I can not spend the rest of my life fielding emails and policing bullshit behaviors in the comments section or reading emails from people who are offended by such and such. I can’t, and I won’t.
Something has to give. I don’t know what has gotten into everyone, or what has happened, but between the spamming threads with comments, the creepy racist and misogynistic bullshit, the sock-puppeting, and then the delicate flowers who are deeply offended by anything and everything, I’m tired of dealing with your bullshit. I’m sick of it, and I don’t know what to do. I have no idea why half of you get offended by what random people on the internet say about you, and I don’t know why the other half of you insist on being assholes.
You tell me what I am supposed to do, because I am sick of the damned whining. My gmail account has turned into fucking Heathers- “I’m not reading your blog any more because people are mean and bullies!” “Why don’t you do something about X?” “Why did you ban me for making repeated creepy statements?” “OMG- someone is a sock puppet!” “Someone said something mean to me!” And that doesn’t even go into the spam I now receive from everyone’s favorite cudlip-basher, accusing me of single-handedly elevating Erik Kain to a premier punditry position where he can spew glibertarianism.
I’m sick of it. Tell me what to do. Or- toughen up and grow up and learn how to use Cleek’s spam filter. I’m at my god damned breaking point with you drama queens. Knock it off.
And now I will get 100 more emails, each from different people who think this post is all about them. You are right.
middlewest
I’m offended by this post.
Tom Johnson
What’s a “sock puppet”?
Also, on my own blog, I’ve found that the easiest way to control comments is to not have readers.
parenthetical
I’m offended by this comment about this offensive post.
slag
Hey-Where’d you get that picture of me?
andrewsomething
I’ve never emailed you before, but it’s just so tempting right now…
MikeBoyScout
If your e-mail client does not support ignore, try delete.
By the way, I’ll continue to read your blog no matter rude comments, glibertarian posers, etc.
Hang in there John.
dmsilev
Oh my.
May I suggest for that particular case teaching Google’s filters to route her missives to /dev/null?
Erik Vanderhoff
John, I love your site and I value you and the other front-pagers I read (some of you I skip, but hey, that doesn’t mean you should stop posting!). The comments can be a cesspool, and I won’t stop reading if you nix them.
It’s not your fault if people won’t grow the hell up, and it’s not fair to expect constant policing and dialoguing from you and the other front-pagers that seems necessary to keep order.
lawguy
Fuck Off!!
No really I always curl up into a little ball grab my binkey and crawl into the closet when people talk mean to me. If that doesn’t work I down a quart of scotch.
brucds
Your lack of interest in focusing on my outrage and taking offense is so outrageous and offensive I’m not sending you anymore emails expressing my outrage. You’ll be sorry…
Mnemosyne
Can we at least get rid of the egregious trolls who add absolutely nothing to the conversation like Joe Beese and Uncle Clarence Thomas? I can live with weirdo obsessives like mclaren who at least have something to say but those two only show up to be assholes.
YourBlogIsAppreciated
Mom?
FlipYrWhig
@Mnemosyne: What’s funny is that I wouldn’t even put those two at the top of the list of people who only show up to be assholes.
Ugh
Lighten up, Francis.
BenSix
We all know how this thread will run…
(A) Well said!/What nonsense.
(B) What do you mean “well said”/”what nonsense”? I think he’s wrong/right.
(A) What do you mean he’s wrong/right? Why, that means I’m wrong! I direct insult X at you.
(B) How dare you say I’m wrong about your wrongness? I’ll see your X and raise you to a Y.
Et cetera.
Mike Furlan
Been done:
Q: Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type really makes me puke, you vacuous, coffee-nosed, maloderous, pervert!!!
M: Look, I CAME HERE FOR AN ARGUMENT, I’m not going to just stand…!!
Q: OH, oh I’m sorry, but this is abuse.
M: Oh, I see, well, that explains it.
Q: Ah yes, you want room 12A, Just along the corridor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Argument_Sketch
Cat Lady
Happy camper here who has only ever emailed you a pet picture when you were soliciting them back in the stone age. Which was never published, by the way, but I didn’t take it personally. People suck John, present company excluded.
singfoom
I’ve got no beef with you John. The comments section here seems like I found it over a year ago.
There have been more trolls lately, but hey, that’s the internet.
I think it’s funny that people e-mail you and complain.
“You hurt my fee fees and I no read your blog anymore” e-mails sound hilarious. Maybe you should post some of them so we can mock people more.
Comrade Javamanphil
I’m not reading this blog anymore unless there are more pictures of Tunch!
The Moar You Know
Ignore the whiners and the emails and let everyone duke it out, Mad Max style.
Look at it as an experiment in free markets, if you will.
Mnemosyne
@FlipYrWhig:
Really? Because they never have any kind of argument other than “Obama sux!” I’ve even managed to have halfway rational conversations with WP, but those two add absolutely nothing — no new information, no humor, nada.
mclaren
Wow. As far as I can tell, you’re a decent ordinary guy, John. I can’t imagine why anyone would get pissed off by you.
You seem like a fair and sensible person. It’s baffling that people would email you in a rage about something you said.
Bill Murray
I recommend the response given by the brother of the former illustrious governor and congressman from South Dakota when someone complained about the service at a hotel “resort” the brother was running. Anytime someone complains to you write back with
Dear Crybaby,
Fuck You!
Sincerely yours,
opie_jeanne
I too will continue to read your blog etc. etc.
I don’t think I’ve ever sent an email to a blogger, although I have emailed newspaper columnists about a potential story… twice I think.
Folks complaining about content? Complaining that people are mean on the internet? They need to find a different blog or maybe take a break from the web.
Lordy.
JPL
@Mnemosyne: May I please stay? I’ll be good, I promise.
