There’s not much that I can add to the conversation around 13 Reasons Why, which, if you haven’t seen it yet, is probably the best new show on Netflix in quite a while. Even though it only debuted a few days ago, countless virtual gallons of digital ink – and some real ink as well – have been spilled gushing over it, examining the teen drama from every angle possible. What I can add, though, is some reflection on how it relates to the local blog, Turtleboy Sports. More on that in a moment.
I hadn’t even expected to watch the show, but decided to give it a try when I found out that Gregg Araki – director of the iconic Generation X anti-masterpiece The Doom Generation – had directed two of the show’s 13 episodes. I was immediately pulled in. 13 Reasons grabs the viewer with its well-defined characters, excellent dialog, and strangely timeless quality. While the show’s preponderance of smart phones and other technology obviously sets the show in present times, it has an 80s or 90s feel to it; the main character, Hannah, almost seems like a dark, post-suicidal Clarissa explaining it all to you.
The plot revolves around the suicide of Hannah, one of two main characters. She’s killed herself before the series starts, and everyone is reeling in the aftermath. Her friend Clay receives a box of audio cassettes – did I mention there’s a retro feel to the show? – on his doorstep. Upon listening to them, he finds that they are a message from Hanna, one side of each tape dedicated to the 13 people who pushed her to her final act.
The story is wrenching on many levels: that anyone, especially someone so young, vibrant, and clever as Hannah, should take their own life is the most obvious. Just as wrenching, though, is the portrayal of the actions that drove her to suicide. Not all, but quite a few, involve misogyny and bullying. Hannah’s world, we come to realize, is one of isolation and pain. Few people realize it, though; not even Clay, her closest friend, understands. She’s written off by much of her school as a “drama queen,” a “slut,” or worse.
What does any of this have to do with a ridiculous Holden, Mass.- based blog? Everything.
Turtleboy, which was founded by disgraced ex-teacher Aiden Kearney and is financed (at the very least through advertising revenue) by Worcester city council member and city Republican Party chair Michael Gaffney, traffics in tormenting vulnerable people in exactly the same way that Hannah was tormented by her peers.
Imagine this description:
“People who knew nothing about her ganged up on her for her perceived ‘wrongs,’ and tormented her online and sometimes via other media, calling her the most misogynistic of names and making her a pariah.”
What does it reference? Turtleboy Sports? The 13 people in Hannah’s tapes? The answer, as anyone who’s read the blog and watched the show should know, is obviously “both.”
Will Turtleboy Sports drive anyone to suicide?
A small example of Turtleboy:
In early March or late February, a woman – we’ll call her C. – posted on Facebook asking for a ride to Maine to see her friend, who is in prison. She offered food and marijuana in exchange. Obviously, none of this would fall into the category of “good idea,” but it’s also not a particularly relevant news story, and we know nothing of this woman. Nonetheless, trolling through Facebook, Kearney, the Turtleboy main author, found this story and wrote an article about it, posting the girl’s photos and Facebook information.
A follow up appeared, in which the author (too frightened to use bylines) wrote about his amusement that people who knew C called the website or sent texts demanding that the story be taken down and threatening legal action. One of the recordings actually stated that C. had “a past of extreme mental illness.”
The caller posted her anger on the Turtleboy Facebook page and, egged on by Aiden Kearney and whoever the other authors are, the caller was attacked in the comments. After Kearney publicized that this nineteen-year-old worked at a specific fast food restaurant, she was fired. Later, yet another TBS article appeared, triumphant, because the caller had called again, this time in tears, saying:
Whatever. You can even put this on another article, too. You win, okay? People are calling my cellphone number, and the comments on your website, calling me, like, a sand “n*gger,” and they want to come fuck me in the ass…you can just keep the article up, I don’t care anymore.
As the recording of the call is playing, Aiden Kearney can be heard in the background, stifling laughter.
