# Trolling in the Pit **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 12, 2023, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441 "2023-08-12T05:51:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/61 "2023-08-13T20:14:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Then it’s by definition exclusionary. Any suggestion otherwise is silly, To the extent that posters inclined to trolling and disrupting productive conversations are excluded, yes. That’s not what we usually mean by “exclusionary”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/62 "2023-08-13T20:17:05Z")
First things first: First, let’s make this complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/63 "2023-08-13T20:21:26Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > To the extent that posters inclined to trolling and disrupting productive conversations are excluded, yes. I have no problem with excluding certain posters from things. I mean, that’s literally what topic or thread bans do. I **do** have a problem with the idea of the Pit excluding everyone but a select group when that forum serves to bash people. That’s extremely toxic. But no, I don’t object to keeping out certain posters or kinds of posters when there’s a good reason for it. That’s not even a new thing, we’ve been doing that for years, it’s just a new way of doing it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/64 "2023-08-13T20:25:49Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Actually, no, **that’s** something nobody has said I did, right at the start of this thread; > [@MrDibble](#): > > or, preferably, thread-ban the troll I wasn’t responding about opt-in, just the general idea of excluding people from the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/65 "2023-08-13T20:27:26Z")
Thread banning of course is nothing unusual, but that’s very different from the opt-in that is being discussed. But on the idea of having to opt into certain threads, again I think that’s a potentially interesting idea. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/66 "2023-08-13T21:00:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So a situation where you can’t post unless you ask and then it’s automatically accepted. > > That sounds like it does literally nothing. It keeps casual lurkers who may be curious about actually participating in discussion from stumbling unwittingly into the pit and thinking it’s representative of the sort of behavior that is tolerated on this board. Personally, I don’t think such a “protective” feature is necessary, but others, apparently, think it could be value added, and I’m just noting it’s an idea I’ve seen welcomed and implemented on another board. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/67 "2023-08-13T21:40:29Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > It keeps casual lurkers who may be curious about actually participating in discussion from stumbling unwittingly into the pit and thinking it’s representative of the sort of behavior that is tolerated on this board. The only people at risk of that are new people, and I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of restricting new people from posting there. Also, if your concern is with people getting the wrong idea about the board because of what happens in the Pit, you’d best restrict them from reading posts also, and that’s a whole other thing. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/68 "2023-08-13T21:54:15Z")
We would have to fine tune the automatic changes of the users trust level from 0 to 1 and restrict trust level 0 posters from the Pit. All of that would need to be done by an Admin. Our only Admin is Ed Zotti. This makes it hard to do any testing or quick fixes if something unexpected results from the tweaks to the settings. I don’t think any of this is going to happen and I’m not seeing a driving need for it either. I see some merit, but not a need. ---
**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:** [August 13, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/69 "2023-08-13T22:13:35Z")
So this falls under the category of “Want it, but not technically possible in the foreseeable future…and asking more vehemently/stridently isn’t going to change that”? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/70 "2023-08-13T23:08:11Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I see some merit, but not a need. This sums up my feelings exactly. It’s not a bad idea but it’s not necessary. If it would really difficult to implement and might cause problems that are just as difficult to fix or undo, it doesn’t sound worth it. Maybe if someday there is an admin with enough bandwidth for these sorts of things, this and other ideas could be tried out. 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/71 "2023-08-13T23:09:39Z")
When one of us wins the lottery / becomes president-for-life / ruler of the world and assumes control of this board, then, THEN will come all the changes, like it or not! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/72 "2023-08-13T23:12:21Z")
In all honesty, if I suddenly came into a lot of wealth, I’d give some serious consideration toward helping this place. No lie, I really like this place. In the meantime, I’d subscribe again if we were able to. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/73 "2023-08-13T23:13:31Z")
And you (and I) better promise not to run it the way Musk runs X/Twitter. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest my groin if I lie. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/74 "2023-08-13T23:20:24Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > All of that would need to be done by an Admin. Our only Admin is Ed Zotti. This makes it hard to do any testing or quick fixes if something unexpected results from the tweaks to the settings. This is a whole other issue, and a much larger one. The sad passing of **TubaDiva** seems to be leading to the slower but inevitable death of a great discussion board that no longer has leadership. I understand that Ed has a great many other responsibilities, but the board needs a full-time admin. @engineer_comp_geek offered to do it, but was rejected because he’s not actually an employee, which is total bullshit. With the passing of **TubaDiva** and her dedicated enthusiastic leadership, the board is self-destructing. I’ve always been such a strong advocate of this as a place to have great discussions with intelligent people. Its impending demise is very sad. ETA: In case some have forgotten, the fact that this place **even runs at all** any more is due to **TubaDiva** migrating the site to Discourse. One of the last things she did before she died. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/75 "2023-08-13T23:29:26Z")
Agreed, but Corporate policies are Corporate policies and I think we’re still operating under the principle of keep our heads low so they don’t notice we’re here and ask questions. But that is speculation, the mods don’t actually know any more than the other posters. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/76 "2023-08-14T00:30:45Z")
I’m sure it’s AN issue, but IMHO it, like the visibility of the Pit thread, is far below our lack of outreach in seeking new people, as well as the general decline of long form text based message boards. I mean even if we had full time admin, and subs were reactivated, those issues will persist. Now if we were growing our population, then the issues with Trolling in the Pit and Muting the Pit would be fine next steps to address, rather than largely internal wrangling about interpretation on the fine nuance of rules. However, we _love_ to wrangle about the fine nuance of everything, so, win for us? 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/77 "2023-08-14T05:20:19Z")
This is an interesting discussion to have, but is rather off-topic for this particular thread, which was about why a specific troll was allowed to continue trolling. @Miller has said they’re not trolling, or not troll enough for the Pit. Lots of others have disagreed, but it’s Miller’s party, so I think this thread can be closed and you can have this discussion about limiting Pit access elsewhere (I’d vote “no”, BTW). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/78 "2023-08-14T18:33:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > This is an interesting discussion to have, but is rather off-topic for this particular thread, which was about why a specific troll was allowed to continue trolling. No, it was about why someone _you_ disagree with and _want to call a troll_ can continue to post. There is no consensus here, and the relevant mod disagrees that it is trolling. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/79 "2023-08-14T18:55:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, it was about why someone _you_ disagree with and _want to call a troll_ can continue to post. If all I wanted was to call a particular someone a troll, I’d have used their name in my OP. Or in any of my posts in this thread. Or I could just call them a troll _in that thread_, since it’s in the Pit. As opposed to avoiding the trhead while they’re trolling it up there. Or I’d just post about them in the dedicated Troll Pit thread, which, mind you, I have actually done about other things. _This_ thread isn’t about the identity of the particular troll, it’s about why the trolling is allowed to stand. > [@DrDeth](#): > > There is no consensus here Did I _say_ there was? There clearly isn’t. Just a seeming majority of those who’ve stated a definite opinion. > [@DrDeth](#): > > the relevant mod disagrees that it is trolling. Yes, something I _already_ acknowledged _in the post you quoted from_, Captain Obvious. _Obviously_ I disagree. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441/80 "2023-08-14T19:44:15Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@MrDibble](#): > > Captain Obvious This is ATMB, not the Pit. You can make your point without resorting to insults. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolling-in-the-pit/988441.md?page=5)