Ejection

Rant incoming.  You have been warned.

So yesterday while drawing this strip, I had an... experience.  Often I will open up a Google Hangout when I'm drawing and screen-share.  I make the Hangout public, so as to attract new readers, and what's more I put the address of the Hangout on Twitter and hashtag it with stuff like #superheroes and #webcomics.  Well, shortly after doing so, someone came into the room.  I have my mic off so I can listen to music (because apparently playing music during a Hangout is considered an "illlegal broadcast") but I keep my ears peeled in case someone wants to chat (preferably someone I know).  After a while, this person began to play a terrible parody country song on his end.  It was annoying, because this gargled garbage interfered with the music I was listening to, but I figured I'd just let it go, because the person would probably lose interest and leave soon anyway.  Besides, I was on a roll.

Well, I think the song had replayed about five times before I couldn't take it anymore.  I brought up the Hangout window and saw some fat, scuzzy-looking dirtbag just staring at the screen, sitting on a bed.  He looked like a younger, dirtier, chunkier version of the character Benicio Del Toro played in Fear and Loathing.  Whatever, I closed the Hangout and made a new one.  This time I didn't make it public (because I could NOT hear that song again), hashtagged it with the usual stuff, and I put the new address up on Twitter and tagged a few of my friends to come and watch (which I figured they wouldn't, being people with jobs, but you never know).  Anyway, in comes dude again.  I can tell because there's that fucking song. 

I click over, and what should I see?  You've probably guessed by now.  Penis all up in the camera.  I killed the Hangout, and then went back to my Google + page to look at the first movie I'd done.  Lots and lots of tiny, dirty-guy penis.  

So, great.  My movie is ruined.  Obviously I had to delete it off my page.  It's especially shitty because people probably came into the room as well, thinking they were going to see illustration, and they got that instead.  I know at least one person did - a younger-looking girl.  Unsurprisingly, she didn't stick around.

There are several aspects of this story that I don't understand.  Foremost, what compels a person to do this?!  I mean, there was usually nobody else in the room, and therefore nobody else watching scuzzy guy masturbating.  I understand some people are exhibitionists, but where's, like, the thrill in that?  Secondly, how was this activity so appealing to Scuzzy that he was inclined to follow me back into a non-public Hangout to continue?  Thirdly, and this may be slightly beside the point, but I can't play music without risking my Hangout being closed on me, but Scuzzy can play one song on repeat and play with himself and that's okay?

After I deleted my videos I attempted to block this person from interacting with me on Google +, only to find out that this isn't an option.  Nice job, Google.  I remarked what happened on Twitter to the friends I'd mentioned, and Scuzzy actually responded.  At least on Twitter I could block him.  Twitter - 1, Google - 0.

Incidentally, this morning that Tweet of mine got retweeted by somebody else.  I looked into it, and it appears this person had gone into a Hangout with some of his friends and Scuzzy came in, doing what Scuzzy does best.

For future reference, Scuzzy's Google handle is "tim smith," and on Twitter he's "@hom_joseph," though I'm sure by now he's changed those.

For those of you who know me well, you know I have very little faith in humanity.  Faith of any sort, for that matter, and certainly no faith in the internet.  It's always been a struggle with me to produce digital art for a webcomic when I loathe both computers and the web.  Things like what happened yesterday make me question my direction in life (as if I needed any more of that happening).

Part of me just thinks: Scuzzy was just a troll.  Troll's troll.  Don't let it get to you.  But you know what?  What that sick fuck did was way beyond trolling.

The other part of me wants to hang it all up.  Cash out.  Be done with all of it.  Smash my computer into tiny pieces, and shield my daughter from even the chance of ever seeing a single disgusting person for the entirety of her life. 

As I've mentioned before, I've already set some plans in motion to withdraw myself and my family from this perverted, ignorant, hateful, materialistic, self-destructive society.  Yesterday's events have only strengthened my resolve.