To recap: an adult trolled around on Facebook, found a request from a woman with a history of mental illness, and publicly shamed her. When someone called in to say how wrong that was, he publicized that call and shamed the caller, a 19-year-old fast food worker, who then lost her job. The Turtleboy mob – the blog has a small but cult-like townie following – then called her, using racial slurs and threatening to rape her, bringing her to tears.
This is not some isolated, ill-advised case. This is what Kearney’s Turtleboy blog does. They go after people who are at some kind of low point in their lives and attack them publicly, egging their supporters to pile on more abuse.
Will Turtleboy drive someone to suicide? Is it that unlikely?
Turtleboy readers should take note of the Netflix drama. In Hannah’s school, there were three types of people: those who actively created the lies and problems torturing Hannah; those who aided and abetted, by passing on rumors and photos; and those who could have done something, but did nothing. If, or when, someone does something terrible after a Turtleboy hitjob, each reader will be in one of those categories. “We all killed Hannah,” as one of the characters says.
Will Turtleboy Sports cause someone to commit suicide? If they continue to do what they do, the answer is: probably. And then all of those who participated or enabled will have some amount of blood on their hands, some more than others.
Aiden Kearney is the founder of Turtleboy Sports and Michael Gaffney, the city council member and Republican Party of Worcester chair, seems to be its financier. Those two will have more than Turtleboy’s victims’ blood on their hands; they’ll be awash in it.
Image: Publicity still for 13 Reasons Why. Katherine Langford as Hannah.
It’s shameful that he makes money hurting other people.
I saw every episode of this show which was amazing and disturbing. TB and this show are completely opposite! First of all Aiden Kearney is NOT the founder. That has been debunked multiple times…nice try. 90% of the people written about on TB need to be called to the carpet for their disgusting behaviors. Have you seen how many people have had to take responsibility for their actions, whether it be personally, legally, or politically? You are just another “gentle snowflake” that doesn’t like it when someone gets their feelings hurt. I went to HS in the 80s and let me tell you that things weren’t much different. Rumors spread like wild fire over 3 way calling, notes passed from one person to another (like the list in the show), and just by word of mouth. Only thing different is that word may get out much more quickly.
And Mike Gaffney is not to blame either…that ridiculous! And for the record I’m an independent before make the assumption that I’m in the Gaffney corner.
You’re dumb as shit. Adrian is a scumbag just like you.
However as low as you are I wouldn’t tell you to kill yourself, but do wish
Aiden Kearney’s the founder. His saying he’s not the founder isn’t proof. There is all kinds of evidence that has been documented that it’s his site. TBS denies it, but that isn’t proof.
Gaffney: he pays for ads on it, and he has actually paid to promote the page on Facebook. Gaffney is 100 percent connected to the site – and that’s absolutely proveable.
You used the word “snowflake” to refer to a human being, so you are forever branded as a “piece of shit”. That’s how we think of you, and always will. Even though you may have many redeeming qualities, you branded yourself. Congratulations.
Anyone that uses snowflake, libtard, or other political buzz words, to insult someone because they disagree w/them, on a topic not even related to politics, needs to go get re-conditioned or unbrainwashed because no one wants to listen to that crap for four years.
Also, I grew up in the 80’s. It was absolutely nothing like nowadays if comparing what these kids go through on social media in a bullying situation, not even close.
It was added to a lot of school’s curriculum because kids did commit suicide over the harassment, threats & public humiliation on the Internet. Which TBS Site can also do those same things to someone if you include their followers in the equation. Some of the kids (I always assume they are all 20-25 yrs old I don’t know why Lol) that comment under articles sound crazier, angrier and more obnoxious than the person they wrote the article on.
I wonder if any of the blog writers have any kids, old enough, where they have already had their parent/child talk about social media, bullying & strangers on the internet.
Thank you for calling out TBS for what it actually is. A bully with a bull horn.
Thanks for writing this, you’re spot-on.
Thank you for writing this. 🙁 This is sad and upsetting.
