dignity and civility to Code Pink. Message sent, not received. One cannot fault his effort, though.
On a related note, the troll problem has gotten bad enough that I’m going to recommend Jeff make the site registration only.
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- In The Mailbox: 02.28.23 (Afternoon Edition) : The Other McCain on Hey, longtime pw readers…
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Registration only would be fine with me. I think I’m already registered anyway.
Not that my opinion holds any weight, really. Just saying.
Registration works for me, but isn’t the vast majority of this problem coming from one source?
Registration is a good idea:
Let in thoughtful, polite liberals who actually have the humility to recognize when they have lost a point, and who can challenge us once in a while [though that might be a tall order.]
I really hate trying to debate/exchange with someone who just….skips over logic whenever it is convenient…
And, like Cranky, my opinion on this means nothing.
Registration is not such a great idea for those of us that access this site from mobile phones, etc …
Apologies, JD, never thought of that.
Respectfully, as I do not use one, what is the problem? Password management?
Application function?
Thinking about getting a PDA, and wondering about the pluses and minuses…
Again, respectfully,
Mike
Such exist? The rare Ivory-billed peckerhead that would be..
This will betray my total lack of geekdom, but is there no way to preclude comments from a repeat offender?
On topic, it will be very interesting to see the anti war crowd after Jan 20. Will they settle down when their guy is in charge? You have to remember how O! won the primaries by getting to the left of Clinton on the war. When he can’t fulfill his pledge to end operations in 16 months, will the anti war crowd forgive him or go further off the edge?
You can block IP addresses, but some repeat offenders take that as a challenge and change their IP address. Most people have IPs assigned from a pool, and rebooting the modem gives you a new IP. Otherwise you can use a proxy server, and then the IP of the proxy is the one that appears to be you.
The only system that actually works is moderation.
Moderation is incredibly tedious and time-consuming for an even moderately popular blog, and leaves the site owner open to charges of “suppressing free speech” from the waaaaaaah!ker brigade.
Regards,
Ric
Got it. I don’t mind his comments so much as I usually pass them by, but today he has been posting under other people’s names. That gets real annoying, real fast. If I were Spies or Darleen I would be pissed.
Maybe if we all agree to never, ever respond to one of his comments he will go away? I got a little carried away the other night, but I’ll ignore him from now on.
Just let me find alphie and I promise he will never comment here again. I kid, I kid. I think I do. Anyhow, The Iraqi gentleman smacked the pinkos down and good. The applause at the end was nice to hear. I realize that the pinkos and like minded morons probably don’t have the capacity to understand this simple point, but the point is this. It was an assault. Pure and simple. He got arrested and unless President Bush, or the Iraqi state, wants to drop the charges, he will stay arrested pending any type of bail system they have. Now fuck off pinko losers.
I’m as mortified of the Code Pink cretins as the Ambassador is of the shoe-tosser. Do they really want to live in a world where one assaults the President with impunity?
Lt. York – Often times you have to re-register over and over, especially if you also use your phone as a modem, and vary between Wifi and broadband connections.
OI – Preach it, brotherman.
Jeffersonian – Nope. They just want to be able to assault Republicans with impunity.
JD – I think you’re right, but unfortunately, it’s not easy to restrict lawlessness to just one unpopular constituency. These bimbos are as short-sighted about the rule of law as they are liberty. When you think about it, they go hand-in-hand.
I agree, Dan. And as I put into a comment earlier today, I recommended the same thing to Jeff.
This is his place, and we are guests, and the trolls abuse the hospitality. There is plenty of room for debate or dissent, but none for what the trolls bring. Let those who are beyond the pale sit beyond the palings.
Clam your yammer, Big Duh. It’s specifically those two, Spies and Darleen, that are the worst of the psychotic spit-ballers here. They are totally out of control.
I’ll log on and see a dozen posts that aren’t mine but are using my name. Ever more often one wonders if all PW is is a goad and peck site rather than a site where people discuss topics. If PW wants to be more serious then the people who stick their tongue out and then run and hide behind Jeff’s bellbottom have to, well, be tossed.
Too many r-wingers are divorced from any reckoning, if you ask me, and are only too happy to dissolve into bitter denialist name-callers. Self-elevation through self-edification is the last tiresome play in their playbook.
