waterworld
How can it be against the rule to call someone a creep on this blog/forum when it happens all the time, with nary a negative comment nor a reprimand or post-removal? So far as I can tell, based on a quick google search of “creep” on the blog/forum, the primary difference between this post and many other posts related to suspicious or criminal behavior is that more often than not, “creep” is reserved for adults suspected or accused of engaging in creepy behavior, whatever that is, rather than teenagers who do so, although there are plenty of instances of the latter as well. Also, frequently “creep” is used in reference to persons suspected of crimes or charged with crimes and, of course, people convicted of crimes, but it is by no means limited to the criminal realm. But even if the term is permitted in reference only to individuals accused or convicted of crimes, it is still name-calling.
So there definitely is no rule prohibiting name-calling on this site. If there is a rule limiting the scope of name-calling, it is unwritten, and it would appear that the only way to determine the permissible scope of using “creep” in reference to another person is to unwittingly step over the line, as the OP is said to have done.
Today, for the first time, I am learning that it is also creepy to take a photo of someone who has creeped you out. This is surprising, because I have also read on this blog/forum numerous, if not countless times, that we should take photos of people who behave suspiciously or creepily, so that if it should turn out that the creep progresses (or regresses) from creepy behavior to something downright criminal, the police will have something to use to track the creep down. My best effort to harmonize these two directives leads me to conclude that taking photos of creeps is encouraged, other than in situations where the experience of being creeped out could possibly be due to a misunderstanding of the behavior that seems creepy, in which case it is best to engage in accurate diagnosis of the person whose behavior seems creepy or to politely establish a more appropriate boundary, or both.
Whew!