# Has Anyone Ever Been Caught "Red-Handed" As A Sock Puppet? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 28, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956 "2013-04-28T22:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/21 "2013-04-29T13:56:40Z")
There was the guy a year or so ago who outed his socks, but I don’t think that fits what Quasi is after. However, I believe the Mods do identify a number of posters trying to come back under different names and the gavel drops. I don’t know if you would call that a sock. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/22 "2013-04-29T14:00:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There was the guy a year or so ago who outed his socks, but I don’t think that fits what Quasi is after. > > However, I believe the Mods do identify a number of posters trying to come back under different names and the gavel drops. I don’t know if you would call that a sock. You realise you now owe me the cost of having to see a shrink after reading your/my post? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/23 "2013-04-29T14:02:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There was the guy a year or so ago who outed his socks, but I don’t think that fits what Quasi is after. > > However, I believe the Mods do identify a number of posters trying to come back under different names and the gavel drops. I don’t know if you would call that a sock. Outing yourself as a sock is one thing, but outing yourself as an Australian…? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/24 "2013-04-29T14:15:24Z")
You’re still cross because you realise you got the ugly goat. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/25 "2013-04-29T14:21:18Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > You’re still cross because you realise you got the ugly goat. Wearing the beer goggles again, I see. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/26 "2013-04-29T14:35:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Wearing the beer goggles again, I see. So racism and ridiculing other members get a free pass in this forum now. Or is it allowed because it is an ex Mod? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/27 "2013-04-29T14:50:37Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > So racism and ridiculing other members get a free pass in this forum now. Or is it allowed because it is an ex Mod? I apologize-I’m sure your goat had a wonderful personality. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/28 "2013-04-29T14:58:40Z")
Well this thread escalated quickly. Making fun of Australians is racist now? Somebody better tell Paul Hogan. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/29 "2013-04-29T15:10:49Z")
All I know is an Aussie moved to New Zealand and raised the average IQ of both countries in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/30 "2013-04-29T16:39:54Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I’d say that we’ve had approximately ten or more posters who have been identified by their posting styles. Usually, a board member recognizes it,reports it, we confirm, ban. We sometimes realize it, and ban. > [@Smeghead](#): > > Back in the day, I helped catch one. During the pay to post era, there were several threads over a period of a few months where people were asking about eye surgery. I had just gotten it done myself, so I was reading them all. I noticed someone was making the same post, almost word-for-word, in all of them. It took me a much longer time to notice that this post was coming from a different screen name in each thread. When I did, I reported it, and a couple dozen screen names were banned. Most people come to message boards to post about topics that interest them. In order to escape detection for any great length of time, a returnee (at least one who had been here long enough to establish definite behavior patterns) would have to avoid talking about their favorite subjects, so what would be the point? And returnees may sometimes be identified by idiosyncrasies of posting style that they are probably not even aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/31 "2013-04-29T17:08:14Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Sock Puppets will never gain their rights and freedoms unless they all come out as Sock Puppets. Then when users find out that they know and love someone who’s a Sock Puppet, then message board attitudes will change. Let’s not forget mass media. When more and more characters on the TV and movie screens are stated to be or implied to be of the SP orientation, you can bet that will help change mainstream society’s perceptions. It wouldn’t hurt to have a new term, since there is so much instant recoil at _sock puppets_. How about _happies_? * * * > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > TubaDiva, Marley, and Twickster are all my socks. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > While **Bob Ducca** is my sock. Do the math. > [@Glazer](#): > > I thought we were all **DragonLady’s** socks? > [@Jragon](#): > > But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re all Spartacus, right? > [@drewtwo99](#): > > [singing]I’m every [del]woman[/del] poster![/singing] > [@Princhester](#): > > Sheesh, we’ve been over this before. The position, leaving aside the dreams of certain sad usurpers, is [entirely clear](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8301242&postcount=86). “Deja Vu” – sort of. In the days before the web, there were **APA** s, such as **Interlac**. {See wikipedia; technical problems here} A running gag, just before I joined, was that member X was just a figment of Y’s imagination. Finally, someone claimed that all of membership subset G was just the imagination of a particular popular member, H. That individual had a uniquely “colorful” way of expressing his opinion of the fad. He said that reading such jokes was like masturbating with a handful of sand. 'Nuff said. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/32 "2013-04-29T19:27:23Z")
oO ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/33 "2013-04-30T01:09:34Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > [This sound familiar?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=504156) That’s the thread I came to post a link to-the very last post had me LOLing for quite awhile afterwards… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/34 "2013-04-30T03:26:21Z")
> [@Trans Fat Og](#): > > He said that reading such jokes was like masturbating with a handful of sand. > > 'Nuff said. > > 😃 Well, it’s not so bad if it’s _wet_ sand. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/35 "2013-04-30T04:36:55Z")
I’m Spartacus, and I’m an alcoholic. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/36 "2013-04-30T04:55:53Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I guess it would take someone reporting they “suspect” another and then an investigation? What I mean is, the system isn’t quite _that_ sophisticated, is it? > > Also, the mods probably have their hands full with other stuff on the boards? > > I just always wondered why someone would bother. > > Thanks > > Q I think one reason why people create sock accounts is so it can appear that other people agree with their stances/opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/37 "2013-04-30T05:11:42Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I think one reason why people create sock accounts is so it can appear that other people agree with their stances/opinions. Although that is the classic meaning of “sock puppet,” it actually happens fairly rarely on this board, and is comparatively easy to detect (mostly because people who do such things are usually as crazy as loons). The far more common type of sock here is a bannee who tries to return under another name. Sometimes posters create a second name in order to troll or express unpopular opinions while leaving the reputation of their original name intact. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956/38 "2013-04-30T11:42:46Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > Like by their writing style? > > Me, for instance. I could _never_ be one. > > Thanks > > Q At minimum, you’d want to lose the sig. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-caught-red-handed-as-a-sock-puppet/656956.md?page=1)