That is the basic problem, Jeffersonian. They do not think about it, and if they did, it would probably just make them chuckle, and it would become the punchline to some bad joke at a cocktail party. They want power, and all else stems from that.
How many names has thor used today?
At least a two dozen. How many people have used my name?
It’s why Nishi changes her name as well. Nice to see all the righteous right fuck up the IDs on a site and then try and blame others, shows that juvenile level their known for.
If it offends you so much, thor, don’t come here any more. Win-win for everyone.
But everyone isn’t you. Reality-reality check.
No. Nishit changes her name like regular people change socks. That she has multiple personalities is all on her.
Show of hands. Did anyone post a sock-puppet under the name “thor” ?
“Let in thoughtful, polite liberals who actually have the humility to recognize when they have lost a point, and who can challenge us once in a while [though that might be a tall order.]”
The problem with you, thorkiddie, is that you have no adult humility. Hence: you are not one of the, “thoughtful, polite liberals who actually have the humility to recognize when they have lost a point.”
You are not polite, nor humble. Although you do have the ability to challenge us once in a while, the way you present it make us want to get rid of you.
That is the long and short of it.
Now you may return to your callow commentary.
Ignore it and it will go away.
Yo, all.
Could someone drop me a line if something is done about thor?
Or if Jeff wants tech help for doing something about thor.
Jeff and Dan both have my email.
The trolls won’t quit until everything is as squalid as their own existence. It is all they have, they can’t create anything, they can just destroy. That is all it has ever been.
It doesn’t piss me off, actually. It pisses some off who feel themselves far above the golden rule, meaning when I return fire with my own spitballs.
I came for Jeff’s celluloid wisdom, I hung around so that I can become a hooker(1) in my dotage.
–
(1) “Hooker” is a catch-wrestling term for a prostitute.
Sure, SBP.
Yeah, me too. If Jeff and Dan want to do something about sPies, I’ll chip in for psychology exam.
Also, if it turns out that legal action is the way to go, I’m good for a few more bucks.
I’ll let you know, too, thor.
#27 Big D:
usually, I would agree with your assessment, but there are exceptions. This is one. No matter if there is 100% ignorage, it will still comment as it has nothing else to define its existence. Normal behavior and normal reactions are restricted by normalcy. This is an outlier.
It is like thor begs to hit for the attention, but you can never hit it hard enough to make it quit doing that.
“The trolls won’t quit until everything is as squalid as their own existence. It is all they have, they can’t create anything, they can just destroy. That is all it has ever been.”
I’m not 100% on board with Ayn Rand, but the term “looters” does seem apraopos, does it not?
#34 SBP:
Me too.
Then again, on the plus side, very few non-morons actually read the comments sections of semi-popular blogs such as PW, AoS, Patterico, HotAir, LGF, et al.
So these comment-tempests are very much constrained to virtual teapots.
Why would anyone sock-puppet thworbutt?
#38 Lt. York:
Looter or orc, the term makes no real difference.
I wonder if the Code Pinkers understood that the ambassador was directly addressing them and their protest when he explained that insulting the guest (the ambassador) brought shame to the host (by extension them). They disrespected the guest (the official guest – the ambassador) publicly, which brings shame to their land and their people.
Nah, they aren’t clever enough to get that.
Thor began shifting names very early on, and sock-puppeting regulars about the same time. There’s a reason Jeff warned him about it.
Comments as “pay for play”, penny a word or 1/10 cent per character, pay in advance, monthly, like cell phones. Register, put up a sum to start, each comment subtracts from balance. Add to account when low. Jeff keeps the money. Refundable at his discretion.
Trolls have him laughing all the way to the bank.
Shame their homeland? I’d think Code Pinkers would be happy to have that outcome. Isn’t it their belief that their own nation is shameful?
There is a very simple solution to these fools, but it ain’t easy to do in practice.
DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM.
They are merely attention-seekers, and probably very lonely in their personal lives. For a neglected child, bad attention is better than no attention. They will get bored and move on, eventually.
