It is impressive in a way…
What I last remember being told is that the criteria for trolling is harder to reach in the Pit. Posting to get a rise out of someone isn’t enough–it has to be obviously disingenuous.
The one person I specifically remember being banned after trolling in the Pit was constantly jumping into the Mini-rants thread to badger everyone in it.
As for the accusations, my understanding is that this is a distinction between “troll” as in the rules and “troll” as a general concept. Though I do remember that one poster who a mod often called a troll was subsequently banned. (I don’t remember if it was for actions in the Pit, though.)
So it’s possible they’re on the “possible troll” list.
Post shortened.
Post shortened.
Post shortened.
Post shortened.
I don’t know that there’s anything I can add on the subject of altering quotes. You edited the posts so it looked like Budget Cadet Player was insulting himself. Editing a quote to change the meaning like that, even as a joke or when labelled as such, is against the rules. That’s not a new or obscure rule, and you’ve been around long enough to know it. If this is something you’ve been doing for “years,” you should have a lot more warnings than you do right now, so consider yourself lucky in that regard.
As for the question trolling in the Pit. Here’s the board rule about trolling:
Pretty straightforward for most of the board. In the Pit, though? The Pit was created specifically so that posters could have a place to go to get in fights with each other. The basic function of the forum necessitates a looser enforcement of the rule against trolling, else every third post in there would be drawing a warning.
That’s not the same as saying that trolling is “allowed.” It’s just that it’s a higher bar to clear. If you’re misrepresenting yourself in someway, for example, then you can still be banned for trolling. One poster was banned for claiming (in a Pit thread, I’m pretty sure) that his parents had died at the WTC, but someone turned up an older (but still post-9/11) thread where he’d talked about them being alive. We’ve had the occasional poster take, say, a hard-line anti-gay stance for three or four pages, then turn around and say he didn’t really believe any of it, he just wanted to see how people react. That’s still trolling.
But in the post in question, Clothahump’s basically confessing to using the Pit for its intended purpose: he likes fighting with liberals, he perceives himself to be good at it, and so enjoys the idea that he makes many liberals upset. Enjoying the Pit, and being good at Pitting people, aren’t against the Pit rules.
I’d like to add that I don’t think there’s a single regular conservative poster on this board who hasn’t had a Pit post reported as a “confession” of trolling. There’s a widespread inability among some Dopers to tell the difference between “being trolled” and “losing a fight.”
Would anyone like some whine with this delicious cheese?
*Maybe *this will help. I have bolded the relevant part that you violated, which is not the same relevant part you underlined previously. I re-underlined to reflect what you had posted before. The issue is not whether or not you marked it “post shortened” - it’s that you were altering things to change the meaning.
I was making a joke when I explained doorhinge’s tortured “logic” above. I’m surprised that he actually agrees with my explanation. :smack:
That’s not my understanding of the intended purpose. The point isn’t to deliberately piss people off for fun, but as a place to go rant when someone is pissing you off so much that you just need to let it out.
You know, the difference between a normal person getting angry and having a mental illness. Pissing people off for fun shows a distinct lack of empathy and suggests one of several personality disorders. It’s not normal to get pleasure out of hurting others.
And I’ve never seen a fight in the Pit where the one with the conservative viewpoint wins. I know for sure that it’s not happening in that thread.
That’ll teach you. It almost seems like a weird version of Poe’s Law, doesn’t it?
Note, my post is not in me in any way saying that anyone on this board has an actual mental disorder. And, even if I ever do assert such, I would like to make it clear that such is not an insult. I have a mental disorder, and I don’t consider people pointing that out as an insult. (I do think it’s sometimes irrelevant, and involves a misunderstanding of how it affects me, but that’s different.)
I hate when I post something and then notice an alternate interpretation that is different from what I meant, and I can’t edit it in time.
(post shortened)
I’ve stated my reason 3 or 4 times. I thought you were the first person that actually read them before replying.
Lemme see if I can make a good example of why shortenings posts in certain ways is not good.
Poster ABC says:
I quote that with this:
(post shortened)
You really shouldn’t have sex with park benches. You might get splinters.
"I don’t love my husband because he’s handsome.
I love him because he is a wonderful man."
…Is that the same as
“I don’t love my husband…I love my husband”
<post shortened>
or even worse
" I don’t love my husband…"
(post shortened)
Are all three statements the same in meaning?
No, we all read your explanation. It’s just nonsensical.
Concur. Indicating that you shortened a post is not a freebie for making a post say what you want in opposition to what the original post said. Absolutely not.
Feel free to maintain your interpretation. I predict you won’t enjoy the outcome, however.
raventhief Johnson is right about Drunky Smurf Johnson being right about Miller Johnson being right to warn him.
(post shortened)
It appears that I was wrong, and you were right. Mea culpa.
Thanks for taking the time to explain it as you did. And thanks to many of the poster who took the time to voice their opinions. I thought I understood the rule, but it’s now obvious that I misunderstood this one. I sit corrected. 
FWIW, I was not admitting to trolling. I get accused of trolling because I post things that people don’t like because they can’t refute them. And I’ll gladly post stuff like that whenever I can.
People make mistakes. I’ve admitted to mine. I asked for clarification and received it. That’s what good communication is all about.