Trolls will always be around and it is up to all of us, to ignore them.
from oberlin
Try David Mamet’s approach: “He kept in his office Xeroxed copies of a form letter to be sent to correspondents who objected to his plays. ‘Too bad, you big crybaby’, it read.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/profile-playwright-of-oaths-and-testosterone-david-mamet-on-trial-at-the-court-of-feminism-1482582.html
Comrade Mary
That’s a great colour on you, John.
I say pie filter. I also say the hell with it. And this is coming from someone who stupidly got into a spat the other day before I wised up and stepped back. It’s hard, but it can be done.
But John, if you’re getting spammed by any single user via email, I’d say you’d have every right to ban them. Put it in 32 point type at the top of the blog, then terminate with extreme Tunch.
jacy
I’ve never complained about anybody, now where’s my goddamn cookie?
greennotGreen
You could quit reading your email. Start a new account for people you actually want to hear from. You don’t owe us anything – well, pet pictures, maybe.
MikeJ
I always thought people were more polite here than many other places. Anybody who doesn’t think so should go fuck themselves.
NickM
Ignore it. I’m more of a lurker than an everyday poster, but it seems like things are pretty much the same as they ever were in the comments section, which remain the most entertaining on the Interwebs.
Crash
Do people really think the BJ comments are a rough place? Like, enough to actually email people about it? Dear God people, this is one of the saner comment sections I’ve encountered on the Internet, especially considering that this is a political site.
Bulworth
My only problem is when the various headliners here won’t start each and every post by renouncing MaoHitlerStalinPolPot, Jimmy Carter, and Jane Fonda.
shoestring potato
great thread, but what’s a sock puppet?
Lou Doench
@Tom Johnson:
Exactly!
Mark
Never commented here before, but I nominate this post for the best blog post of the year. Funny, insightful, and says a lot about where we are in our web lives in 2011. And there’s a kernel for a startup here. Solve this problem and bring Facebook and its comments grab to its knees…
Bulworth
@greennotGreen: That reminds me…where the hell is our daily Tunch picture?
MikeTheZ
@The Moar You Know: You, sir, owe me a new keyboard.
Comrade Mary
@shoestring potato: Twenty bucks, same as in town.
robert green
i dunno. you leave a post about some clearly faked up report about how great nukes are for all of us and call it “the best explanation i’ve seen” i’m going to call you out on it. but i’m going to do so in comments. where i will call you what you were in that case: mistaken and thoughtless about an incredibly important issue.
but that’s it. no one’s perfect–you have a pretty good batting average–and comments are MADE to state one’s case. i’d rather have your readership see my perspective then to just send you an angry missive. to me doing so would miss the point of blogging in the first place.
so keep up the good work, stop with the bad work, try not to opine on things when there are tricky technical issues at play without taking a major beat, and know that you will continue to NEVER get an e-mail from me about anything.
in re: ED, a different point: when he started blogging here, he made elementary errors of fact that redounded to the benefit of his arguments. that sentence, bottled, is the way conservatives argue EVERYTHING. he was called out on it for its shamelessness and wrongheadedness. to his undying credit, he stopped. his arguments, since he got blasted here in comments, have improved–he is much more careful about how he supports his thesis statements, his cites and links…and i believe that we in the comments section and Doug J deserve credit for this.
basically, he sucked as a thinker, but not as a writer, and his thinking has started to clarify with the gentle ministrations of your average BJ commenter.
El Cid
I’m horrified by the uncivil nature of this post. I will give an extra $20 to NPR.
sukabi
LOL, JC — was wondering when you’d have another tantrum, it’s been awhile.
How’s Rosie?
JPL
When I first power my computer on in the morning, I tend to come here and read the comments. Because the site attracts people around the world, I can catch up on the over night news. Granted asshole Joe occasionally is a nuisance but that is caused more by the people who egg him/her on. (imo)
gogol's wife
I’ve only ever sent you and Tunch fan mail, so I know this isn’t about me.
opie_jeanne
@Bulworth: You forgot broccoli.
jesdynf
I wrote something for Fark that worked pretty well — they’ve got a very ugly infestation of trolls. It doesn’t just ignore the trolls, it hides *replies* to trolls as well. That really helped quiet things down, for me at least.
So what I’d propose you do is this: Get ignore features running on the site instead of a plugin, and then check who’s getting ignored most often. Then you take those guys and if they’re genuinely worthless, quietly make their posts less visible — they think they’re posting, but they’re not getting seen by /anybody/.
If they aren’t getting their instant attention payoff, they’ll find somewhere else to crap on.
The Moar You Know
Try reading this article at the Wall Street Journal.
It will make the most annoying and batshit commenter here seem perfectly sane.
slag
@Tom Johnson: @shoestring potato: OK. Imagine having a sockpuppet on your hand and having a convo with it and speaking on its behalf. Now, imagine sockpuppeting on teh interwebs. Get it?
Cat
1. Goto your gmail account.
2. In the upper right corner there is a gear icon, Click it.
3. Click on the Labs menu item.
4. Search for “Canned Responses”
5. Make some canned responses.
6. …
7. Profit.
kindness
OMG!!! Some people’s feefee’s got hurt. Well….I’m going to blame it on President Obama. No, I think I should blame the GOS. Wait! I think it’s all bush43’s fault.
Come 4:30 this afternoon my weekend starts and I won’t care any more. Hope all the feefee’s heal. Enjoy your weekend all. I mean REALLY enjoy your weekend.
agrippa
Of course you are sick of it.
But, this is the internet. It is, essentially, anonymous. Actually indentifying a pster is more trouble than it is worth. It comes with the territory. You can always ban them and the IP address. That is the most that you can do.
People get exercised and people do not always act kindly or reasonably. People do that in real life as well.
Charles
John, the main thing is to set a policy that you can stick with, and then stick with it.
The policy toward trolls at Mercury Rising is that we a) warn, b) re-write posts to say what they would say if the author was being frank and/or for my personal amusement, c) ban, and d) if necessary, contact the ISP and/or the authorities.
This process consumes about 5 minutes per troll. This may be more than you care to expend. In that case, start from step c).