After Jan 20th war protests will quickly fall out of fashion. The hard core left will still be at it, but they will be largely ignored by the press. There will be two competing leftist ideologies; O! worshipers and anti war protesters. Their solution will be to simply ignore each other.
Look, modding someplace like FARK would like trying to get the salt out of the ocean, but it’s not like the threads are THAT huge.
The types are going to whine about “crushing their freedoms” are likely the type to be banned anyway. I been threatened with a ban on Pandagon and Shakespeare’s Sister merely for daring to state a contrary opinion.
Jeff can run his site as he sees fit. After all, it is HIS site.
Consider two left wing ideologies, feminism and multi-culturalism. If ever there should have been a confrontation between the two it would have been over how some cultures treat women. What are the feminists on about today? Wage disparities.
I understand Jeff G’s point about wanting to allow the local trolls to illustrate his points about the use of language. That said, at least one particular troll has gone past being a useful idiot, to being just an idiot.
Don’t need an echo chamber of the right, but all you hear nowadays is the echo of idiocy on the left.
It takes a person with a very small mind to not take responsibilty for their own actions or thoughts. Frankly, it’s kinda gay and faggoty. I mean who would spend their valuable time (I guess that’s the catch) playing 8 year old bullshit? But that’s what they are I suppose. Code Pink is also kinda gay and faggoty, but then we already knew that.
Or, the admins could do like some blogs and simply alter the offending poster’s comment to something self-flagellating and asinine. It doesn’t get rid of the more persistent ones forever, but even the most determined trolls will scale back their invective because it’s just not worth it to keep posting when your words keep getting altered. I’ve seen it work on roving prolific leftist troll Mikelx (anyone who read Moorewatch or Gut Rumbles will know what I’m talking about) and various leftist commenters on Ace’s site, so there’s no reason not to employ it here.
As for concerns about free speech, screw ’em. This isn’t a government website–Jeff owns the domain, so it should be up to him to determine how to best make this an internet community, and free speech doesn’t come into play on a private domain. Posters like cynn or Lisa will at least make honest efforts at discussion, but thor and parsnip/alphie/whatever split personality he is this year do nothing but degrade the site to the level of the kindergarten playground. You can only enable a bratty child so long before it becomes time to discipline them, and if fucking around with their posts accomplishes the deed and makes them reduce their activity here (regardless of where thor is posting from), I’d say that’s a positive. It would even reduce whatever sockpuppetry has occurred.
I missed a good deal of the drama when Karl left, but wasn’t that about thor calling him a racist or something?
I stopped commenting at a lot of sites because of the trolls. Life is too short to waste your time with them. I would rather clean the house or read a book.
As for the shoe thrower guy, he is a fan of alSadr and Che. He can yammer on about the widows and orphans all he wants, but his hero Sadr has not exactly been kind to his fellow Iraqis.
Also, if it turns out that legal action is the way to go, I’m good for a few more bucks.
There is no legal action to take. An ISP will only go after one of their users if that user is breaking a law or sending spam or viruses or whatnot. This I already know from sad experience.
Being an insufferable troll on a political blog is not illegal.
As long as the trolls are able to spoof their IP addresses, there’s nothing short of a bullet to the head that will stop them. Which I’m not proposing and even if I were, nobody I know has the mad (illegal) haxxor ski77z to track down their domiciles thus to perform the deed.
Jeff’s best bet is to summarily delete anything by the trolls, and the rest of us can be thus motivated to ignore them, knowing that any retort on our part will be left twisting in the wind in just a few hours.
That makes a lot of work for Jeff and the subs, but maybe a few of us can be given permissions to delete troll droppings.
Best bet, dicentra, if he wishes to retain comments as a feature. He could, on the other hand, eliminate comments altogether and turn to occasional e-mailed correspondence as a means to demonstration of a rhetorical point or ordinary dialog, allowing him to ignore the boring at will and focus on whatever it may be he finds interesting.
Or, the admins could do like some blogs and simply alter the offending poster’s comment to something self-flagellating and asinine.
Tried it on my Pub threads. It’s amusing the first 100 times, but then they keep posting crap just to see what you’ll do with it. Gets old.
Trolls are more persistent and indefatigable than you are, because they are motivated by sick, ugly forces in their twisted souls. Decent people have better things to do than smack down smirking trolls all day long.