Aidan Kearney and his sycophants already did influence a suicide, at least one of them (Brad Killowen or something) actually boasted about how proud of himself he was for pushing her. Her name was Jessica Conway, and Aidan Kearney had his sad readership bully her to death.
Michael Gaffney is a crook and a liar and he wouldn’t care at all.
All you need to do is go to a TB post and read the top comments and that tells you everything you need to know. This guy has a daughter and when I read the to top comments of his supporters I want to ask him “is this really who you want to be? Would you be okay with your daughter knowing her dad wrote this when she’s older?”. I don’t know how his wife can stand by him as a woman.
Wait you think Gaffney finances TBS? They have advertisers and a ton of local and non local support. You really are so far off it hurts. As for the case study you posted, people should learn when they post idiotic statements and requests on the internet they are inviting responses. Also when someone calls into a specific show to be confrontational you will get just that, confrontation. If you don’t want your private life splattered everywhere then control yourself and your privacy settings.
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”. -TBS
Ok. I have to address this. I will also screenshot my comment, in case you choose to delete it.
Said girl C, posted on a PUBLIC FORUM that she needed a ride to see a friend who was incarcerated. A quick check (PUBLIC Record) showed she was in for a heinous crime. It’s considered “relevant” when these are the types of people umoungst us.
If said girl has “mental health issues”, she has the WONDERFUL ability to SCROLL DOWN. When you put something on the internet, or no longer belongs to you. It’s no longer a secret.
You have no proof Aidan Kearney has single handedly, or even contributed to a SINGLE blog. You have no proof Counselor Michael Gaffney had, is or will finance Turtleboy Sports.
To compare TBS to 13 Reasons Why, just make you sound despedesperate. Your reaching. It’s okay though. I know it’s insulting when the Turtle Community, can help the police uncover Meth Heads breaking into Veterans apartments 5x, a husband and wife duo impregnating their ‘daughter’, a racist group using white guilt to suck tax payer money out of the city, all these bogus GoFundMe Pages, help with Ron Tarrentinos murderer and scum family. I mean you’re right. How DARE they have “Ghost Writers” Who does that? They must be shook.
JB – This is calling out TBS?? Um, okay.
Russ – ? Its as close to a safety pin as I have
Speaking of the Officer that blog should have no right speaking about him. Won’t even elaborate.
Courtney, you should probably attend one of those little meetings at city hall with Konnie and Gaffney. Maybe you’d have a different perspective on who else is blowing taxpayers money. Unless all those private handicapped off street parking signs are for free and several signs per 1 person request so they can use them to hold off street parking for their guests to park in is an ok practice to you.
Did Turtleboy forget to mention that when he blogged about and got the crowd going with all his misuse and abuse of handicapped parking blogs? Rut-Ro
Currently watching the show, a few more examples of TBS work would’ve made this alittle bit stronger for the readers that don’t know him but I support it 100%!
Great comparison!
https://themighty.com/2017/04/thirteen-reasons-why-jay-asher-suicide-problematic/
EDIT: I didn’t approve this originally, because I thought it might have been something that would lead to an Internet virus or malware. I tested the link, though, and found that it went to an interesting article discussing the portrayal of suicide in 13 Reasons. Worth reading, even if you disagree with it.
I am one of the people namelessy mentioned in this article. I am one of the people who was harassed endlessly. I am one of the people who spent years and years in psychiatric care. Turtleboy sports relentlessly harassed me and my friends. Thank you for writing this. I have refused to watch 13 reasons why, because I don’t believe that killing yourself is anyone’s fault but your own. It’s a selfish decision that only you can make and I don’t believe in blaming anyone for it. But turtle boy must be stopped. Thank you for writing this
If turtleboy didn’t have so much material to work with he wouldn’t have a successful blog, we live in an entitled society that is going down the toilet. Everyone has to stop making excuses for others bullshit behavior
You may think that now, but at any moment the tables could turn and you could be the subject of a blog post. Sure, people make bad decisions, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to humiliate or harass them.
This blog is calling out TB’s bullshit behavior.
