# DavidB should resign or be replaced.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [January 27, 2000, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072 "2000-01-27T19:08:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 13
### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/241 "2000-01-28T15:09:00Z")
Okay, it’s time for me to act, and be damned to the risk of being termed a spelling troll:
**ACERBIC!!!**
* * *
Of course truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.
Mark Twain
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### Author:  [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/242 "2000-01-28T15:34:00Z")
See? How can I possibly be acerbic if I can’t even spell it?!
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### Author:  [@Felice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Felice)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/243 "2000-01-28T16:19:00Z")
Okay, my money is on Dannyboy being Phaedrus. He was the (only) one who took Formeragent and The Finder seriously, he’s the one with the predilection for weaving magnificent tales out of thin air, and he has substantially better grasp of standard English grammar and spelling than Mikey/Former/Finder/Newton et al.
So I think we have two different trolls here, one backing the other one up (for no readily apparent reason) but both of whom seem to have a grudge out against poor David B.
* * *
Felice
“There’s always a bigger fish.”
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### Author:  [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/244 "2000-01-28T16:28:00Z")
**NTG** begged:
> [@](#):
>
> Somebody flame me. I deserve it.
Huh. Not a chance, hon. Ever read the “Earth is flat” thread? Not only did I forgive Phaedrus repeatedly, I encouraged him and occasionally defended him.
Being nice to Newtie is nothin’ after that.
-andros-
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### Author:  [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/245 "2000-01-28T16:34:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> “He looks like a housesitter!”
Well, looks like we found a motto for the meeting, guys…
* * *
We interrupt this thread to increase
dramatic tension.
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### Author:  [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/246 "2000-01-28T16:43:00Z")
Andros said:
> [@](#):
>
> Not only did I forgive Phaedrus repeatedly, I encouraged him and occasionally defended him.
Yes… We’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. It’s been suggested to us that you perhaps haven’t been taking all of your medication…
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### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/247 "2000-01-28T16:44:00Z")
You know, I haven’t been around long, and am, at times, somewhat dense. However, this has become just confusing enough for me to finally work up the courage to ask:
Is this “normal” for around here or is this just kind of a wierd, otherworldly, strange aberration visitation kinda thing that is a frightening, yet oddly intriguing, “first” for the board?
PS - If the above description didn’t make sense, I guess the best way to describe it would be “gapers block”…
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### Author:  [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/248 "2000-01-28T17:05:00Z")
It’s not normal. It’s mostly the work of one or two severely deranged children. Possibly with a severely deranged adult thrown in.
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### Author:  [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/249 "2000-01-28T17:26:00Z")
## Okay, Danny’s a Sock Puppet, I agree. But does anyone really think SIN is? I don’t; I think she just got caught up in this and was wrongly tarred with the same brush. But add me to the list of people resolving to ignore sock puppets and crazy people – if we don’t feed them, maybe they’ll go away.
Jodi
_Fiat Justitia_
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### Author:  [@onesheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onesheep)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/250 "2000-01-28T17:36:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Originally posted by jodih:
> But add me to the list of people resolving to ignore sock puppets and crazy people – if we don’t feed them, maybe they’ll go away.
Nope, they keep coming back with new, more ingenious names and identities. Maybe next time they’ll at least be interesting.
For those looking for aspirin, I have some great barbituates that do the trick.
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### Author:  [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/251 "2000-01-28T17:38:00Z")
I would argue, however, that this sort of thing will increase in frequency.
There are 4200 registered members on the board, and the number of casual 'net surfers worldwide continues to increase dramatically.
As a friend of mine used to put it, “When the internet is idiot-proof, you can’t avoid proof of idiots.”
-andros-
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### Author:  [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/252 "2000-01-28T17:40:00Z")
Sorry, the above is in response to
> [@](#):
>
> Is this “normal” for around here?
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### Author:  [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/253 "2000-01-28T17:41:00Z")
So how do you stop it? Do you ban all “Hotmail” type addresses? John C. has indicated that would mean the end of him, among others. I’ve seen some MBs that have banned free e-mail accounts like Hotmail. I’ve seen others that _encourage_ Hotmail-type accounts to provide anonymity! Certainly in this case it would have made it more difficult for the troll if he would not have been allowed to use Hotmail accounts.
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### Author:  [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/254 "2000-01-28T17:45:00Z")
Please, **Jean Louise Finch** don’t ban the free-mail accounts. I like posting to this board.
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### Author:  [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/255 "2000-01-29T06:24:00Z")
The only access you have/can get is thru a Hotmail type of account?
Hmmmm. See, that’s the problem… Those accounts make it possible for some people who otherwise couldn’t to access the MB. On the other hand, they make it possible for trolls to do it as well. ☹
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/256 "2000-01-29T06:24:00Z")
**andros** :
> [@](#):
>
> I would argue, however, that this sort of thing will increase in frequency.
>
> There are 4200 registered members on the board, and the number of casual 'net surfers worldwide continues to increase dramatically.
I’m not sure that we will see a dramatic increase. I strongly suspect that most of our really weird trolls, recently, have been just a couple of twits. They may hang around, but I don’t think that they will proliferate. We had ongoing troll activity in the relatively closed arena of AOL and we’ve had ongoing troll activity, here.
The Sacramento MPD is a special case, but I don’t see him “spreading.” **Phaedrus** is a bit of a loon, but I don’t think he is going to split into multiple posters. (It would take a lot of time and energy for someone as prolific as Phaedrus to post the same amount for _each_ of several personalities. I never figured that SuzyQ/KGB was a sock puppet (although I think Phaedrus posted from that computer, once or twice).)
Overall, I would think that periodic appearances by **Captain Ed** wannabes is the price we pay for an open door policy, but those guys get tired quickly and leave. The Sacramento Multiples appear to be a different sort of guy, but I don’t think he is spawning copycat trolls. **Phaedrus** was a single poster that most folks found irritating. We aren’t going to get multiples of him, either.
The AOL/SDMB had Ben, Shawn, the whole “Gang That Could Not Tolerate Sheeesh”, Chevy55SS, and at least one other who posts with more civility, now. All of those posters were generally disliked, although there were always some folks who enjoyed sparring with them. The board didn’t die. This one won’t either.
* * *
Tom~
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### Author:  [@Felice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Felice)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2000, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/257 "2000-01-29T06:52:00Z")
How do you get a hotmail account without a real network logon, anyway? I have a real email account with my own ISP, I also have a real network account through my office, for that matter. I choose not to use either of those for SDMB, for personal privacy reasons.
I guess you could have a homtail account as your sole email address if you use libraries and other public access servers. Is that it?
* * *
Felice
“There’s always a bigger fish.”
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### Author:  [@onesheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onesheep)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2000, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/258 "2000-01-29T06:59:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Originally posted by Felice:
> How do you get a hotmail account without a real network logon, anyway? I have a real email account with my own ISP, I also have a real network account through my office, for that matter. I choose not to use either of those for SDMB, for personal privacy reasons.
>
> I guess you could have a homtail account as your sole email address if you use libraries and other public access servers. Is that it?
I have a [mail.com](http://mail.com) account because my only access, for now, is at work. I don’t use my work address because they would object. I do, however, have access to the internet and I therefore use a free account not related to work.
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### Author:  [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/259 "2000-01-28T19:01:00Z")
Don’t forget about free-internet accounts.
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### Author:  [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2000, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davidb-should-resign-or-be-replaced/4072/260 "2000-01-28T19:04:00Z")
I can’t forget NOW…
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