When Does "Earnest Pursuit" Become Stalking?

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What Qualifies as "Stalking"?

  • Calling once a week.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Calling once a day.

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Calling once an hour (does 33 minutes count as a full hour?)

    Votes: 12 92.3%
  • Looking someone up on Google.

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Looking someone up online... and building a "fact sheet" about them (i.e., "list of childhood pets..

    Votes: 6 46.2%
  • Asking them to tell you about themselves, A to Z (or infinity).

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Looking then up on Facebook or other social site.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Leaving messages on their site once a week.

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Leaving messages on their site daily.

    Votes: 7 53.8%
  • But what if I want to make comments on their wall every 15 minutes or so?

    Votes: 9 69.2%
  • Texting once a day.

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Texting every time I have a chance, even when I'm in the bathroom.

    Votes: 9 69.2%
  • Writing threads about or to the person on Christian Chat...

    Votes: 6 46.2%
  • Introducing myself to the person of interest's friends.

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Trying to become friends with the person of interest's friends.

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Showing up at the person's place of work or social activities.

    Votes: 10 76.9%
  • Volunteering for the same projects as that person.

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Introducing myself to the person of interest's family.

    Votes: 6 46.2%
  • Trying to hang out with the person of interest's family.

    Votes: 5 38.5%
  • Taking a class because the person of interest is in it.

    Votes: 6 46.2%
  • I would talk to the person about what would be acceptable to both of us.

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • If it's the right person, I wouldn't mind all the attention.

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • If it's the wrong person, I would ignore them until they stopped.

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • I would pray and ask God what to do. O

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Other--I want to share a story or opinion in my post.

    Votes: 1 7.7%

  • Total voters
    13
Aug 2, 2009
24,653
4,316
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#21
I must preface this with I AM NOT A STALKER but...

I have googled a guy and checked for social websites. I think this is a good adiea because it helps you to see who someone is before you attempt to get to know them better. You may see some crazy stuff on their FB that may make you think differently about them and head the other direction.

The occaional background check isnt so bad either. Arrests and law suits are public information and its important to knwo if you are dealing with a criminal or someone who has a bunch of lawsuits pending against them or if they like to sue others.
So after you check everything, do you tell him what you did?
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#24
I get paid to stalk bad guys, so I'm pretty good at it. :) Never stalked anyone for fun before!
 
Aug 2, 2009
24,653
4,316
113
#26
I get paid to stalk bad guys, so I'm pretty good at it. :) Never stalked anyone for fun before!
Oh yea you are a pro, Julianna! You know I once had a professor in college who was also a private eye and he said that was by far the worst part of his job, and the worst time was when he and his partner were tracking this guy who lived right above a chinese restaurant and they had to smell that delicious chinese food from across the street all day long lol.
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
16,761
5,660
113
#27
Oh yea you are a pro, Julianna! You know I once had a professor in college who was also a private eye and he said that was by far the worst part of his job, and the worst time was when he and his partner were tracking this guy who lived right above a chinese restaurant and they had to smell that delicious chinese food from across the street all day long lol.
OOHH, the ABSOLUTE TORTURE of some occupations!! LOL.

I'm glad to know that if I get any insane crushes on some poor victim, er, lucky man, I can go to Jullianna for advice on how to cuff him and stuff him (in the trunk to take him back to my lair.) Har, har, har.

And, if I ever sound TRULY desperate (I mean, more so than now) judging from Francina's posts (at the beginning of the thread), someone, PLEASE stop me before I ever go looking for a husband in the Bahamas!
 
N

NodMyHeadLikeYeah

Guest
#28
I get paid to stalk bad guys, so I'm pretty good at it. :) Never stalked anyone for fun before!


Just remember, Stalking is the highest form of flattery :D
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#29
Just another reason we love you, Nod :) hahaha
 
N

NukePooch

Guest
#31
I'm glad to know that if I get any insane crushes on some poor victim, er, lucky man, I can go to Jullianna for advice on how to cuff him and stuff him (in the trunk to take him back to my lair.)
I carry a shovel in my car trunk, just in case. I like to be prepared.
 
K

kiwi_OT

Guest
#33
Having been stalked before (not a nice experience whatsoever), Im hoping your thinking of social stalking where a person is acting more annoying but harmless than actually revealing sociopathic illegal behaviour.

Mindyou that first option if it is not nipped in the bud quickly can lead to the nastier version.

I think harmless stalking occurs when the person who is being persued is not being honest with the persuer especially if their not interested.
Sometimes this occurs when:
The persued likes attention and isnt discerning in who and how they flirt with
Both the persued and persuer have messed up or non existant boundaries
One is leading the other on, and it gets out of hand
A person is too afraid to tell the other "no, I am not interested in you"
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#34
I've been stalked in the bad way too a couple of times, kiwi. It's not fun.