Remember: this blog is your private property. You can do whatever you want!
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@Mike Furlan: I’ll not interrupt this thread for a pound
LGRooney
Someone sends you an email complaining about someone else? Ban them.
“There’s no crying in baseball!”
There. Problem solved. Thank you. I’ll expect a check by next week.
And, I have to ask, what WATBs are so knicker-twisted as to complain to you about it? I have seen morons post here but those postings are generally (on a slow news day, all bets are off) ignored. And, I have not seen much nastiness in the comments, when I do read them, so I am curious.
zsa
I read the front page posts because I think you all generally have smart things to say … I rarely comment or even bother to read comments.
There are few unmoderated comments forums on the toobz that don’t devolve into a stinking cesspool … please don’t take it personally, it’s just how we are.
In person most of us are probably genuinely well-behaved. We don’t turn into scrofulous butt-vermin until we get behind a keyboard (or the wheel of a car, for that matter).
soonergrunt
@mclaren: Well played.
Bill Section 147
Day one: Blogs invented.
Day two: Blogger blogs.
Day three: Nothing.
Day thirty-seven: Comment is made on post.
Day thirty-seven: Disagreement ensues.
Day thirty-seven: Hitler invoked.
Day thirty-seven: Original commenter tells original author of original post that they will have to start their own blog because the truth must be told!
Day thirty-seven: Second commenter joins blog to decry incivility.
Day thirty-seven: Second commenter is told to go to hell.
Day thirty-seven: Second commenter emails Blog.
Day thirty-eight: Blogger posts Blog about being sick of it all.
Day thirty-eight: Snark is born. Blog author realizes people who comment on blogs are like everyone else he has ever met only free to be even more stupid, offensive, hateful because they are anonymous.
Day thirty-eight: Commenter three, new to the blog, posts picture of dog that has a sad. Asks for help, love and prayers for that dog.
Day thirty-eight: Blog readership suddenly floods Blog with love for pooch.
Day thirty-eight: Blog author sighs. Oh well.
Trinity
@El Cid: FTW!
I say just ignore the emails Cole. This blog remains my fav.
edit: More Tunch pics please! kthanxbai
Comrade Mary
OMG — new tag!
LOVE it!
Edward G. Talbot
I’m with #17 – publish the emails from the whiners. And don’t change the names. Sort of like what kos does once a week with the hate mail.
If that doesn’t help, you could just try drinking more.
MikeJ
Why hasn’t John used the bully pulpit?
He’s worse than Bush, really.
Joey Maloney
Stop reading your gmail account for a month or so.
agrippa
@jesdynf:
That suggestion will work.
Bex
@singfoom: Like Markos’ weekly hate-mail roundup. Very entertaining.
eemom
I love these threads when Cole gets all pissy. They make for the bestest comments.
@shoestring potato:
a sock puppet, afaik, is someone commenting under a second name, generally for the purpose of making it appear that somebody agrees with them….only to be BUSTED by Detective Corner Stone, who lacking any other semblance of a life spends all his time stalking commenter Nick and his alleged sockpuppets.
The Dangerman
Grandma!!
cat48
I emailed twice when you requested it when Tech was coming; I apologize. Maybe you should go Nuclear like Sully and not have comments (no fun); or an email box you plan never to read.
The Ancient Randonneur (formerly known as The Grand Panjandrum)
Oh gosh, little John Cole has got his knickers in a bunch again. I love The Heater. It just makes you seem so … so .. so, butch.
MikeJ
@LGRooney: The only real trouble I’ve seen was moko loco, and that was because every comment on every thread soon became by or about it.
J.W. Hamner
Hmmm… except for the ED Kain stalking thing, I haven’t really noticed much of a difference. I also feel like that if people think this blog has an aggressively mean commentariat then they haven’t been to many political blogs.
Anonymous37
Tell me what to do.
Require people to register in order to comment. This will be a pain to implement, but the problems will diminish massively just by doing that. Hardcore troublemakers will then be easier to pick off, one by one.
Vibrant Pantload, fka Studly Pantload
Vibrancy is messy.
You Don't Say
@Tom Johnson: :)
srv
Good god, what is wrong with you people? I’ve been here a long time and would never think to whine about John, you dipshits, Balloon-Juice or WP anywhere other than the comments. What The Fuck? It’s like you missed the whole point. Go tilt against windmills on 4chan or something.
I started to think from John’s attitude that there was some right-wing/firebagger trollset created to wear him down, but even old regulars were throwing hissies about m_c whatever.
I’m tellin ya, John is weary just dealing with reality and blogging itself. It’s going to wear on him a lot more by 11/2012, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks away from it someday.
In the meantime John, maybe the webmistress can set up an autoreply to your email with that picture and something appropriately insulting. Or you can post your emails here and we can have group therapy for them.
Ella in New Mexico
Words of hard learned advice from a mom of 4 and the former boss/referee of a group of grown up professionals who should have been able to manage 99% of their own damn conflicts: decide who really owns the problem in these situations, then let them deal with it accordingly.
Example of the wrong approach:
Omg! No! No! No! Once people get wind of the fact you will accept responsibility for their happiness, it’s all over.
Example of the right approach:
Ahh, yes. Perfect pitch. ;-)
edmund dantes
Mostly a lurker, but I have no problem with the comments as they are. I don’t even need cleek’s filter. I just ignore the obvious trolls.
beulahmo
John, you’re cute when you’re a cranky scold.
Seriously, you’re adorable when you’re like this.
Sorry, but this just tickles me to no end.
cthulhu
I, too, haven’t noted any detectable decline in the general tenor of the comments and also am of the opinion that it is, on average, a bit more civil here than many other sites. Then again, I tend to take things less seriously than many.
opie_jeanne
@Tom Johnson: Multiple personalities on a comments thread who turn out to be the same person. It does happen.
