| Stalker – does that word really only limit itself to deranged individuals out to get their prey? Or do so called “normal” people also qualify? Everyone is a stalker. In one way or the other. There are the creepy, psychotic stalkers and there are the virtual stalkers (or should I say e- stalkers/ cyber stalkers). Which is worse, I don’t know. Is it better to be stalked physically by a maniac? Or by faint acquaintances/ friends or friends or friends who watch every move of yours on online public forums and thrash it out to random people?
Hail technology, for thanks to it, we are now equipped with “instruments of a virtual spy”. Facebook for example; what a blessing in disguise! So you’re bored and want to have some fun/ are dying for some gossip. What do you do? Decide who’s going to be the “prey for the day” and start spying. You go through his/her statuses, recently added friends, photos, wall posts etc and lo! You now know what they’ve been up to in life. You smile to yourself if you’re satisfied or just pick on someone inferior to spy on and feel better about yourself later. You want to know what your ex boyfriend, former best friend (NOTE: none of my best friends are former), random acquaintance, or secret crush has been up to? Log on to the public forum and start ripping their posts apart (virtually). Imagine this happening to you: Someone who has a secret crush on you (the lunatic types), or hates you; updates themselves with information about you by “cyber” spying on you. They later delightfully disclose what they’ve learnt to their friends (who you might not even know), acquaintances or even worse, family (if they know you). Imagine a bunch of crazy, local men/ women gathering around a computer to gaze at your profile/ photos through a recent friend you just added. If you think you’re just an innocent soul who wants to “reconnect” with old friends and share happy moments, clearly you live in denial. Everyone wants to spy! Everyone wants to find out what others are up to. Everyone wants to discuss “others” with friends. It serves as a pre matrimonial service too. Everyone wants only “nice” photos published. Surely, checking someone’s “wall” and “wall posts” vaguely sounds like real life stalking. At least, the terms used are.
Speaking of being stalked, I would want to mention my stalker (Not like he's important enough to mention. Yuck, please no) Yes I have one. And no, it doesn’t make me feel important. He freaks me out! He’s a strange man, really. Hideously ugly, hefty, agile and belongs to a nationality I so badly despise. (Not just me, the whole world actually) He glares into my office window from out (the whole day!) and then follows me at the end of my shift, in his car to my bus stop (stopping his car at regular intervals, sticking his head out when he passes me multiple times). He then gets out of the car and stands right next to me in the bus stop till I get into a bus. He then waits for the bus to leave and goes back to his car and drives away. What is he trying to do? Like, really. One morning, I entered my office to find a brown cover on slid under the door. I opened it and what I saw terrified me. There were two grey scale pornographic print outs. Undoubtedly, it was from him. I decided to ignore it. A few days later, I was petrified when I realized he was going to follow me on foot. Somehow, him following me in a car didn’t seem as threatening as me hearing his footsteps right behind me; mentally approximating how close behind me he’d be. I decided to approach the cops around and when I did, he vanished. He’s gotten cleverer ever since. He only glares into my window, sometimes stands right outside the ladies’ washroom, a few feet away from my office and vanishes when I leave. I don’t even see his car anymore. Once, he followed me down the stairs when I HAD to take them because the bloody elevator took forever to open. Hearing him charge down the unlit flight of stairs literally made me freeze, numbing my senses, only one picture running in my head – him behind me. Strangely enough, he vanished when I reached the exit of the campus. This stalking still continues periodically and I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to hand him over to the cops when he gets on my nerves one day.
Being stalked is not something easy to deal with or something to be pleased with. It is NOT cool or cute!Only those who’ve been a victim of stalkers can understand the deep rooted fear and uneasiness on seeing the same car circling the block umpteen number of times or recognizing the same face, the cold glare that chars you from within, the rapid heartbeat and frozen senses on hearing that unnerving footstep accelerating it’s pace right behind you. At different levels, everyone is being stalked. So make sure, you review your privacy settings on facebook and control who can see what. You don’t want the whole world watching you and scrutinizing your life. On the other hand if you’re prey to actual stalking, keep courage, never let your stalker know you’re scared and don’t try to do anything on your own. Call the cops if it gets out of control. If you are cyber stalking someone and enjoy it, you’re shameless (To some extent, I do too) Nevertheless, just make sure you don’t directly or indirectly harm the "prey" or his/her esteem.
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