that matter, to tell me what to do? Are you a
mental health expert? No. So they can all f***k off,’’ an emotionally
raw Dawson told PS this morning when asked why she would appear on Seven
News at such a sensitive time in her treatment.'We agree. Charlotte should tackle this problem the way she sees best. The world is full of advice on how to handle 'trolls', often with conflicting ways and means. Some are journalists who boast of their own trolls and how they ignore them or fight back. Some are mental health experts and so on.
The problem is that no-one can anticipate how a genuine troll can affect a person. Once a troll (and who gives a damn what the troll's reasoning is) begins a campaign it can have devastating affects not just on the subject but family members and friends.
And the Shuttle knows only too well because we have been fighting a determined troll who has been attacking a friend relentlessly for 3 years. Even worse, a Fairfax journalist inadvertently (we like to think) re-tweeted a troll's tweet that lead to more anguish, more upset, more tears and frustration to the person attacked.
And the response from Fairfax or the journalist?. Nothing. Not a word. No reply, no acknowledgment. Zilch.
So Charlotte Dawson should be given the freedom and support to handle those who attack her the best way Charlotte decides to. And she should know that she has tens of thousands of people supporting her.