The first time I was married at the time and a married guy from one of my college classes started following me home, sending flowers to my job, and even called me crying and asked me to go on a trip with him out of state.:( It was really creepy... His wife found out he was doing it and she called me. I was very honest with her and she put a stop to it. I was very glad she did because I really didn't want to have to report him to the police because of his family situation. It would have hurt his wife and kids, so I'm glad it didn't have to come to that. He knew (from mutual friends in class) that my husband was out of town at the time and he took advantage of that.

The second time was a guy who actually started out stalking my son in a teen chatroom that I didn't know he was on. When I confronted the guy, he went ballistic and went after me (which was kinda the plan and it helped us catch him). That's how I got into chatting in the first place. I'd never done it much before..very busy with other things. But I met other cops online and really liked it. Minus the stalkers, of course. :)
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
16,761
5,660
113
#35
I used to work with a very nice older gentleman who had the mind of a child but could still live and function as an independent adult... He was the kind of person we all looked out for at work.

He was living in the spare room of an older woman's house at the time--I have no idea if the had an actual relationship, as he claims they did not... but she drove into work one day and saw me talking to him.

She then proceeded to call my boss and tell him that "You had better keep her away from him before I put a knife in her heart or shoot her dead."

My bosses took this very seriously, and I was escorted down to the police station to file a restraining order. I was told that this woman had a long history of mental instability and that there were several such restraining orders out there against her.

I also had an ex-boyfriend who would start calling with various drunken rambles from the time I walked in the house to the time I had to go to work the next day--back then I had a landline and had to unplug all three phones every time I came home. I finally got a new number... and he started calling my place of work, telling my co-workers he needed to get in touch with me because of his kids. I REALLY hate it when people use kids as an excuse to manipulate others. But thank goodness they never gave out my number. He'd also appear where I work, asking me in public in front of everyone if I'd go places with him, and I'd coldly say no and walk away as fast as possible... People probably thought I was a horrible snob, but I didn't know what else to do. His behavior, to this day (8 years later), still comes and goes but fortunately, I haven't had to go to the police yet.

This thread, however, was meant to be more about lighthearted discussion of when someone pursuing us becomes annoying (not dangerous or threatening), but I'm thankful for everyone's great feedback, whether serious or funny.
 

Liamson

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2010
3,078
69
48
#36
I once stalked a girl.

It was nothing as depraved as the examples that have been cited here but, it was certainly an experience.

I wanted very badly to become what she wanted. She would always give me an excuse as to some minor fault that existed with me, that made me undesirable. Things that were easily fixable. She would leave me hints as to what a person of Character ought to be like, and I continued to try and put the puzzle together thinking that somehow if I could make the pieces fit, I would succeed with her.

All in all a LEARNING experience but, I owe much of who I have become to the lessons she taught me. And I'm sort of left craving complex chases. Not stalkeresque type things but, Mysteries and puzzles that slowly reveal the heart and the character of a woman still fascinate me. Like peeling the layers back on an onion and taking note of the beauty each piece lends to the whole.

Now I find myself in the opposite position more often than not and as Nod said, and it is quite flattering. Its also a bit sideways. Its a way of meeting the benchmarks that a woman/man has set up, rather unnaturally.

It would be like me explaining all the reasons that I like Nena* (a musical artist) only to find that my stalker has bought Rosetta Stone in German and every Nena Album ever produced just to understand me. Well actually come to think of it that would be a total win, so nevermind.

Um, someone pretending to be a Christian, just to be with me. Well, that would almost work too. I mean isn't that what Ruth did?

Ok so someone being extra Schmarmy and overly agreeable about everything, THAT is red flag.

In the end I think the key to fending off a stalker is to force them to be honest with and about themselves.

SO... as I sort of allude to in my signature there is a lot of things that love ISN'T. Love doesn't ask,(what is not becoming of it) Love doesn't seek, (for itself), Love doesn't fight, (or take pleasure in quarrels), Love doesn't want, Love doesn't become, Love is... just as we ought to be :)
 
N

NodMyHeadLikeYeah

Guest
#37
I stalk truffleshuffle. She says its the best thing thats ever happened to her....... EVER.... ;)
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#38
Nod, We ALL think you're the best thing that's happened to us EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEER ;)
 
N

NodMyHeadLikeYeah

Guest
#39
Nod, We ALL think you're the best thing that's happened to us EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEER ;)

hahahaha julles! awww your sooo sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!