It’s always fun to be accused of being one by someone who comes into a thread, doesn’t like what he’s reading and decides that there are only two actual people posting for the other 57.
donnah
This is the first blog I visit every day, and I pop in every now and then as the day passes. It’s really a fine place to get a feel for the current political and social vibe, and while there are trolls or WATB here, there are others elsewhere, and some are absolutely unbearable. This place is a breeze compared to a few others, not naming names, but the initials are Shakesville.
I’ll keep coming here because it’s a good place.
Svensker
@brucds:
I’m so offended by this I’m not going to email John about it.
different church-lady
MATCH: Incoming
from contains: *
ACTION: Delete message (transfer to trash)
numbskull
People directly email you?! Shit, I’m the biggest asshole on this blog and even _I_ wouldn’t bother emailing you. About anything. I mean, why the fuck would care what I have to say outside of this blog? Or even then?
But thanks for letting me know how the other half lives.
Holly McLachlan
@The Moar You Know:
1) John: I have never and will never write you a whiney email; I will always abuse you out here in public comments the way one ought to.
2) Moar: Check out the photo supporting Kazman’s article bemoaning the Democratic murder of the top-loading washer — it’s an image of a top-loading washer, with an energy star rating. (Must file under “Just Can’t Make This Shit Up — candidate for the annual Bobo Award”.)
Citizen_X
Newsflash: Cranky blog commander is cranky.
Either that, or Tunch has finally thrown off his weak-willed human sockpuppet and will rule with an iron paw. The New Order is here! There’ll be some changes made! Be prepared, everybody!
quaker in a basement
What?
How come nobody ever tells me when there’s a good pissing match going on?
Bulworth
@Comrade Mary: It is pretty awesome. Just for that I just might continue on reading this blog. As long as there are more Tunch pics plz?
Shoemaker-Levy 9
Get a new e-mail account and don’t give out the address on the blog. I don’t know why anybody whines about blog comments, and I don’t think you’re under any obligation to listen to whining.
soonergrunt
It’s the price of fame.
MikeBoyScout
NEW PRODUCT IDEA for the Balloon Juice Online Store, Tunch sock puppets.
Ella in New Mexico
@srv:
Perfect!!!!
And Another Thing…
Anybody who isn’t extra crabby right now just isn’t paying attention… End of winter, republican political atrocities all over the mid west, horrible multiple disasters in Japan, a crash course in nuclear dangers, dearth of jobs, insanities like bashing Obama for March Madness, & trying to wipe out family planning, etc etc etc
p.s. LOOOVE the wig.
Things are just about as sour as I can ever remember.
I’m trying to ignore as much as possible, forgive a ton, and hold on til cherry blossom time.
John, step off the ledge, plan a great dinner, and accept the appreciation of thousands of readers who regularly hang out here.
jibeaux
Everyone’s just fucking with you so they’ll get another post like this, John. Duh.
Kevin
I rarely comment on anything but clever movie/music references (as a Canadian I don’t feel I have the right to say much about U.S. politics); but I mostly enjoy all of your commenters. You must be getting some awfully ignorant stuff in your personal emails; from what I can see here you just have a mainly interesting fanbase….Just ignore and have pity for the idiots who are bothering you so much. And to you and all the other frontpagers who make this my favorite site, keep up the good work :-)
Throwin Stones
Awesome.
andy
Ha ha, you don’t even know from cesspools. Try reading the comments under any story a small town newspaper website offers up. I’ve never read a thread here which has that same level of creepy closet-case wingnut circle jerk stickiness. That said, it can be exhausting going through a lot of whining emails. Pretend you are in that Monty Python Mouse Organ sketch and it’ll go a lot easier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saY10AWXLIY
Comrade Mary
@MikeBoyScout: Yeah, but you’d have to knit them with these.
Violet
John,
You have a great blog. It must be a royal pain to run it. I’m glad you do. Thanks for putting up with us.
Mnemosyne
@JPL:
No, I’m sorry, you have to go, too.
Nah, just kidding. If I don’t even want someone I’ve had huge fights with like mclaren banned, you know my threshold is pretty high. But I do think that, after a certain point, some posters become disruptive enough that they need to be banned (or phased out as jesdynf suggested).
Either that, or cleek needs to come up with a pie filter for Safari. That would make me equally happy.
eemom
Also too, Cole, you should follow the Rude Pundit model — just tell your readers you don’t give a shit what they have to say.
OTOH, your real problem is that the more you abuse us, the more we all know you’re just a big old mushy softy at heart.
Frank
You sound like the biggest fucking whiner of all, John.
Who said you have to answer those e-mails or be a blogger at all? STFU and make with the pictures of kitties.
Jim Pharo
John, you’re my hero.
licensed to kill time
Everybody better be nice or Dad’s gonna turn off the comments and there goes the vibrancy.
Brachiator
@eemom:
Thanks for the definition. i wondered what this meant.
@Edward G. Talbot:
Oooh. Sounds like fun.
Countervail
Develop a simple but specific set of rules and what the consequences are for violating those rules that will apply to all commenters whether you agree or disagree with the content of their posts.
Second, put in place a commenting system like DISQUS or JS-Kit Echo, make people register and be accountable.
Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
Jay in Oregon
I’ve noticed quite a few ex-Shakesville commenters (and posters?) here of late.
Did they have a mass exodus or something?
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
I love the part where Cole opens up a free day care center and then wonders why he is suddenly up to his ass in snotty-nosed children.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
We have sock puppets? Most likely from Calamity Jane’s site so if you’re reading this:
FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!
Strong memo to follow. Go back to your facebook, junior high school level, seeecret clubhouses where you plot to overthrow all the lefty blogs that know you for what you are (that would be all of em).
Oh, and I’m offended that there aren’t more pet stories.
To lift a quote from Animal House, John my advice to you is to drink heavily.
Tom A.
Turn off comments for a week or two and don’t check your email for a few days as it will be flooded with “You’re taking away my right to free speech” or some such nonsense. The trolls will get bored and move on.
