- Jul 3, 2021
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Do you really need me to start quoting several other sources stating how Blackmail can be many things, one of them being the threat of physical harm to make the victim do something for them?
Cambridge Dictionary;
"the act of getting money from people or forcing them to do something by threatening to tell a secret of theirs or to harm them"
"the act of threatening to harm someone or someone's reputation unless the person does as you say, or a payment made to someone who has threatened to harm you or your reputation if you fail to pay the person."
"a situation in which threats are made to harm a person or organization if they do not do something such as give someone money."
Wikipedia (granted, not the best source in some cases);
"Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. These acts can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is normally carried out for personal gain, most commonly of position, money, or property."
The second you started quoting U.S Code had me pretty much lost, because whatever the meaning might be in the U.S., it certainly doesn't have to be the same in every other country on this planet, which is why I feel like there might be cultural differences here. You can literally find a million different definitions on the internet. Some would support what you said, others would support what I said.
So yeah, I'd say you've proven that it's not entirely clear what it is or isn't. But going back to the original reason for the discussion, my point still stands that what's going on between Aiden and Sophia certainly is not a simple "deal" as mentioned by another forum user who denied the fact that it is Blackmail (or as in your quoted definitions extortion).
My apologies for straight up calling what you said previously wrong. Guess it's not that simple.
