Absolute Zero
Absolute Zero United, Absolute Zero, AZU or simply AZ, (f. 2006) was an "anti-pedophile" hate blog/harassment organization formed in 2006 to share information about various causes and individuals. Their slogan was "fighting pedophiles around the world", and they officially stopped publishing in 2013 after fading in significance throughout 2008/9.
It can be described as an internet hate-campaign run by anti-pedophile activists and potentially including some trolls who seek entertainment - "the thrill of the chase". In addition to the vigilantism that took place on Absolute Zero, the campaign served to promote the vigilante work done by others groups (such as Perverted Justice) and staff may be involved with these organizations as members or information-sharing partners. At least one core member was later convicted of child pornography charges.[1][2][3]
History and mode of operation
At one point, the organization held the absolutezerounited.org domain, but this disappeared for some unknown reason. The group - consisting of around seventeen volunteers continued to operate on Google's free blogging platform, Blogger/Blogspot. Absolute Zero was first established at absolutezerounited.blogspot.com after a member (Daydreamer of Oz) was offended by a pedophile who posted on a website of hers. Her mother, Marina H/Stitches77, a highly active AZU member later wrote:
- "You see Matt is a filthy pedophile. Not only that, he's a rather stupid, militant filthy pedophile I had the misfortune of 'meeting' when he decided to make a target of my daughter. Daydreamer of Oz was a blogger, just a blogger minding her own business and writing her opinions about whatever struck her fancy at the time. She didn't know about people like Matthew Woodward...........a crazed filthy pedophile proud of his perversion. Until she became his target that is. Until he decided to inflict his ugliness upon her -- an unwanted intrusion into her life. Matt changed everything".
By "Matt" she means an alleged real-life identity of Lepidopterist. His own commentary on the affair is highly conflicting:
- "I visited a blog by the daydreamerofOz character - who is a female - and I posted something which was not a flame. The next I knew they were up in flames and due to my posting inoffensive messages on other blogs of people who hate us naturally, they all seem to have banded together to form the ridiculous and false site Absolute Zero".
General tone
Early on in its existence, AZU editorials focused on what the group saw as "pro-pedophile" cyber-activism, attempting to manipulate quotes, intimidate chosen enemies and shut down the sites of those who they found offensive via a flagging mechanism. AZU was instrumental in Blogger censorship. With the further advancement of online SOL Reform Activism, purging of offensive pedophile blogs and establishment of less vulnerable replacements elsewhere, AZU turned its attention to Sex Offender activists such as Tom Madison, attempting to link them and their groups with their previous pedophile targets. 2008 and 2009 postings indicated that AZU was by that point, little more than an advert for Wikisposure, and old posts were frequently shunted to the front of the site to make up for a drop in participation.
Absolute Zero was seen as an extremist group by individuals of many different persuasions. The campaign has been ridiculed for a number of reasons, including:
- The socially conservative (generally American Imperialist/Dominionist) viewpoints of its contributors and supporters on a number of topics. AZU gains much of its traffic and support from blogs such as "Tampa Pirate" and flaunts a link to "Dr" Judith Reisman.
- The repetitive, back-slapping nature of comments posted after editorials, taking on almost ritual importance in the reinforcement and justification of group hate-sports.
- The inevitable pro-rape and "Bubba" type comments on the blog (see below).
- The contrivance of a language of hate not found on any other site, and the tendency of members to continue using this self-supporting language outside AZU.
- "Absolute Zero" as a reflection on the intelligence of contributors.
- The almost willful inability of its contributors to make a distinction between child molesters and pedophiles. The fact that AZU have been repeatedly confronted with this important distinction over a number of years, makes this failure more pertinent and easy to assert.
- The contributor Marina H. (Stitches77), who after many years of what she would seem to regard as "psyops", insistent assertion of her assumed superiority, and obsession with (inciting) suicide, is thought by many to be a borderline psychopath.
AZU was repeatedly criticized throughout the blogosphere, as a haven for rape fetishists claiming acceptability as opponents of sex offenders. Whilst the articulation of fantasies may not be problematic in and of itself, the boastful celebration of rape that so often characterized AZU comment threads was certainly very revealing. The following expression is quite typical in its emotional tone:
- "I hope he gets butt raped repeatedly without any ice cream or "powder" to relax."
- Violet Leaves (an AZU editorial contributor), 08.02.09
Campaigns
Absolute Zero has taken on a number of campaigns, some successful and some impotent. On the one hand, they were very successful at harassing the boylover, Octaevius Altair and getting him banned from a number of on line communities and book distributors. It is worth noting that the level of targeted, destructive rage expressed by a number of members during this campaign erases all doubt that AZ is anything but a hate mob. On the other hand, AZ embarked on a highly comical and ineffectual crusade against Disney, calling for a boycott after journalist, John Stossel outraged them by exposing the true impact of statutory rape laws.
They also publicize the holiday-related outing campaigns done by Wikisposure and later Evil-Unveiled, and may work in co-operation with them.
Boycotts
Other banners on their site called for the boycotts of certain industries. This includes Amazon, Disney and 20/20.
External Links
- Voice of Reason - A surviving anti-AZU blog.
- Absolute Zero Unites - Long running Anti-AZU Blog.
- Back in 2006, the nascent AZU was also said to have inspired the formation and name of AttractedToChildren.org's predecessor. This blog is where the term Minor Attracted Person was coined, prior to its spread throughout the community.
- AZU - The Blog that folded in 2013.