I don’t think it’s just “throwing” your shows at someone- isn’t it a faux pas in most places to even DISPLAY the soles of your shoes to someone?
I mean, all this frickin’ cultural “sensitivity”, and the leftards are showing the soles of shoes on their placards to a visiting Arab ambassador? Like they’re only sensitive to other cultures if it involves clitoridectomies?
“Tried it on my Pub threads. It’s amusing the first 100 times, but then they keep posting crap just to see what you’ll do with it. Gets old.”
Understood, but it doesn’t have to something clever and creative everytime–boilerplate would work just as well.
You’re no decent person. You’re a God creeper (“nobody who believes in God could possibly vote for Obama”), and I’m not afraid to point that out. I’ll defend your right to be a God creeper, but I won’t go along with it. My mom sits on the board of directors of her church, is a pillar of prayer, and she voted for Obama. She’s a Christian, so I’m sure she’ll forgive your transgressions, ha!
I’m guessing those Pinks don’t have the self-awareness to know how stupid they look just sitting there holding up a sign as if that’s a big freaking accomplishment in a nation with freedom of speech. I’m surprised they didn’t cover their ears to shut out the Ambassador’s words.
Maybe your mom’s an idiot.
JHoward – Play nice ;-)
Time for an itemize all the smart reasons to vote for Obama thread, JD. It’ll be short.
He said, in the nicest possible way, “You can take your soft bigotry of low expectations and shove it up your pink codes.”
It is. They know not of what they do. In more ways than one.
Nancy Sinatra was cooler.
Needs a link. These Boots are Made for Walking.
I’d vote for registration (if I had a vote in the benevolent despotism of someone else’s blog.) Not because it will stop the trolls by itself, but it will prevent sock puppetry of registered names. At least that way you can scroll past the repeat offenders and skim/discount the new names until their value is proven.
Oh, and should registration come to pass – dibs on Buck Velvet.
For what it’s worth, I would be for registration, although it is a pain to have to wait for it to open.
I am mostly a lurker here. I’ve been coming here more and more recently because Hot Air is getting too populated by trolls and the conservative crowd over there is becoming pretty intolerant and knee-jerk, particularly pertaining to anything related to science or religion. (I think a lot of them were kicked out of Little Green Footballs. Unfortunately, I keep missing LGF registration.) Ace of Spades is fun, but kinda a guys’ club. (I can only take so many threads about boobs.) The threads here are often more elevated than at those sites, but I have noticed you folks are getting baited/distracted by trolls more lately.
Just my two cents.
Sorry, Y-not, and here’s hoping that there’s some elevation when the boss gets back.
JHoward
I will start off …
1. Not Bush
2. Halfrican
3. Palin is a godbothing hoooo-er
4. Repeat
Sorry, Y-not, and here’s hoping that there’s some elevation when the boss gets back.
Man, no need to apologize to me!
I like this blog and was worried when Jeff, I think, posted a while back that he was concerned about traffic.
5. Free gas.
6. Wasn’t that sovereignty hell?
7. No mortgage payments
8. Free healthcare
9. Stealing other people’s labor is now legal!!!!!!!!!
She’s not an idiot redumblicultist, if that’s what you mean.
Oh boy, there’s goes the U.S. Dollar down the toilet again. Just another nuance of JHoconomics.
dicentra:
Being an insufferable troll on a political blog is not illegal.
It is if you’ve been asked to leave.
Section 815.06, subsection 1, paragraph a. There are similar statutes for other states, and at the federal level.
As long as the trolls are able to spoof their IP addresses, there’s nothing short of a bullet to the head that will stop them.
Closed registration is one answer.
Another partial solution would be to add an IP-based hash value (similar to the one that Ace has) to the comment template. If such information was available, TrollHammer would allow them one comment per IP address.
Aren’t you ever going to run out of meth, thor?
I bet if those walls in your outhouse could talk they’d lie just like you, ya ick.
