Rose Law Group Reporter Gripe of the Week
From Wikipedia, External anatomy of catfish: Most catfish are bottom feeders. In general, they are negatively buoyant, which means they will usually sink rather than float due to a reduced gas bladder and a heavy, bony head.
This week’s gripe will not attempt to address all the hullabaloo surrounding the Manti Te’o-Notre Dame-hoax-girlfriend story, but rather to use it was a springboard to discuss something called “catfishing.”
It is new word in our social media lexicon and it describes hooking in someone online to believe you’re someone you’re not. It’s trolling for some gullible sucker and pulling him into a world of fantasy. Not unlike fake Twitter sites that have done some harm, catfishing should be a signal the perpetrator needs to get a life because he is not happy with his own.
Something should be done about catfishing short of violating the First Amendment. For purposes of argument, let’s say it’s later shown Te’o was completely duped for whatever reason. The damage is already done; catfishing has already assaulted his reputation.
A catfish is an ugly fish that sinks to the bottom of its world to feed on the vulnerable. And like it’s namesake, the human catfisher needs to be caught.
