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.
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”?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
I have sometimes taken the advice from people on my threads but I’m not allowed to go into details.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.