I suspect he won’t address his bullshit behavior and, instead, blame it on others like you just did
Any adult TBS fan I’ve met either has insecurity issues and/or a very lonely life. I think it fills a hole for them. I can’t speak for all fans. This has just been my experience. The writers, which can pretty much be anyone don’t just use DFN to find material, they also use it to attract DFN members to the TBS site with links and childish comments to get you curious enough to click. They want you to think they’re assholes, they want you to reply; the more comments (negative or positive) only give them more exposure. Don’t give them what they want. Ignore them.
Turtleboy makes me want to kill myself because each time I read his articles I have less and less faith in humanity
This is what happens when sad meek men have nothing else to do with their time. They become proud vengeful internet trolls but in reality, they write that shit because they have no balls. They bitch about things that don’t matter and rip apart people who aren’t doing anything because it’s better than facing the reality of their sad little lives. Someone seriously needs to shut down their page for slander and harassment.
Thanks for posting this Dan. You are absolutely right .
Turtle boy has gone from a site that went after high ranking sports figures and politicians to expose wrongdoing to one that goes after ordinary people because they are among those the author and financier find “undesirable ” and unworthy of respect and dignity .
They are seeking to destroy people and not only don’t they care , they actually revel in it .
Again, thank you for this . No doubt you will be targeted by turtleboy as a result because he has no shame .
you know I was thinking this afternoon…. what the hell happened to the days when I guy did something like that to a girl and a couple of guys get together and just go kick his fuckin ass
Can we leave the High School drama to teenagers? Both sides. There are more important things you could be spending your time on. Improve yourself, pick something to learn, an instrument, a language, create something, cook, read, exercise, or talk to someone you love. Worry less about what others are saying and do what makes you happy.
I was targeted by TB – For being an asshole online. Which I was. Wholeheartedly admit it.
He messaged me to attempt to get me to retract my statements, basically “bow to the turtle” before he publicly destroyed my character. I wouldn’t.
I wasn’t about to let some threats from as someone had said – a bully with a bullhorn – alter how I chose to live my life.. Though I was in the wrong – I’m an asshole, I know this, everyone who knows me , knows this.. And part of that is knowing I’m in the wrong yet continuing to swing through. Once you start to backpedal you don’t stop.. I’ve been a bully, I know how to deal with bullies.
I feel bad for that poor girl mentioned in the article – I read the TB article when it was posted, and its followups and was really hoping that that girl was not driven to harm herself. I can take the heat, I lost some work due to my article as well – but so be it .. it was written in response to something I said and I was willing to lay in the bed I myself had made. I’m a man and I am responsible for my words and actions.. But targeting vulnerable, at risk people like that young girl? That is criminal.
But Aidan??? HAH , that man is a coward in the highest degree.. he distances himself by claiming “We are all turtleboy”, he won’t accept any of the consequences for his words.. and I’m not sure that I blame him. He was fired from Shepherd Hill because he made a motion of masturbating in a young girls face – something that if you mention on TBS – you are instantly banned for.
That’s how you can tell its Aidan – because if it wasn’t he would be all for attacking the character of a person who did such a thing.
<> It’s one thing to hurt a person, another to target their loved ones and let them self destruct realizing what they brought upon themselves.
Great article though, and 100% on point.
If you share the words and articles of that POS, you make yourself complicit in aiding and abetting a man who was fired for basically sexually assaulting a child. Not the kind of person I want to support or make money.
He also goes after people his friends don’t like…no names. Then pretends that he’s done “investigative” work on them to inform the public.
Just as a side note, Aidan has been harassing people since he was in young. He was a terrible person in high school and a terrible person at college at U-Mass Amherst. You can’t reason with him. He’s not smart enough. His pledge name at Phi Sigma Kappa was Rocks because he was dumb as rocks. Truth. He ruined a party once because while smoking weed, he ripped some smoke alarms off the wall that were going off which caused the whole system to go off and the fire department had to show up. All the brothers had to stash their stashes. Hell, he couldn’t even be a decent teacher. A TEACHER. So, now he bullies online for money. If his ad money dries up, he’s fucked. Just food for thought.