Y – not, I hear ya sister. I appreciate, more than he will ever know maybe, Dan doing all he does while Jeff does what he has to do, but PW takes on a completely different “persona or blogona” when Jeff isn’t posting. The denizens seem to get sucked in by the miserably useless trolls. It shouldn’t happen, but it does. Now, this may be a tad controversial, but I don’t mind thor. I do mind THIS incarnation of thor as he is nothing more than a reactionary republican hating asshole. But, at times he does “bring it”. He’s a smart guy. A smart guy, whose politics I don’t share, but smart nonetheless. He’s got emotional issues. That much is obvious, but his whole schtick, especially when Jeff is gone, is hating on republicans. Also his vacillating from elitist dickhead to defender of prolekind is absolutely entertaining at times. But at most times, it’s kind of boring. Alphie? Fucking worthless. His own parents are embarrassed by him. Semen? LOL…Another point and laugher. SEK? Hasn’t been around and maybe that’s because Jeff hasn’t. Piator? Died from anal asphyxiation from an over sized belgian giant’s fist. It happens. Anyhow, go Cavaliers.
JH, being insulted by the insane one, thor, is a badge of honor.
Oh, and thor?
Your Mom’s ashamed of you, too.
Did you snort meth off Larry Craig’s wiener?
And that’s why.
Now be a good little fucktard, take your meds and have a nice long nap.
OI with the high hard heat. Well done.
Join the regitration suggestion. Just too much to wade through.
And thor ain’t smart. But his mother is a nun who cured polio, liberated Kuwait and helped deliver Barry O in the back of a taxi cab.
SBP,
Thanks, so much for “trollhammer”! Not having to read hammerboi, cleo, and alphie is wonderfull! Once upon a time Thor actually contributed to the conversation, but not in the last six months.
Now, he’s just another troll.
So it goes…
ChrisP
SmokeVanThorn – No, I do think thor is smart. Emotionally disturbed? Yes. But, he is smart. He shows it at times. It’s his “heart” that betrays him. Also, he’s a tad bit sexist and racist. That will trip you up.
JD – A few porters have made me who I am tonight.
“nobody who believes in God could possibly vote for Obama”
You need to check your notes, sweetest heart of my hearts: I never said that or anything like unto it. I’m pretty sure I accused Obama of cribbing notes from the folks described in Liberal Fascism, of being a malignant narcissist, or of any number of political sins, but I have never made such a characterization of those who voted (or were going to vote) for Obama.
Not my style, shmoopie. Try again.
dicentra – Killing thor with kindness. Nice.
SPB:
You mean this?
“Whoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization:
(a) Accesses or causes to be accessed any computer, computer system, or computer network; ”
Nobody is accessing a computer. We’re all pulling HTML off a Web server, which is publicly available. If thor were hacking INTO a Web server, e.g., logging on to the server or bypassing its security settings or otherwise accessing stuff that is not publicly available  or deleting the blog itself  then he’d be in trouble.
But he’s technically not doing anything that we’re not doing. I don’t think the laws were made to regulate any kind of content except harassment and libel and other similar crimes that are crimes OFF the internet as well.
It can’t be harassment unless it’s e-mail that is addressed specifically to one or a handful of individuals.
Again, being a horse’s ass is not illegal. And it’s a good thing, or Our Betters would have us all locked up.
Again, being a horse’s ass is not illegal.
Thank Allah. I would hate to get cuffed for being a dick.
JD:
It does not kill him, alas, but it does amuse the dickens out of me. So on it goes.
Maybe I’m paraphrasing, but yes, you did. When I posted “your God can suck my dick” it was in reply to that. Check your notes, or did you delete it to try and save face, schmeggums? You’ve been known to cower behind a delete key.
Do you wave around the heads of those large snakes hanging around your neck when you preach? At least you have that style going for ya.
I reiterate, yes, you did.
Ah, but then you’re generally full of shit, whackjob. I think this is no different.
Thor:
I only delete YOUR comments to my Pub posts, regardless of content. I’ve never deleted anything I’ve posted unless there’s a typo or formatting problem with it. And I certainly would not delete something I’ve written just because you’ve shamed me.
Your clever retort to my alleged comment is something you’ve repeated various times both on the main PW site and at the Pub, so it doesn’t exactly narrow it down. And you’re paraphrasing? That could mean anything from transposing a few words to doing a violent, willful misprision such that your pitiful “interpretation” bore little resemblance to my original words, much less original intent.