El Cid
I both find it hard to believe and entirely typical that various knuckleheads would get mad at their “Fuck you! / No, Fuck You!” fights and e-mail JC. If so, god-damned pathetic.
YellowDog
Progressives are from Venus and conservatives are from Mars. One of the rules that I have observed over decades is that progressives (nee liberals) want to talk about how they are being screwed by conservatives. Conservatives only talk about it to gloat (with other conservatives). I stopped listening to the whining and the pearl-clutching in graduate school. The Marxists were the worst–theory is praxis my ass. If your conscience prevents you from ignoring the emails, put together some canned email responses, preferably with illustrations.
KG
Human nature?
In all seriousness, there is a reason why a lot of the big blogs don’t allow comments (see, Insty, Sully, and now Hewitt) or see them devolve into fever swamps (see Malkin, DU, FDL). And you’ve probably stumbled upon it.
MikeJ
@Countervail: Fuck registration. Let the whiners whine and don’t fuck it up for the rest of us.
jibeaux
@andy:
You are not kidding about that. And that’s just for run of the mill stories, leaving out altogether what happens when there is a) a death or b) a trial. The wildest speculation, libel, and nastiness you will see until the paper closes the comments. U-g-l-y, you ain’t got no alibi nastiness.
Alex S.
Did David Brooks mail you again?
Omnes Omnibus
@El Cid: I’m telling Cole on you.
dr. bloor
@Citizen_X:
This theory would have more credibility had there been a demand for gift enrollments to Omahasteaks.com in John’s rant.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@andy:
This. Every so often I peruse the comments section of the local rag here in red, rurl Central Misery and yup, you nailed it.
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
This wins the interntetzez for the day!
shoestring potato
we’re all sock puppets now
KG
@MikeJ: eh, that’s basically what LGF did when their comment section headed toward the fever swamp.
fraught
Same as it ever was. Every three months like clockwork, John has Jesus or his mom giving us the finger and calling us assholes and spoiled brats. I haven’t noticed much change in abusive comments, there have always been nasty pricks and abusive grad students roaming around here. That’s part of it’s charm.
John is like a cranky puppy when he does this and it usually passes after he burps and takes a nap.
Don’t change nothin. Stop e-mailing John.
FormerSwingVoter
When people email you to bitch, just reply with nothing but an image of that old lady above. Every time. They’ll stop eventually.
cleek
JC sucks and is ruining this blog
justawriter
but … but … but …
Someone on the Internet is WRONG!
slag
Although, in an effort treat this subject with some level of seriousness…I do generally think it’s incumbent upon each of us to either ignore the idiots or respond to the idiots in a devastating manner with an unmistakable air of finality. Otherwise, we’re just encouraging the idiocy.
That said, I find the creepy racism and misogyny to be my own Achilles Heel in this area. Usually, when that shit comes up (as it has been doing with seemingly increasing frequency), I just check out. So, I can kind of empathize with those particular emailers. Even if I wouldn’t ever be one of those emailers.
p.a.
I have a card in my wallet that may be useful for the kind of emailers setting you off. It reads
My other comment is that there are so many posters here now it hardly seems like JC’s blog anymore. Doesn’t help with the whining/email/blogmeanies problems, but on that I got nuttin’, except ‘delete unread’.
soonergrunt
@Kevin:
While I’ll note that this is very refreshing, I have to say that you shouldn’t let that stop you because none of the other non-US let that stop them.
sparky
@El Cid:
well, yeah. still, prolly better than dueling.
and with an apology to Mencken,
no one ever
went brokestayed sober underestimating the intelligence of theAmericanBalloon Juice public.Legalize
More pictures of Cole’s hot sister!
Edit: And more pictures of ABL (who is also hot)!
MikeJ
@YellowDog:
You’re kidding. Republicans do nothing *but* whine about how the mean old LIEberal demoncraps are using Americorps and ACORN stormtroopers to take away their guns.
Platonicspoof
Instead of:
Your post could have simply said:
Then the e-mails would sort themselves for deletion.
First rule of herding cats is, don’t tell them they’re being herded.
justawriter
Also, too
CT Voter
I’m a long time reader, infrequent poster, so I got nothing to say about the awesome front page rant, but I do have a question: what’a cudlip basher? I vaguely remember someone making up cudlip in one of the comment threads, but I can’t remember specifically what the thread was about.
eemom
@Mnemosyne:
I agree. Of all the many people I’ve had fights with, the only ones I’ve ever thought should be banned are the truly intractable, one-note assholes like Uncle Thomas and Beese; me-me-me little brat toko-loko; and sickfuck misogynist Tim. These are people who either add nothing to the discussion, ever, or whose contributions are outweighed by their destructiveness.
Pigs & Spiders
We need T-shirts that say Balloon Juice on the front and “I’m just here for the outbursts!” on the back.
The Other Chuck
How about focusing some of that anger on the trolls for the single second it takes to ban them?
Naw, best to bitch out your readers.
You’re popular, deal. Either give a shit or don’t, and blogs have succeeded either way. But the number of drama queens on the front page today is precisely one.
Raenelle
FSM! All the crap in the world, and now John Cole doesn’t like me. Just a flesh wound.
Lambchop
I resent and am offended by your obvious prejudice against sockpuppets.
Joe Beese
@mnemosyne
I can haz echo chamber?
What you call trolling, I call counter-demonstrating. And while I don’t expect you to enjoy it, you would come across as less of a pathetic whiner if you didn’t confess like this that you’re too delicate a flower to bear the knowledge that some people contemptuously disagree with you.
Mr. Cole, whatever the flaws in his political undstanding, does not have that problem – and it is something I respect him for. On those occasions when he has encouraged me to eat shit and die, it has been an honorable confrontation between one Internet blowhard and another. As opposed to your kind of pants-wetting “Where are the hall monitors?” simpering.
Steeplejack
@Tom Johnson:
LOL.