My comments are simple… #1 the enquirer is popular because people need to believe that 3 eyed purple people eaters exist and therefore they BUY it….#2 If anyone associated with that site were “real” reporters they wouldn’t be doing their reporting on TBS, they would be doing what real reporters do and INVESTIGATE before reporting and they would report facts not hearsay….#3 I hope everyone that has been personally victimized by that site gets together to take action because the best solution to an end of TBS is the unity of the scorned with a touch of Karma!
I understand that the people he blogs about may not be the most upstanding citizens, however everyone has made mistakes I know I have. I am just glad that when I made mistakes turtle boy wasn’t there to publicly shame me for being a flawed human being. Half these stories he writes are highly exaggerated and he has a knack for taking content off the Internet that’s completely out of context. These stigmas he reinforce’s are devasting,for many of his victims have lost their jobs or lost opportunities because as we all know employers look at prospective employees social media. We have a huge issue with lack of privacy and with how much negativity people are comfortable with coming from this blogger. I hope that someone exposes him for his flaws, then maybe he will … realize he’s not perfect. No one is, that’s what makes us who we are as a species, turtle boy, stop spreading the animosity and do something positive for the community instead of advertising in the name of your false sense if superiority please. Tolerance is what we should be teaching our youth so that hopefully one day, he won’t have anything to write about except his own misery.
If he is do bad why do people continue to read him and support his investors.
^Well, Jacoby. Because there are a lot of a–holes out there that’s why.
Jacoby, you mean all five of them?
I would be curious to see a TB body count. A loved one of mine was publicly humiliated on TBs page and is now deceased. I truly believe that the article and it’s aftermath were highly contributing factors in his passing.
One of the easiest things to do is put someone down. Turtleboy magnifies the negatives in people. Instead of being a voice for good, Tbs spreads shock media. I refuse to read his articles anymore. Peace,love & understanding go a longer way than Hate!
Turtleboy is an idiot who will end up buying boats for his lawyers. He thinks that because he beat an old, blind guy in court that he’s invincible. Take a look at the suit that Lauren Larson filed against him. He caved in a heartbeat and took down all his posts about her.
He’s gonna crash, and I’ll be sitting here watching it and laughing.
Dan you call TB scum for “walking over people”, they expose criminals and people who display deplorable behavior. They do not incite/intimate violence, as many of your supporters here in these comments.
You however do support and apologize for violence as it supports your idea of the “greater good “, the ends justify the means for you.
Turtleboy on your mind. You fucking scum bags.
Woops ^ You must be looking in the mirror again.
Do a search for Buffalo Bruises and Turtleboy and Aiden Kearney. He has links to live Aidenfromworcester blogs (before Aiden changed it to turtleboy) and then listen to the current live Turtleboy feeds. Its the same voice. A few months ago he tried calling out Mayor Petty asking for voice comparison (moron-gate), how about we find someone to do the same. Confirm once and for all his “not Aiden Kearney” lies.
He sits in his home in Jefferson, an embarrassment to his mother, and living a lie about who he is. Grow up dude, most of your followers are not even from Worcester. You’ve been around for years, have never gone “viral” and still aren’t anywhere near 100,000 followers. The cash me outside chick has more followers, what’s that say about how low you are on the rung of internet fame. Personally, I think we should all troll him until it hurts, troll his family, his friends, everything. Its childish to fight fire with fire, but really people- aren’t we dealing with a “child” here already?
Furthermore, someone put a message into the Buffalo Bruises guy, he exposed the heck out of Aiden, I’m sure he’d love to help swing a hammer into the coffin of Turtleboy.