Go ahead. Peruse my posts and pick the one where I said what you allege I said.
And good luck with it, too.
The only thing that all believers in God have in common is that they all believe in God. Period. I have no desire nor inclination to characterize them further, and it’s never been my
Anyone have any suggestions for a desktop database and scheduling software?
registration bad. I hate registering for things. My car still has Texas plates.
Maybe I’m paraphrasing, but yes, you did.
When thor says something like this, you just know that he is reaching down deep in the rectum and will pull some imaginary words right out of that sphincter.
See, for example, if I had control over the comments in this post, I would have deleted that half-paragraph at the bottom of my last. Or finished it.
The last paragraph was my favorite part.
I reiterate, yes, you did.
I’m glad you’ve come to realize the wackiness of what you said. Your God no longer has to… you know.
And with this, I end my conversation with thor.
See? I can go for quite awhile without addressing him again.
We ain’t dating.
Probably it’s just my system, but every time I try to post on register-sites the program does not remember my password – Blogger – so then I have to register via Goggle, which also never remembers my password. So I have to re-register – and am able to use the very same password – but have to do it every got damn time I access the Internet. So I just don’t go to those sites requiring registration very much.
As to the trolls, I usually simply skip what they say and read the responses, which are quite often very informative to me on issues. Unless, that is, I see something especially juicy, or more importantly want to try to respond so as to try to shut THEM down by some sort of tactic appropriate to their apparent mindset – narcissistic, groupist, reality averse, purely infantile, stalking, perverted, etc..
What will shut them down, if anything, is somewhat of a mystery, and a personal challenge, and I also think we can discover how their minds “work” by trying different things. Trolls actually broadcast their susceptibilities, in theory at least, by making the absurd, subrational moves they make, the ultimate being simply purposively not hearing: “You can’t make me.”
Also, the trolls present Progressive memes which will be used elsewhere, so they provide a “heads up” on this count as to what we will hear at large and may encounter interpersonally.
Finally, the trolls can also be seen as employing psyops tactics themselves, which they hope will work on us – classical mass propaganda techniques as well as purely personal psychological measures, which their designers have found to work, or hope will work, on individuals. I like to see what they come up with, and if or how the tactics work on me – which they haven’t so far – because, 1] it’s really a matter of practice practice practice in dealing with assaults by mental refuse, and 2] it reveals what Trolls think about people and especially themselves: obviously they think everyone can be manipulated according to Classical Mechanics/Special Relativity, and they are clearly wrong about this, unless they are perhaps talking only about themselves. But it’s good to be ready for what they might try, if only because they think it works.
Thus they also reveal their depraved view of “the human being”, it’s capacities, and of life itself, iow, they reveal living Evil.
In sum. it’s nice to know your Enemy.
I’d also add that increased Troll activity is most likely a sign that they are really having some kind of very severe trouble, and that their interaction here is causing part of it.
I’m glad it’s not just me, Trashman.
Actually I think the effect has been noted before, and it’s beginning to be a bit self-defeating. Take the Blagojevich-Obama mess. I have to say I didn’t think much of it — just the sort of trivially amusing thing absolutely characteristic of people who have no clue — but, then, in about the time it would take to put together a crisis conference and get some emails out, up pops alphie with Semanticleo in tow as usual, insisting that something else — anything else — be the subject of discussion. That’s sort of a clue that it really is important.
Kate and thor are different cases. I’m almost sure Kate doesn’t get the emails, or doesn’t pay much attention to them; she has one or two idees fixes and can be recruited if something matches one, but she isn’t part of the mob. thor gets the emails, but is in a way both less and more effective — he really doesn’t have any diversionary subject but himself, but is fairly effective in getting the threads to be about him rather than the putative subject.
It’s alphie who’s diagnostic. When there’s trouble in Proggland, alphie (and to a lesser extent, Semanticleo) will be around to insist that nobody can talk about it. Watch out for what they’re leading away from. It’s likely what’s important.
Regards,
Ric
That my friends, is why Ric is so much smarter than me. I just call them fuckers and laugh at them.
