# I object to JohnClay's very existence and everything he stands for **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965 "2014-07-24T19:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/41 "2014-07-25T08:33:28Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Anyway, you’d think that after 13 years the smartest place on the internet would’ve figured it out by now. Maybe we have now! In our defence, he was pretty benign for most of those 13 years. Mostly either starting threads to do with computers, gaming and stuff…he therefore flew under the radar until he started posting some incredibly personal information about himself and his relationships. It’s curious now that he never contributes to others’ threads…they’re all about him. So IMHO, **JohnClay** is indeed a troll. He may not be aware of his trollish behaviour (although I’m not convinced he’s not!) but at the end of the day, he’s posting shit to get reactions. Now you may counter that with the obvious, that we’re ALL here to get reactions to the threads we start. Too true, but most of us also hang out in others’ threads…and if we OP a ‘controversial’ thread, MOST of us take advice given onboard, and move forward as SDMB posters. Alas, **JohnClay** has the self-awareness of a squished slug. Or he’s a troll. I think, given the two choices, I’d rather be described as a troll. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/42 "2014-07-25T11:12:28Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > What were your favorite threads of mine? You can do a search for threads I’ve started… thanks. Recently I really enjoyed the thread where you were obsessed with the idea that some failed product out of Bell Labs was a Satanic conspiracy. I also enjoyed the thread about the magician that cleverly but clearly used plants to effect his trick, but you told every single person who explained the trick to you that you suspected he maybe used real magic. That time you became Satan, as brief as it was, was interesting. Some of your earlier threads one your wife/girlfriend were more interesting, like: Should I take my “5” girlfriend to “She’s Out Of My League”? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/43 "2014-07-25T11:18:02Z")
Holy cannoli, batman, that’s a lot of threads! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/44 "2014-07-25T11:39:51Z")
I say big old stinky troll. Can’t believe anyone is still engaging with him or is still buying this shtick. If they really believe he’s mentally ill, then they should send him off for no other reason than these interactions cannot possibly be helping. It’s like watching a cat swat around a mouse, just toying with it. Just a really creepy troll, I think. Those engaging with him routinely are beginning to appear a little creepy too, to be honest. Where’s the appeal in winning a battle of wits with an unarmed individual? If you want him to be gone, I think, stop opening, reading or responding, to his threads, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/45 "2014-07-25T11:41:25Z")
My definition of a troll is someone who posts deliberately inflammatory material with the desire to get a certain reaction from others. I don’t think that’s what \*\*JohnClay \*\*is trying to do. In the past I have done volunteer work helping people of reduced mental capabilities and I see many similarities in their behaviour/view of the world and **JohnClays**. If he is a troll, he’s a good one. I do occasionally post in his threads and try to offer my point of view or constructive advice. From time to time I find his threads or replies distasteful, so I ignore those. I don’t think telling him to shut up is the right approach because he wants the attention, positive or negative. Better to just stop replying to his threads. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/46 "2014-07-25T11:43:29Z")
I get that it is the pit, but isn’t it rude to not even acknowledge that JohnClay is in the room, er, thread? Hi John. Weird post yesterday. Despite all the negativity, we all write dumb things on the board sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/47 "2014-07-25T11:49:45Z")
…does anything happen if you play his name backwards? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/48 "2014-07-25T13:03:44Z")
The thing about trolls faking mental illness is that they will inevitably slip up. It’s too hard for someone who does not actually have a mental illness to completely think like one. I haven’t seen his more recent posts, but all the ones I did see (like calling his girlfriend a 5 and considering saying anything else to be a lie) fit a mental pattern that I don’t think a mentally normal person would stumble upon, even after reading the descriptions of what the disorder is like. I’m pretty sure the dude is genuine. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/49 "2014-07-25T13:05:55Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > I get that it is the pit, but isn’t it rude to not even acknowledge that JohnClay is in the room, er, thread?.. This forum is supposed to involve rudeness so carry on… ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/50 "2014-07-25T13:08:44Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Actually as far as I can recall, I’ve NEVER lied or said anything misleading on these forums… On second thoughts I have been misleading several times - I used American spelling so that people might not figure out what country I come from. But that’s it as far as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/51 "2014-07-25T13:16:53Z")