Wow. Some friends this Aiden guy has. Letting him take the fall for being the owner of Tb sports. That says a lot about who he surrounds himself with. Speaking of friends, does anyone know anything about “Aidens” friends…
I am being harassed by Turtleboy right now! It started two weeks ago over a one star review of a restaurant. The owner went bizerk and posted my personal contact info online. From there it escalated. Death threats for a bad food review? I never imagined this would be possible. I got the original post removed from fb after several memes suggesting I should kill my self. The owner refused to remove my contact info though. The posts continued but seemed to be dwindling until today! Turtle boy and a blogger named turtle girl south shore wrote an article about me and posted it online. My phone starting ringing off the hook again and then my friends started reaching out to me asking if I was okay. I tried not to read the article but when you see your personal photo altered to make you look bad it’s difficult to look away. The article was slanderous at the very least. I decided I couldn’t keep this to myself any longer so I posted on fb asking for help. I was shocked as I had never heard of TBS before. There are dozens of examples of this troll and his followers harassing women on line. Yes they sometimes target men but they seem to target women more often than not.
I haven’t watched all of 13 reasons. But I don’t really feel I need to after enduring this level of ongoing harassment.
TBS is a bully with a bull horn and they are dangerous. I’m not thin skinned. I’m not frail or mentally ill. I’m a strong independent woman who can stand up for herself. But not everyone is as fortunate as I am. And for those people, who may become the latest target, those are the people who are vulnerable!
What about the woman who’s child died in foster care in auburn? As if losing ur child isn’t enough, he posts an article with a bunch of made up stories and she committed suicide 2 days after he published it. I can’t wait till he gets hit with a stray bullet! His poor mother must be close to the grave by now! I would be so ashamed if he were my son. I would spend life in prison to take back what I’ve created!
Have no fear….I’m going to expose “Turtle Boy” and EVERYONE (which I doubt he has more than one writer) Trust me, I have the $ to do this and I WILL DO this… I never had any dealings with this guy but anyone who hides his face and real name to hurt people are bullies. I’m not going to physically harm him, but I will make his life a miserable hell.. Let’s just say “TurtleBoy” would of been okay if he never came on my radar…. ANONYMOUS is already on the case. And by the way if you are reading this Michael Gaffney AND Aiden Kerney… This is not new to me….You want war? You got one..
The way to stop tb is to go after the advertiser’s. Hit them in the wallet.
In a story posted just 7 hours ago, this man infiltrated a closed private group of college women on FB and posted the pictures, names, towns and school of each, and posted screenshots of their discussions. They are receiving death threats amongst other things. Regardless of your political beliefs or affiliations, this is not ok! Freedom of speech does not include jeopardizing the lives of others or publishing private material. I am devastated and infuriated by this person’s behavior.
Just a few weeks ago they did this to me. I reported domestic abuse by a cop who committed felonies and was allowed to get away with it. They harassment, lies and defamation has been nonstop. They have even gone so far as to harass my kids, my family and friends, and make up flat out lies about me. They repost the article everywhere they can. I also started receiving threatening phone calls to the point where I had to change my business phone number.
I will continue to fight because I don’t back down to bullies. Long story short, they are aiding and abetting an abusive stalker to continue to abuse me by rallying the troops against me for no good reason other than they think it’s funny. Domestic abuse is not funny.
There is also nothing comical about a cop being allowed to illegally run plates, CORI check visitors to my home, stalk, harass, and threaten to rape and kill me; or steal a gun and 37 boxes of ammunition from the Georgetown Police Department and get away with it. I’m not amused.
My family is currently being harassed by them as well. We’re living in poverty and they’re calling us horrible names, saying we don’t deserve our children. The commenters are vicious as well. Yes, I’m considering suicide. My life is hard enough as it is without anonymous people piling on emotional abuse and slander.
I agree. He’s a dangerous person and I’m honestly surprised nobody’s been seriously physically harmed because of him yet. We know his blogs have caused property damage and untold amounts of emotional distress, not to mention job loss.
Someday he’ll bite off more than he can chew but let’s hope in the meantime that nobody gets hurt or worse because if one of his victims ends up like Hannah, even Aiden won’t be able to avoid the wrath of the court.