J.”Trashman” Peden, your password issue seems to me a cookie issue. I’m just guessing, but do you deny cookies to every site automatically? If so, then you’ll have to remove those sites from your ‘bad site’ list (assuming, first, you use Firefox on a Windows platform) and re-visit the ‘good’ site. When asked, allow session cookies, and your password problems should go away.
Thanks, serr8d. I’ll try it.
Also the more of them (trolls other than the regulars) that show up the more important derailing that topic is to the Left in general.
This election season was a troll bonanza. It’s now calmer awaiting the coronation and the newest marching orders from the “Camp Obama” overlords. Then the mouse patrol will roll again.
I don’t mind trolls if they are smart or funny; preferably both. It’s the dumb, earnest ones I can’t stand. Boy, there sure have been a few of them.
Nobody is accessing a computer. We’re all pulling HTML off a Web server, which is publicly available.
Web servers aren’t computers?
Since when?
The local 7-11 is publicly available, too.
Doesn’t mean you can’t be told to leave, and charged with trespass if you return.
I don’t think the laws were made to regulate any kind of content
So the First Amendment obligates me to let people paint graffitti on the side of my house?
I don’t think so.
Oh, and there’s more involved than “pulling HTML”. That’s just reading. Posting is different.
Posting involves storing information in a database on someone else’s computer.
I don’t think (e.g.) the IRS would agree that I’m entitled to store any information I want in their databases, just because the computers in question happen to be connected to the public Internet.
As I see it, the situation is exactly analogous to the one which obtains at my neighborhood bar.
It’s open to the public, but if you act like a dick, yelling obscenities and starting fights, you will be told to leave and not return.
If you do return, you will be charged with a crime.
I think comment registration is best. Own up to your own words.
Why did the desperate housewife code pinkers not throw their shoes? A sign that has a shoe on it? They should raise money for their cause by making little signs with rudimentary guns painted on them and take them into banks.
If those pinks are somebodies’ mother, I call child abuse. That’s embarrassing.
Can you gather a group on a street corner and have them all wear pink t-shirts and chant “CODE PINK VAGINAS STINK!”?
It’s catchy.
I’ll reluctantly support registration. But it is a pain, especially if one comments from work and one of two computers at home, daughter’s computer when visiting…
Somebody will get rich developing a better authentication scheme, and a single reward/discount card that works everywhere.
In the meantime, I have lists of passwords and a fat wallet (cards, not money.)
Somebody will get rich developing a better authentication scheme
OpenID isn’t perfect, but it’s way better than the current password nightmare. Free, too.
Chshhhhhhhhhhh clack-clack-clack Chshhhhhhhhhhh clack-clack-clack Chshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Chshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh clack-clack-clack Chshhhhhhhhhh Chshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh chsh-chsh-chsh clack-clack-clack Chshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh chsh chsh
Rather than resorting to a technological device to try to mitigate the trolling, it really isn’t that difficult to just change your behavior (as has already at least once been said, but is worth repeating). Just because somebody pitches, it doesn’t mean you have to swing the bat. Banning trolls makes them feel good: they’ve had an effect. Responding to trolls gives them power: they made you react. Even a “Shut the fuck up, Alphie” is attention. Just don’t do it. Just ignore it. “Yes, but he said-” Who cares? He said it to get a rise out of you. And when you respond, you’ve already lost. Countering a silly argument won’t change his mind. Replying to a dumb, unfunny comment won’t shame him. Just don’t respond.
Applause is heard.
For Dave D.
Dave D.
That is the best way however in actual use it doesn’t work as someone, someone new perhaps, another troll at times, always responds.
Everything was tried on Usenet. Solutions, moderation works but requires lots of time. For here the combination of registration and TrollHammer (praise unto SBP) should help a lot.
Obstreporous Infidel – I get your point re: thor, which reminds me of Dennis Prager’s observation that there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. I find Prager’s point interesting but I’m not sure that I agree with it entirely.
#126 Smoke:
The difference between intelligence and wisdom is easily demonstrated:
Intelligence: Thinking of a clever, funny remark to your boss’ statement.
Wisdom: Keeping that clever, funny remark to yourself.
Or, to paraphrase Joel Rosenberg: Nixon was intelligent, Edith Bunker was wise.