# Sock-hunting is stupid **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134 "2008-02-03T21:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/21 "2008-02-03T21:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] So you’re saying that you think that some people think Lib and Guin are the king and queen of the Dope? [/QUOTE] I think that people respond to the poster instead of the post. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/22 "2008-02-03T21:36:35Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] To me, this argument lends credence to the idea that at the Dope you are judged not for your posts but for your post count. [/QUOTE] How does it do that? It is the content of the posts that makes one known. > [@Revtim](#): > > Yes, we need the sense of community, so we can label new people we don’t like as “trolls” and “shit-stirrers”, then when they start threads or make comments that are unpopular in any way, then we can easily ban them. Then why have usernames at all? Why not just have Anonymous as the author of all posts? Sure, there are members that act as you describe; I hardly think that they define the community. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/23 "2008-02-03T21:42:13Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] I think I made it clear in the OP that I wasn’t talking about people who have been banned. [/QUOTE] I understand that. But, how would you go about rebanning those posters without the “no sock” rule? That’s what I don’t get. If you remove the “no sock” rule, how do you justify banning the returning person? For the most part, the assumption here on the Dope is that your IP is going to be used by just one poster. There are some couples who post from the same computers, but my understanding is that they cleared that situation with the PTB, so it’s a known situation. Now, without the “no sock” rule, how do you deal with **jerkX** when he comes back as **jerkY**. Same IP, but says he’s the roommate of **jerkX**. With the “no sock” rule, the PTB can point to a specific and well-publicized rule that allows them to assume that the two names are the same person. And so **jerkY** ’s stay is not going to have to go through the process of building enough ill-will to merit his own banning. (Yes, I assume a troll is going to be a rules lawyer. It just seems to go with the territory, IMNSHO.) If you’re going to argue changing board policy on the basis of what appears to me to be a corner case, it’s quite fair to bring up other corner cases that I think may follow the change that you want to see. I am not making a hard and firm stand here, just offering my own opinion. If the PTB choose to agree with you, that’s their headache. FTM, if you can convince a majority of the correctness of your position, that’s fine. I just am offering my own opinion on some likely consequences. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/24 "2008-02-03T21:42:40Z")
**jsgoddess** , do you care to respond to this, since you mention paying customers in your OP. [QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] What if the socks are people who just keep creating guest accounts? They’re not paying. **Fatgail** was a member but only because someone paid for her without her even asking. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/25 "2008-02-03T21:42:54Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] I think that people respond to the poster instead of the post. [/QUOTE] Shouldn’t people consider the source when deciding how to respond to something? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/26 "2008-02-03T21:46:30Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] How does it do that? It is the content of the posts that makes one known. [/quote] And once you’re known, you get judged accordingly. > [@](#): > > Then why have usernames at all? Why not just have Anonymous as the author of all posts? Sure, there are members that act as you describe; I hardly think that they define the community. YMMV. Obviously my mileage varies or I wouldn’t have started the thread. It’s hard to follow a conversation without usernames, especially on a board like this where there isn’t the sort of threading you can get with usenet. Maybe I should just back up and ask, “In what way do socks detract from the community?” Do we need to know who someone is before we can read what they write and judge them accordingly? That doesn’t seem like it because we allow new people to join, though some members are hostile and snotty to guests. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/27 "2008-02-03T21:48:10Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] **jsgoddess** , do you care to respond to this, since you mention paying customers in your OP. [/QUOTE] I think pay to post is pretty stupid, so I don’t have any objection to someone going around it. Those of us who do pay are the foolish ones, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/28 "2008-02-03T21:48:15Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Sure, there are members that act as you describe; I hardly think that they define the community. YMMV. [/QUOTE] When moderators (not necessarily you) act that way, in official moderation, then the community is indeed defined that way. Example: [Actual Intercourse - Not including foreplay and afterplay - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=454061) Yes, a ribald subject for a poll, but no worse than many other threads I’ve seen. Don’t tell me that if this identical thread was started by a long-timer, it wouldn’t still be open. I don’t care that some people have decided this person is a “shit-stirrer”, whatever board rule that breaks, threads should be judged on their own merit. This looks like nothing more than pack mentality, and I’ve seen many times on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/29 "2008-02-03T21:53:36Z")
“Sir, is this gonna be a stand-up fight or just another sock hunt?” If I wasn’t paying for a membership, I wouldn’t care how often someone changes his name, though I’d object to having more than one active name at a time, lest we get drowned out by idiots who this it’s hilarious to register fifty names and have a party across every thread. Because I _am_ paying, though, I don’t like the idea of someone perpetually getting a new guest membership every 30 days. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/30 "2008-02-03T21:53:51Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Shouldn’t people consider the source when deciding how to respond to something? [/QUOTE] If a guest comes to the Dope, are you able to judge their posts despite not knowing anything about the source? Of course you can. So why is it suddenly cats and dogs living together if someone comes back under a different name? There’s nothing already that prevents me from lying about myself, so there’s nothing special about socks when it comes to the ability to lie. We don’t require written manifestos or long questionnaires of new posters, so it isn’t not knowing the source. What is it about a sock that’s so dangerous to a community? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/31 "2008-02-03T21:54:03Z")