Ella in New Mexico
@Bill Section 147:
PURE GENIOUS!
PeakVT
Tell me what to do.
Put up a link to cleek’s pie filter and then start deleting emails by the 100s.
licensed to kill time
@CT Voter: If you can’t remember the (many, far far too many) person-who-bashes-cudlips threads you should consider yourself very lucky indeed.
Just Me
I recommend this approach:
http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/browns.asp
NobodySpecial
Emailing a blogger about a commenter? That’s one of two things:
1) A very serious problem with actual trolls. That takes the blog author about 5 minutes to check and fix.
2) Someone who got their shit ruined by someone with a different viewpoint who’s unable to reload and come back with anything better than schoolyard replies.
j low
The cure.
Create new gmail account for all balloon juice emails. Create incredibly long and obtuse password. Log out of new gmail account. Throw piece of paper with password in trash.
gogol's wife
@CT Voter:
Cudlip is Matoko Chan’s term of abuse, having something to do with cows. Believe me, you don’t really want to know any more than that.
soonergrunt
@CT Voter: John is referring to a poster he banned recently who went by the handle mat oko_ch an. (Remove the spaces) who flooded the comment threads with long screeds on various subjects, but particularly had it in for E.D. Kain. “Cudlip” was her term for people dumb and docile enough, in her opinion, to be cattle, which chew the cud, and hence have “cudlips.”
And if the word “Cudlip” does not make it into the BJ lexicon, there’s something wrong around here.
And for those wondering, yes, I inserted spaces into the handle because of the old saw about “speak of the devil and he shall appear.” In this particular case, I think the superstition is warranted, don’t you?
David in NY
I thought the comments got better after I went away for awhile. One troll got too much attention yesterday or the day before, but heck, it was a boring post.
As for your e-mails, why do you read them?
CT Voter
@licensed to kill time: @gogol’s wife:
Oh, that’s helping, actually, but it’s still too vague.
Perhaps it’s best that way.
PurpleGirl
@Comrade Mary: Love that video!
CT Voter
@soonergrunt: That definitely clarifies it.
I stopped reading the comments for some time, and didn’t realize the commenter had been banned.
Didn’t notice the absence, either.
Liberal Sandlapper
I love you, John.
Now, isn’t that better?
Mnemosyne
@Joe Beese:
Ha! Okay, now that was funny. “I comment on a blog — that makes me a counter-demonstrator! From my couch!”
Madeline
Maybe complaints could be a BJ revenue source. Setup a complaint form; make submissions pay you a dime or something per complaint.
Seriously, unless people are paying you for the privilege of reading/posting here, complaints are immaterial and belong in the trash.
Angry Black Lady
I banned Tim yesterday because he was being a pervy asshole and thought that unilaterally trying to rename me was hilarious after accusing me of liking Obama just because I’m black. Fuck that guy and his privileged bullshit.
Also I’m banning Uncle Clarence Thomas next time he says anything one of my posts because he is a fuck wad.
Other than that, I’m good to go.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@licensed to kill time: the cudlip-basher was sort of like watching the Flintstones in French – incomprehensible but amusing
Morbo
READERSHIP CAPTURE!
soonergrunt
@Madeline:
This.
Joel
@Tom Johnson: This statement is full of win. Or lose, depending on your perspective. Either way, it made me laugh.
Paul in KY
@Citizen_X: All hail Supreme Leader Tunch! Soon the Tunchevik masses will throw off their chains & usher in a New World Order of food, fur & cat litter.
Edit: More pictures of Supreme leader Tunch, preferably with Kim Jong Il style sunglasses.
YellowDog
@MikeJ:
Are you kidding? You have to make a distinction between the talking heads and the real power brokers. The talk is just misdirection, a sleight of hand to keep the focus elsewhere. Have you noticed what happened to ACORN? NPR? When was the last time there was a serious debate about guns that wasn’t about expanding the ability of individuals to carry them in public, openly or concealed? Fox News makes political contributions–does anyone do anything about it? Did you hear about something called Citizens United? Progressives have been in a retreat for 30 years, only occasionally offering a fight. But they may finally have rediscovered that they have a pair, named Wisconsin and Michigan.
Turgidson
Excellent. We were long overdue for a variation of the “I have nothing but contempt for you all” post. This is close enough for me.
Yutsano
@Angry Black Lady: Popcorn futures never looked brighter. This thread shall indeed be epic.
Paula
Mister Cole:
It’s both touching and hilarious that you care to ask us what to do, albeit in an exasperated manner.
Some of your readers are nincompoops. You know this. Focus on the actual troubling stuff (like the thread de-railing, and the racist, misogynistic stuff, and possible sockpuppetry) and ignore the rest.
LGRooney
@KG: If your comments are filled with people explaining how wrong you are, and they are correct, or if they are filled with mouth breathers that make you more embarrassed than you already are about the stupid shit you write, of course it is better to turn off comments. I don’t think either case applies here, though.
soonergrunt
@Angry Black Lady: And may I just say that Angry Black Lady is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.
Paul in KY
@Kevin: Kevin, thank you for refraining to comment on our internal politics. It must be hard (if Canada was as nutty as us, I’d probably be throwing my two loonies in about this & that, ay) & I commend you for your discretion.
asiangrrlMN
@slag: I will step in and say that I have seen more of this and it is the reason I have checked out of most threads at BJ.
Plus, I can go into a thread and know pretty much who is going to say what, no matter what the subject. There is very little discourse occurring.
Personally, I am beginning to appreciate places that have a moderation policy like TNC’s place. People can still debate, argue, get heated, whatever, but there isn’t so much of the personal petty bullsheet that happens in freer forums.
I think the front-pagers here are very solid. I think most of the commenters are solid. I just have had it with the other crap. I use the pie filter, but it doesn’t do any good when other people engage the trolls and delight in egging them on.
