The other thing about trolls is that they’ll stay and post whether or not they’re responded to. Public ridicule may not be effective in eliminating them, but damn, it’s funny shit to read. If we’re to make trolls useful for anything a good laugh is about as much as can be expected.
I’m an atheist who thinks the Catholic Church does a lot of harm (in addition to being totally full of shit), and even I saw 2.5’s OP as an obvious trolling. It’s pretty cut and dried. If he doesn’t at least get a mod warning out of this, then there’s no justice in this world.
Um, I don’t get it.
Where is the line between deliberately controversial and trolling?
Is it a matter of the style that is expected in GD?
Are 2.5’s threads know for directionless aggression?
I don’t mind the very aggressive tone; sometimes that’s necessary to get a few responses to keep the thread alive. [Undergraduate liberal arts instructors use the technique a lot early in the semester.]
I think the substance of the thread could lead to an interesting debate about history OR religion.
I think it’s clear from the number of threads started vs. number of posts, that the intent is not to engage in conversation. YMMV.
Well, calling you a troll (which you clearly are) is not allowed in GD. Hence the necessity of opening this thread.
I’ll stay out of this, but hey, incidently, 2.5, are you still playing in the SDMB Yahoo fantasy NASCAR League? It looks like you haven’t made any changes to your team since the second race, and you haven’t selected any ‘C’ drivers who are actually entered.
GOTCHA YA!
So, it’s not about the tone or content, but 2.5’s history? OK.
I think …
… but that would mean that ‘provoking’ is the defining characteristic of a troll.
That position could be subverted to imply that anything provoking is trollish.
I don’t think that would be a good thing.
Hmm. Am I laboring under the misconception that you think shit stirring is the only thing that might lead my bowels being in an uproar? Absolutely not. Clearly this…“Some people here must need a stool hardener or something, their shit is stirred so easily.”…is a more general condition for which you recommend…"Put him on your ignore list if he mixes your feces so unpleasantly."So for you to claim that your advice doesn’t apply to your own troubled colon over this pitting is just plain disingenuous. But I understand your need to dig up some lame excuse to escape your own lousy advice. Too bad you didn’t do such a good job of it.
So, yes. I do have some points to make. Thank you for asking. And now that I’ve been to the tavern for a few, I don’t mind sharing them with you. The thing is, I’m sure you already know all this and your little act here is just more disingenuousness. On the other hand, you could be just that clueless. So I’ll spell it out for you.
I see nothing wrong with arguing for controversial positions. 2.5 could have expressed the same provocative ideas in the underlying story without trying to provoke a shitstorm for his perverse enjoyment. Clearly, by the pattern of his threads, his intent is not to discuss challenging ideas but to see how much of an asshole he can get away with being. This just one more episode in his childish “I’m not touching you” game where he holds a turd under everyone’s noses. For you to feign ignorance to the difference between the connotations of being thought-provoking and being a provocateur is (yes, here it comes) disingenuous of you. He should have been called on his behavior before now and it’s time someone said something.
This isn’t about “simple word choice” as you claim. He didn’t just slip in an ill advised alternative or two. The whole paragraph I pointed out was constructed with a purpose. But like your failed attempt at misdirection (“simple word choice”) he failed to be just clever enough. You’re both (you guessed it) disingenuous failures.
Now you’ll no doubt be in a hurry to yell “Cite?!?!” or demand proof of some sort. Don’t bother. I haven’t got any. That’s exactly the dark crevasse where he scurries when he’s pushed things a little too far. And I’m not inclined to let you add to his cover without calling you on it either.
+1
You wouldn’t recognize a rational discussion if one had its hands around your throat. You should change your user name to Two and a Half IQ Points.
Seconded.
Out of interest, what’s a “snapperhead”? Not an insult i’d heard before Omegaman used it.
according to urban dictionary…
It’s very seldom I participate in the pitting of an SMDB member (it’s more fun to pit “Dubya”) but I think PC Apeman’s pitting of 2½ is appropriate.
Basically, I don’t even bother to reply to those threads he starts such as the fairly recent one in which he expressed his dislike of people who say the media has a liberal slant. So, it seems as if it’s going to be a nice topic for an interesting, perhaps even heated discussion. However, when you open the thread he clarifies this by saying “people should say the media have a liberal slant”. :smack: :rolleyes:
So, I’m not going to chastise 2½ very much for exhibiting this rather whacky message board behavior.
Still, if he doesn’t stop this craziness, 2½ will be getting fewer and fewer replies to anything he posts.
I’ve said this about him before, but he’s still new around here and therefore may still be filled with all that “new board” sort of excitement. I remember a year ago when Autolycus first started posting how much I was waiting with bated breath for him to finally go over the line, but he never did. Instead after awhile he cooled off, and is now a semi-normal type of contributer to both the fun and educational parts of the SDMB.
So I vote that for now, let’s keep him.
Also, another reason for keeping him is so maybe he might actually tell us what the heck his name means. He’s denied in the past that it’s related to anything phallic, but he hasn’t even replied to my questioning or even PMs. (But at least he didn’t post them in a thread, a sure sign of good behavior 
)
Yes, the trollery lies for me not so much in the subject matter of Two and Half’s threads as the obviously baited hooks of the threads’ titles.
I’m rather surprised that the staff have given him such free rein. He should have been given his marching orders long ago.
Anyone who can piss off Omegaman has to be a bridge-dweller.
And on a relatively minor point, I wish the mods didn’t post to a thread and then immediately lock it so no one else could. If a thread is not good enough to live, I understand, but if it is good enough for one more joke, then move it to the Pit. Or just lock it with an explanation.
Regards,
Shodan
I don’t normally read the threads 2.5 starts, but I must chime in and say that he starts an ungodly number of threads. It seems as though, in GD and GQ forums, 5-7 of the threads on the front pages at any given time were started by 2.5. I’m never in any of the other forums so I don’t know how prolific he is in those.
I smiled remembering.
Two and a Half Inches of Fun joined the SDMB on 01/11/2008. He has started 134 threads. :eek:
Hey, slow it down a bit will ya?
I agree I don’t want to see him baned either, and maybe after a while his behavior will improve. (Could it possibly get much worse?)