I certainly don’t completely _ignore_ poster name, join date and post count when reading posts. There are a couple of people here who are so intractable in their stupidity that my supply of sympathy ran out for them; other posters get much different responses from me when they post about their problems. I can’t be arsed to go sock-hunting (if I even knew how), but I do like to be able to consider the source when responding to posters. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/32 "2008-02-03T21:55:30Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] And once you’re known, you get judged accordingly. [/quote] What’s wrong with that? Why should, in general, posters not remain known? Some years ago, I had a major kerfluffle with a well-known and respected poster. Had I gone away then and come back as **Last Year’s Model** or something, you would be fine with my desire to airbrush my history? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/33 "2008-02-03T21:57:21Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Because I _am_ paying, though, I don’t like the idea of someone perpetually getting a new guest membership every 30 days. [/QUOTE] I can’t even imagine caring if someone does that. To me, they’re just willing to put in effort that I am completely unwilling to put in. And they’re willing to put up constantly with troll and sock hunting members who would drive me 'round the bend in about three minutes. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/34 "2008-02-03T21:59:19Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Some years ago, I had a major kerfluffle with a well-known and respected poster. Had I gone away then and come back as **Last Year’s Model** or something, you would be fine with my desire to airbrush my history? [/QUOTE] Yup. I could not possibly care less. If I figured it out, which I probably wouldn’t, I would assume you either lost your password or decided to change your image. Neither one bothers me in the slightest. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/35 "2008-02-03T21:59:24Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] I\ What is it about a sock that’s so dangerous to a community? [/QUOTE] I think this speaks to trust; we assume that most people are representing themselves honestly, and we base our interactions on that. Socks and trolls make us feel stupid and betrayed, when all we were trying to do was have a conversation with someone. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/36 "2008-02-03T22:06:37Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] I think this speaks to trust; we assume that most people are representing themselves honestly, and we base our interactions on that. Socks and trolls make us feel stupid and betrayed, when all we were trying to do was have a conversation with someone. [/QUOTE] Really? Well, I must have missed the memo. Maybe it’s because I tend to hang with theatrical crowds, but there have been several occasions where I’ve met someone for the first time and they were putting on an act. When it fooled me, I congratulated them for their skill and when it didn’t I explained what tipped me off. But I’ve never felt stupid and betrayed about it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/37 "2008-02-03T22:06:53Z")
When you’re hunting for a sock, I’ve found that it is often folded into a sheet. :what?: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/38 "2008-02-03T22:10:32Z")
[QUOTE=Inner Stickler] Really? Well, I must have missed the memo. Maybe it’s because I tend to hang with theatrical crowds, but there have been several occasions where I’ve met someone for the first time and they were putting on an act. When it fooled me, I congratulated them for their skill and when it didn’t I explained what tipped me off. But I’ve never felt stupid and betrayed about it. [/QUOTE] I don’t hang out with theatrical crowds because they tend to be kind of assholish. Your mileage may be varying. **Voyager** , I felt like I had solved one of the mysteries of the universe when I found socks in the pocket of a fitted sheet taken out of the dryer. AHA! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/39 "2008-02-03T22:13:39Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] I think this speaks to trust; we assume that most people are representing themselves honestly, and we base our interactions on that. Socks and trolls make us feel stupid and betrayed, when all we were trying to do was have a conversation with someone. [/QUOTE] I assume most people are representing themselves honestly, base my interactions on that, and don’t feel anything if it turns out they were someone else. It doesn’t reflect on me at all if someone lies to me. But even more, I don’t consider someone having a different username to be a lie. I can have just as fine a conversation with an anonymous (though it took some thinking before I could spell it) person as with someone I know well. Sure, the few people on my ignore list would foil my intentions if they came back under different names, but they are so overwhelmingly stupid that they’d end up back on the list quickly. Otherwise, heck, it might be nice to be able to read some people’s posts without my issues with them getting in my way. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134/40 "2008-02-03T22:20:43Z")
Recent ATMB thread: [Could there be consideration for a registered sock?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=449512) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-hunting-is-stupid/436134.md?page=3)