Stalking
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- This article is about the action: to stalk. Stalk is also refers to a part of a plant; the longish piece that supports the seed-carrying parts of a plant, or, more simply, the stem.
Stalking is repeated harassing or otherwise intruding upon a person's privacy in a manner that causes fear, commonly exemplified by acts such as following or observing a person persistently and surreptitiously. The vast majority of stalking emerges out of previously existing relationships, and is conducted by people who otherwise are considered "normal," although a relatively small percentage of stalking cases, typically the more severe and persistent cases, are sometimes done out of pathological obsession or derangement. Stalking may involve the intent to acquire private information or objects. Common victims of stalking include ex-husbands/wives and ex-boy/girlfriends, and people in highly visible or social professions, such as teachers, counselors, doctors, and celebrities. In more extreme cases, stalking leads to threats or violence.
Examples are a fan stalking a celebrity, somebody stalking an ex-lover whom they want back, and other cases of non-reciprocal love.
The legality of the practice is defined differently under different jurisdictions; some define the act as it stands as illegal, while some only define stalking illegal once it becomes threatening or endangers the one being stalked.
Stalkers have been following celebrities around since the advent of yellow journalism. In some cases, the stalking behavior in question is harmless and does not go to extremes. In other cases, however, the celebrities being targeted have to leave their profession for many years while they build a new life (as was the case of Andrea Evans), or the celebrities being targeted by the stalker become the victim of violent attacks (some celebrities, like Theresa Saldana, have been able to live and tell the tale, while others, like Rebecca Schaeffer and John Lennon, did not).
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Female celebrities
Paula Abdul, Justine Bateman, Victoria Adams Beckham (aka Posh Spice), Halle Berry, Björk, Toni Braxton, Sandra Bullock, Belinda Carlisle, Cher, Chelsea Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Dominique Dunne (murdered), Sheena Easton, Gloria Estefan, Andrea Evans, Agnetha Fältskog (ABBA), Roberta Flack, Jodie Foster, Debbie Gibson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Sharon Gless, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Anna Kournikova, Avril Lavigne, Madonna, Barbara Mandrell, Sarah McLachlan, Anne Murray, Bebe Neuwirth, Olivia Newton-John, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Preston, Linda Ronstadt, Jeri Ryan, Meg Ryan, Theresa Saldana (stabbed), Rebecca Schaeffer (murdered), Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Monica Seles (stabbed), Maria Shriver, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears, Amber Tamblyn, Tanya Tucker, Vanna White, Vanessa Williams, Kate Winslet, Katarina Witt, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Male celebrities
Scott Bakula, David Beckham, Sonny Bono, David Bowie, Michael J. Fox, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, George Harrison (stabbed), Chris Isaak, Michael Jackson, Peter Karrie, Michael Landon, John Lennon (murdered), David Letterman, Jerry Lewis, Brad Pitt, Ronald Reagan (shot), Dennis Rodman, Axl Rose, Steven Spielberg, Andy Warhol (shot), Jackie Wilson (shot)
See also
External links and references
- Benschop, Albert: Cyberstalking - Menaced on the internet (http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/sociosite/websoc/cyberstalking_en.html). In: Sociosite (http://www.sociosite.net) - Peculiarities of Cyberspace.
- The Australian Anti-stalking and threat website (http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/stalkmain.htm)
- Celebrity Justice (http://celebrityjustice.warnerbros.com)de:Stalking