I mostly hang out in the open threads and with my late-night posse, though I’m trying to revamp my sleep schedule.
All that said, it’s Cole’s blog. His place, his rules.
@Angry Black Lady: I’m really glad you banned Tim. He really disturbs me with his sexist/racist attitude.
@Yutsano: Hi, hon. I’ve missed you. That is all.
Chris Andersen
Turn off comments for a few weeks.
I’m serious.
Give everyone a chance to calm down. The trolls will probably leave. Most everyone else will find other places to talk. You’ll get a storm of angry emails for a few days, but those will go away soon enough.
Then, when your email becomes managable again, turn comments back on.
Chuck Butcher
Ignore It
My email program has a delete button
My browser has a scroll button
I am capable of defending myself and anyone with the nerve to comment ought to be … also, too?
Svensker
May I just point out that the world in general sucks right now, Obama is not doing what he should be doing, the banksters are winning, the tea-tards are steering the ship off the cliff, half of Asia just fell into the ocean, we’re getting involved in another war, and I’ve got a huge deadline looming and I’m here being forced to read all this bullshit instead of getting stuff done.
Furthermore, if this blog isn’t exactly the way I want it to be toot sweet I’m going away and not coming back for at least a half hour. Do you hear me? I mean it.
licensed to kill time
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water: I actually kind of preferred her when she was speaking chan-ese because it made it easier to ignore her.
eta: agreeing with you :)
jfxgillis
John;
Here’s what you do.
Announce a rule: “E-mails about comment thread dynamics, including complaints about individual posters or comments, will NEVER be replied to. Such e-mails will probably not even be read, but in the unlikely event that they are read and in the even more unlikely event that they require action, such action will be be taken without warning, without mercy, without announcement and without stated rationale.”
Gozer
Not a frequent commenter, but I love the blog and most of the commenters. This is usually my first stop on the blog train and I find many of the epic rants and curmudgeonly episodes humorous at the very least.
Keep on keepin’ on.
soonergrunt
@Svensker:
Behold, the true version of Cole declaring that he’s going away for a few days and won’t be able to check in.
RossInDetroit
Could be worse. You could be bOINGbOING and have to hire a crew to police the comments. That joint goes completely berserk from time to time.
maybe disemvoweling the idiots would be a good solution. It leaves the text readable to someone who really cares to, renders it inoffensive to someone scanning by and makes the poster look like a doofus. Win/win/win.
Honestly, there are far worse comments sections in terms of civility. Like, most of them.
I suspect the hectoring emails are the greatest annoyance. There is no cure for that.
LGRooney
@Svensker: Can I make it 45 minutes if I stomp on your cutesy and pedantically point out that it’s supposed to be tout de suite thus setting myself up for a bashing every time in the future I make a grammatical error?
gnomedad
Stay on your side and stop looking at me!
Alex S.
Get a special email-account just for this blog. You can check it whenever you like and the complaints won’t spam your main inbox.
Paul in KY
@soonergrunt: Back in my AFT & RABT days, we had a certain commenter who we called ‘he who must not be named’. That was because this person (had initials MM) was quite internet savvy & had programs that went thru the threads specifically looking for their name.
MC probably has that capability.
Seth
Sounds like there needs to be a community management team in place.
Here’s a great talk by Matt Haughey, the main force behind the amazing MetaFilter on the topic of community management:
http://kottke.org/11/03/lessons-from-metafilter
Arclite
@MikeJ:
Well, usually it’s the case, but Mr. Mix’s nuke blogs have been particular contentious lately as folks argue about what may or may not be happening inside the reactors. Lots of ad hominems and name calling.
Comrade Mary
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water: Quoted for MFT!
The intro (complete with photo credits for the Québecois voice actors)
A sample bit that John can learn from. Just keep repeating “Je l’aime ben ma belle grosse belle moman” or maybe “Je l’aime ben mes beaux gros commentateurs.”
Paul in KY
@Joe Beese: While I don’t think you add anything to this blog, I must say that was a well crafted retort.
Mnemosyne
@gnomedad:
What? I’m not touching you. I’m not touching you. See, I’m not touching you.
eemom
hey, I just had an awful thought — what if John pulls a Rosie and finds another blogger to adopt us?
Benjamin Cisco
Shorter JC:
__
Seriously, love it when you channel Angry Old Dude.
PurpleGirl
@Platonicspoof: This would be a good thing to try to keep your e-mail account easier to manage.
Cathie from Canada
H.L. Mencken sent the following printed postcard to people who objected to something he wrote:
Dear Sir or Madam
You may be right at that.
Sincerely,
Cris
Xristos, I must be practiced at ignoring drama.
Paul in KY
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water: I liked her, but if John thinks she needed to be banned, then ban away!
slag
@asiangrrlMN:
Yeah. I noticed that too for quite a while. Though, either that has been improving a little lately, or I’m just seeing more interesting stuff on the front page that distracts me from that problem in the comments section. Hard to say.
And I generally like TNC, but I think it gets a little too precious over there at times. A little too civil, weirdly enough. Sometimes I just want to see someone call an asshole an asshole, if you know what I mean.
Joseph Nobles
If Rosie ever learns to type, God help us all.
LGRooney
@eemom: You mean someone who will gush on line about us regularly, make sure we’re fat & happy, and compare us favorably with our other adoptees? Mmmm…
asiangrrlMN
@slag: Well, I was going to say that I wanted to keep the swears and the calling of bullsheetrock (ironically, I gave up swearing myself for Lent as preparation for my candidacy as a Republican for presidency) even with modding in place. I like the blunter attitude here, yes. I just like the more thoughtful discussions that occur over at TNC’s place and not so much bullying behavior. So, maybe a mash-up of here and there.
@Comrade Mary: I actually would be down with this.
ppcli
@Kevin: I’ve lived “down below” (as my granddad called it) for over 25 years and refrained from commenting on US politics until I got citizenship a few years ago. I thought I was the only person in the country who had that policy. Mind you, I’d have no problem complaining about US policy when I was living in Canada, just as I would have no reservations about complaining about German policy now. But living in a country as a guest is a different situation. I guess posting on a U.S. based board is something like that.