**JohnClay** disturbs the hell out of me, so I try to stay away. And that’s all I’ll say on the subject for now, because I’m told we’re not allowed to publicly say who’s on our Ignore lists. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/52 "2014-07-25T13:28:05Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I miss my hallucinations. ☹ We’re still here. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/53 "2014-07-25T13:33:29Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Maybe we have now! In our defence, he was pretty benign for most of those 13 years. If you read my earlier posts in this thread you’d have read that in 2004 my first introspective thread was also about my biggest example of oversharing. I mentioned people’s names, locations and was a bit sexually explicit. And people were very supportive. > [@](#): > > Mostly either starting threads to do with computers, gaming and stuff…he therefore flew under the radar until he started posting some incredibly personal information about himself and his relationships. That first one from 2004 was about the most personal stuff about me and my relationships… later ones never used people’s names and I tried to hide even what country I live in. > [@](#): > > It’s curious now that he never contributes to others’ threads…they’re all about him. I’ve contributed to these: Free Association SIX-Letter Word-Change one or two letters make a new word Count to infinity in pictures The Human Race is Doomed! DOOMED, I say! PayPal question… Help Me Understand Averages What’s the most interesting car you saw today? New kitties need names How best to help your child climb to a higher socioeconomic class? Solar FREAKIN’ Roadways! Are extreme “nice guys” real? What good is the Bible? Would you want to be 16 again? You are the only one alive on earth. What do you do? Can anyone teach me to speak Strine? My boyfriend doesn’t dig me Evidence of the Technological Singularity Does God ever lie in the Bible? Secondary: Does he ever laugh? What’s the earliest movie that you liked that you still like? Why does the sum of all natural numbers equal -1/12? Satanists propose monument to the Dark Lord on Oklahoma State Capitol grounds Why are Pixels square? If cost were no object: Interstellar travel I think we should use “innocent” in court instead of “not guilty” Convert HDMI to… almost anything else Can I run this old computer game? Similar technologies. One fails, one succeeds. etc “he **never** contributes to others’ threads”? :rolleyes: :smack: > [@](#): > > …if we OP a ‘controversial’ thread, MOST of us take advice given onboard, and move forward as SDMB posters. I have sometimes taken the advice from people on my threads but I’m not allowed to go into details. > [@](#): > > Alas, **JohnClay** has the self-awareness of a squished slug. Or he’s a troll. I think, given the two choices, I’d rather be described as a troll. I disagree that I’m not very self-aware. I often know when I might be perceived as creepy. But lately I’ve accepted my creepiness rather than indulging in “toxic shame”. I’ve read a lot of books about self-help and that involves expanding awareness. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/54 "2014-07-25T13:39:44Z")
I just don’t know why he doesn’t use a blog instead of these boards. (Well, I suspect I _do_ know: the attention) ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/55 "2014-07-25T13:48:29Z")
> [@Calatin](#): > > I just don’t know why he doesn’t use a blog instead of these boards. > > (Well, I suspect I _do_ know: the attention) If I did start a blog it would be for the attention - otherwise I might as well just keep my thoughts to myself if no-one is going to read the blog. Also I like the feedback I get here. It’s like having a conversation - a permanent one unlike chat rooms. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/56 "2014-07-25T13:59:46Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Recently I really enjoyed the thread where you were obsessed with the idea that some failed product out of Bell Labs was a Satanic conspiracy… > **[Lucent Technologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent)** > > Lucent Technologies, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was established on September 30, 1996, through the divestiture of the former AT&T Technologies business unit of AT&T Corporation, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. > Lucent was acquired by Alcatel SA on December 1, 2006, forming Alcatel-Lucent. > Lucent means "light-bearing" in Latin. The name was applied for in 1996 at the time of the split from ... > [@](#): > > …This same linguistic root also gives **Lucifer** , …who is also a character in Dante’s epic poem Inferno. Shortly after the Lucent renaming in 1996, the Plan 9 project released a development of their work as the Inferno OS in 1997. This extended the ‘Lucifer’ and Dante references as a series of punning names for the components of Inferno - Dis, Limbo, Charon and Styx…Lucent also operated from **666** Fifth Avenue, NY… > **[Home](https://www.aiga.org/)** > [@](#): > > Some saw darker things in the Lucent logo, in much the same way that conspiracy theorists had attributed satanic characteristics to Procter and Gamble’s “Man in the Moon” symbol. One writer noted that, “to occultists, the circle represents their satanic deity, the great and fearsome Solar Serpent. The fiery, red sun, or circle, is his image … How interesting that the logo for Lucent Technologies is a red circle.” Maybe there is a little connection to the devil (“Lucifer”) there…? ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/57 "2014-07-25T14:04:50Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > If I did start a blog it would be for the attention - otherwise I might as well just keep my thoughts to myself if no-one is going to read the blog. Also I like the feedback I get here. It’s like having a conversation - a permanent one unlike chat rooms. Not necessarily. If you participate in the blogsite’s community (post comments on the entries of others, follow certain blogs, etc.), then you gain followers / interested readers. That’s how you build an audience. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/58 "2014-07-25T14:06:29Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > In the past I have done volunteer work helping people of reduced mental capabilities and I see many similarities in their behaviour/view of the world and **JohnClays** … Just wondering - what do you think my “view of the world” is? It has changed a lot over the years in my opinion… ranging from being manic to suicidal to having paranoid delusions - to thinking there is a hidden magical realm a bit like Harry Potter. I also used to believe that our world was very young - about 6000 years old and I believed that God was running the world. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/59 "2014-07-25T14:14:49Z")
> [@Calatin](#): > > Not necessarily. If you participate in the blogsite’s community (post comments on the entries of others, follow certain blogs, etc.), then you gain followers / interested readers. That’s how you build an audience. I’ve looked at some other people’s blogs and usually they get no replies. I like getting more replies. BTW I don’t try and get the maximum number of replies… I aim for at least one or two replies though. I’m not interested in posting comments on other people’s blogs. I’d rather post the comments to friends on Facebook. BTW I’m not allowed to post certain personal topics on these boards but I can accept that. Though if I had a blog I could post anything but I don’t want to. I just want to keep posting on these forums. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965/60 "2014-07-25T14:39:01Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > There are a lot of prolific posters on this board that whine about being the victims of bullying. They also whine about being the victim of a lot of things, but that the subject of a different thread. However, when someone new shows up here that doesn’t quite fit in or has not yet learned the atmosphere of this board, there seems to be no shortage of posters that jump at the chance to be a bully. > [@RobDog](#): > > OK, that’s fair enough. But I don’t see the need to take cheap shots at someone who seems to have communication (amongst other) issues. Goodness knows I love a bit of snark and sarcasm (the ground state of being for an Englishman) but it seems like kicking a man while he’s down, and that’s just not cricket. Yeah, the Pit reveals how much some people can be real pieces of shit once they see the way the wind is blowing. There are a lot of very smart, very funny, awesome people here, and the Pit can be hilarious, but it’s ugly too. Even outside of it you see real bullying, once certain people\* think they can get away with it. There’s also a surprising amount of “WHY CAN’T YOU BE NORMAL LIKE ME???” on the SDMB\*\* for a place with such intelligent people. If you don’t like **JohnClay’s** threads, feel free to ignore them. \*Not that I have names in mind. \*\*OK, I have one name in mind there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-johnclays-very-existence-and-everything-he-stands-for/693965.md?page=4)