# Trolls R Us redux \[Now the argument clinic\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 27, 2020, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349 "2020-06-27T06:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 62
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1227 "2020-10-07T18:51:55Z")
Honestly, I don’t think that’s his fault and I don’t think he’s the only one. I think there are several people who created new accounts for the same reason and I don’t think any of the moderators or administrators is able to merge them. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1228 "2020-10-07T18:51:56Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > You’re close, but @urbanredneck2 is the apex troll at this point in time. I’ll grant you that @urbanredneck2 is the more _blatant_ troll, but I think part of what makes **Velocity** truly great, “the Apex Troll,” is his more subdued nature. As evidenced by the number of people who think he’s a genuine poster. And I don’t blame them. I’m not 100% convinced myself, just mostly convinced based on a pattern of behavior that seems consistently… not even borderline, but seems to be very good at probing along the border. I fully expect that UR2 will one day go over the line and earn a ban. But **Velocity**? We’ll never escape his orbit. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1229 "2020-10-07T18:56:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Honestly, I don’t think that’s his fault and I don’t think he’s the only one. I think there are several people who created new accounts for the same reason and I don’t think any of the moderators or administrators is able to merge them. I don’t think that’s correct. We’ve seen many examples of _Username2_ after the start of discourse, but I think almost all of those cases have been dealt with in the meantime. I think a PM or email to @engineer_comp_geek is sufficient to get it fixed. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1230 "2020-10-07T19:00:31Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I’ve always been biased toward him because I love octopods, but that shit is just bonkers. I’m beginning to suspect he’s not even a real octopus. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1231 "2020-10-07T19:03:01Z")
And I’m equally sure s/he isn’t pink. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1232 "2020-10-07T19:08:11Z")
Except for his smacked ass. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1233 "2020-10-07T19:09:27Z")
That…would never have occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1234 "2020-10-07T19:19:29Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Except for his smacked ass. I could get behind that. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1235 "2020-10-07T19:39:51Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > **octopus** is shitting all over the “woke” thread with ridiculous assertions about the left. His over-the-top rhetoric is distracting from an otherwise reasonable conversation. > > I’ve always been biased toward him because I love octopods, but that shit is just bonkers. I used to defend him, because at some point in the past, he seemed to me to be a rational poster, if approaching things from a different place than most on the board. But since 2016, like most on that side of the divide, everything has just become _ **“hur hur hur I’m owning the libs”** _ from him. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1236 "2020-10-07T20:00:36Z")
See, I thought I remembered him being more rational, too. I was away from the boards for three years and came back, and now he’s spouting lunacy. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1237 "2020-10-07T20:01:23Z")
He got much, much worse. I don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1238 "2020-10-07T20:23:45Z")
As to **octopus** just mentioned … I know why … Fox News with a chaser of Breitbart most likely. The ~~drugs~~ gravity those propaganda sites put out is strong. Once someone gets inside the event horizon they spiral in until they’re swallowed whole. While they (and reality) are being stretched all out of shape. As to **Velocity** I get the teen youthful, naive, and conservative vibe. With maybe a hint of spectrum disorder. He’s nibbling hard around the edges of being a conscious JAQer rather than just too clueless for school. But I admit to being a charitable sort. From where he is today it would not take much more studied disingenuity for him to go over my line to muted troll. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1239 "2020-10-07T20:28:51Z")
Had to do some research, so this is a late add to the above. **Velocity** says he was born in 1987 and would therefore now be 33 years old. Maybe he lives in a one-horse two-church town. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1240 "2020-10-07T21:06:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think there are several people who created new accounts for the same reason and I don’t think any of the moderators or administrators is able to merge them. We tried everything we could to tell people to contact us if they had an issue with their account and not to create a new account, but some people created new accounts anyway. I can resolve whatever issues people are having with their original accounts but the software won’t let me merge accounts. If you have posts under two different accounts, you’re stuck with that now. They can’t be merged. If you want access to your original account, send me an email at [EngineerCompGeek@gmail.com](mailto:EngineerCompGeek@gmail.com). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1241 "2020-10-07T21:48:51Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The software won’t let me merge accounts. Is that a permission thing? Because it sounds like Discourse does allow it as of the 2.5 release this summer. > **[Rake task for merging users](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rake-task-for-merging-users/89086)** > > As of Discourse 2.5.0.beta3, site admins can merge non-staff users without needing to access the console. For security, staff users will still need to be merged via the console. Visit the user admin page, and select “Merge” at the bottom of the... ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1242 "2020-10-07T21:57:38Z")
Yes, if you have admin access to the board, you can merge two accounts by clicking on “Transfer & Delete” from the duplicate account’s user admin page. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1243 "2020-10-07T22:29:27Z")
Yeesh, what is this? Site Feedback? Far too many helpful suggestions for a proper pit thread. 🙃 ---
**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:** [October 7, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1244 "2020-10-07T22:56:01Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think **Velocity** is a very young guy with very little life experience who is assuming he can just “reason out” all of the big difficulties in life and society, relying on stereotypes and the “common wisdom”, while missing the vast majority of the nuance of most issues. Putting aside the issue of whether he’s trying to troll, that description perfectly applied to **SamuelA** , and we all know what happened to him. Of course Sammy was also a racist and self-acknowledged pervert, and I guess that helped speed him out the door. But the real highlight of most of his posts was that he had the answer to everything, from how the mind works to how to fix climate change and everything in between. He was able to do this, according to his own account, by virtue of the fact that he was a genius and was thus able, with a minimum of very basic knowledge (much of which was not only very rudimentary, but also wrong) to extrapolate solutions to all the world’s problems – solutions that escaped all the world’s scholars who have devoted their careers to understanding these issues, but which were all obvious to **SamuelA**. **Velocity** is a lot like that, only a bit less blatant and (AFAIK) minus the racism and other abhorrent traits. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1245 "2020-10-07T23:03:53Z")
Re: Velocity: Wouldn’t it be great if when he dies he finds out that God is a refrigerator and Jesus a clothes dryer? ---
**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:** [October 7, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/1246 "2020-10-07T23:53:51Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Is that a permission thing? Yes. I’m a mod, not an admin. I can handle most of the usual account issues (fixing email addresses, name changes, etc) but I can’t merge accounts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349.md?page=61) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349.md?page=63)