Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Many years now at this site there have been side debates raging about false identities, used by people who are being paid to disrupt our discussions by making comments aimed at sidetracking issues. OpEdNews, a site run by Rob Kall, which I subscribe to sends me daily updates of articles of interest. Yesterday I received this intriguing article from Thom Hartmann’s podcast. It is an interview with Lee Fong from ThinkProgress on just this subject. Check out this link and see what you think.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Caught-Fake-conservative-by-Thom-Hartmann-110820-341.html
Given my experience commenting here I think it is credible. The question is whether this is indeed happening here and what if anything can be done? I’m not sure how this should be handled, if true, at Professor Turley’s blog. This is because of his dedication to free speech and that same dedication held by most who comment here. The podcast is only four and a half minutes and I think well worth your time, but if you only read Hartmann’s short summary you’ll get the gist of it. Do you believe this is true and if you do what if anything should Professor Turley do about it?
These trolls are everywhere, my blog, the pained life, 30 years and counting, you would think would not be controversial and yet, I had someone (think was one person though used a few names, come back a number of times commenting on how chronic pain is fake, the people who say they have are lazy malingerers living off the state, etc. I was willing to let one or 2 comments go but ultimately deleted his remarks (after I deleted one he wrote, “free speech, baloney.” ).
You usually know who trolls. Some times here the person has definitely arrived to disrupt or be an opposityional troll. Unless the effort to usurp the conversation overtakes all other posting or defaming someone etc, why bother to delete? I think that just gives them what they want.
Writing an eye-catching blog title can be one of the most difficult steps to blogging. You’ll want to be sure that your title is intriguing enough to entice the reader to read your post, original, and relevant to what your blog post contains – because after all, the point of a title is to draw readers in. I have seen quite a few bloggers fail in this area, so here are some guidelines to follow so you don’t end up as one of them!
anon:
I think a site which would ban someone for legitimate disagreement is a pretty lame site. I am sorry to hear some conservative sites engage in that.
But it doesnt necessarily surprise me, knowing some conservatives I know.
“Darn Professor Turley and his background as First Amendment advocate! What a pickle we are in! What should we do!?!?!? Woes!!!!!!”
Anon,
As with your previous irony, your sarcasm also fails, simply because it is your interpretation, not my words. You can go on all you like, it will neither change the facts, nor disturb me. Good day.
@OS, Thought he was some cool centaur dude I should have known about.
@OS Ok, I admit to wondering who the hero deinon was.
Is this really a progressive site…Is the ability to do what we “Americans” take as our birthright really progressive…I am puzzled with this nomenclature….Is doing something opposite of what one does progressive, overaggressive or defending what we know to be true in our hearts…Maybe I think outside of the box too often…or…do color outside of the lines a bit much…I wish there was another label for it….
@OS, I’ve been banned by many many left wing and right wing sites, for comments not much different then the ones I have had in this forum. That includes for instance, Salon, Mother Jones as well as Pandagon. Michelle Malkin wisely never let me in the first place. But Ann Althouse did and I was banned there.
Again, I see little evidence that the left wing’s banning practice is much different than the right wing’s.
The freest speech site I’ve seen has been at FARK.com, where they state ban rules in advance, and those rules are for things like posting NSFW content, spam, threadjacking, and the bans are usually for hours, days, and weeks, rarely the permabans that blogs on all sides love to hand out, and you can always talk to the people who banned you about it, they actually answer emails about the ban, the cause, and the duration.
anon, it is true that some progressives and liberals go over to some of the right wing sites to stir up the conversation a bit. Thing is, they are alost always banned on the first comment (and comment deleted) on most of the right wing sites, even if the comment or question asked is only mildly critical. They do not tolerate their ideas being challenged. That is not the same as true trolling.
The converse is not true on most, or maybe all, the progressive sites. You really have to be a total jerk to get banned on Daily Kos, and then usually only after multiple comments or diaries proving bad intent. Of course, if you register with a username like, “fuckobamaandthehorseherodeinon,” you will not last long at all.
In 2006, I tried to ask a question on the “free republic” and was promptly blocked. A hostile email was also sent by the moderator.
@At Mike,
I don’t think anyone is misconstruing your words except, perhaps, yourself.
“I’m not sure how this should be handled, if true, at Professor Turley’s blog. This is because of his dedication to free speech and that same dedication held by most who comment here. The podcast is only four and a half minutes and I think well worth your time, but if you only read Hartmann’s short summary you’ll get the gist of it. Do you believe this is true and if you do what if anything should Professor Turley do about it?”
Drat! Our blawging paradise has become OVERRUN with 2 or 3 people that I cannot stand! I would so banninate them! Darn Professor Turley and his background as First Amendment advocate! What a pickle we are in! What should we do!?!?!? Woes!!!!!!
SwM, right wing sites like RedState not only ban anyone they consider a troll, but will ban people for asking a question, presented civilly, if it does not fit their view of the world, or the topic might be embarrassing to Republicans.
The right wing sites for the most part do not allow trolls.