(I did make an exception for complaints about the I.N.S.)
Comrade Mary
@Seth: Yes, Metafilter works, but it also requires guidelines (not rules), four full time paid administrators, a banhammer as big as Tunch, and a place to air grievances and trade recipes. Of course, it is also much larger than this place.
TNC is doing a wonderful job of moderating, but it takes a lot of time and a certain temperament. If you don’t have that temperament, it’s just painful.
I think John and crew should ban the most egregious and invasive, give time outs as needed for those getting on their collective last nerve, and the rest of us can relax and dream of large pies.
ahem
Well I say…..fuck ’em.
Maude
@Angry Black Lady:
I just want the pattern to the afghan quilt in the picture.
I have a tiny mind.
Angry Black Lady
@soonergrunt: aw heck. thanks sooner!
TaMara (BHF)
Sigh. Way down here in no man’s land, but I just have say, Cranky John makes my day. All is right with my world again. XO
Phil65
I’m not sure if it’s a generational thing, but I’m middle-aged and never gave much of a shit about internet comments. They annoy me at times, and I’ll even engage in a flame war if I’m sufficiently motivated, but I’ve never taken it too seriously. When people treat it like it’s life or death I just want to slap them silly.
Oops, maybe I’m taking it too seriously after all.
ruemara
lol, I don’t give shit. fuck ’em if they can’t take it, double fuck ’em if they dished it in the first place.
Judas Escargot (aka ninja fetus with a taste for bruschetta)
I’m puzzled: This is one of the most civilized commentariats I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve been doing this for over 20 years.
Even folks I’ve disagreed with have, for the most part, been pretty mature and civil. I didn’t even mind m_c so much (IMO just a 21st century version of Andrea Chen). And even if my widdle fee-fees were ever hurt, that has nothing to do with our proprietor or the front-pagers. Why bother them with emails?
Thin skinned people should perhaps stay off the innernets, at least the political boards.
Just sayin’.
Origuy
Is one of your email correspondents Stirling Barbour? He sent a whiny, rambling email to Bill Kristol complaining that Kristol said mean things about his daddy, Haley. Not only that, he copied it to:
Edit: Hell, I’m in moderation because WP turned all those email addresses into links. I didn’t know it would do that!
Cris
Or the other US residents, for that matter.
TaMara (BHF)
@Platonicspoof: This was sheer brilliance and I will tuck it away for future use.
Edit for stupid spelling
quaint irene
I must be coming here at the wrong times. I’ve been missing all this fun stuff.
Martin
Cole,
I don’t think I’ve ever sent you an email. My suggestion: see if you can add a user-level user blocking feature. Cleek’s filter is fine, but it doesn’t work for some browsers and it’s not for the non-geeks. If we all have the ability to block mclaren, then you can safely tell us to STFU.
Svensker
@LGRooney:
Stomp should be stamp.
I shutter to think you’d make that mistake.
:)
THE
First, put up a warning above your email, that any email is liable to publication.
Secondly publish all the fumiest, creepiest, weirdest, emails you receive after that point.
It’s a resource John. Think of all the free topics you’re being handed.
Let the commentariat deal with the whacko emailers.
Sit down feet up, popcorn ready and wait for the sparks.
Death Panel Truck
Edumacated people spell it “cannot.”
slag
@asiangrrlMN: Totally what I was thinking. But easier said than done, it seems.
Interesting that you’ve sworn off swearing. I’ve actually gone the other way with it. I find it’s hard to accurately muse on the state of the world today without the four-letter word. That said, maybe that means it’s time to innovate. Go all Shakespearean on our asses.
Angry Black Lady
@Yutsano: i’ll bring the dental floss!
KG
@LGRooney: yeah, I don’t think BJ is anywhere near those examples, but there is a noticeable lack of comments on the bigger blogs, or strident registration requirements. I don’t necessarily blame them for not having comments or requiring registration. Sullivan has posted some of his hate mail and it is vile, and I’m sure a lot of it would end up in an open comment section… LGF has dealt with the same.
I’m of the mind that everyone’s nerves are just a bit shot. The problem is, that happens a lot when you’re following politics as close as most here do. Everything drives you crazy and things get personal. I’ve had to detox more than once in the last few years, and it is something that is happening more and more frequently.
Amir_Khalid
That is a lovely picture, John Cole.
The trolls don’t bother me all that much. Uncle Clarence Thomas only inflicts himself upon us one sentence at a time so I have no problem ignoring him when he does show up.
The trolls who show up just to argue, especially from a right-wing or reflexively contrarian POV — hey, to me they’re a feature, not a bug. They stir things up and make the comment threads more fun to read.
But emailing The Blogmaster to complain about other commenters? oh, msn. That is so “I’m gonna tell the teacher on you!” Those commenters deserve a time-out just for being so childish.
m_c is indeed a truly tiresome attention-seeker, but as I’ve noted before she did manage — if rarely — to add something to the conversation. However, her spamming John Cole’s email post-ban convinces me that the comment threads would be better off without her. And I say that as her (unwillingly anointed) “Immortal Brother”.
srv
@Svensker: I hate you because you’re always so optimistic.
freelancer
@Angry Black Lady:
Which “Tim” did you ban? I’ve been kind of in and out this week.
@Gozer:
“Are you a God?!”
PaminBB
Awesome rant. However,
I do not think that these two categories are non-overlapping. In fact, I believe that they highly overlapping.
pablo
Is it safe?
soonergrunt
@Paul in KY: Had a real wierdo stalking a Star Trek DS9 board a little over a decade ago, and he in turn was being stalked from newsgroup to newsgroup by these moderators from a B&D newsgroup. He had his own FAQ on the internet for a while. No matter how crazy people get around here, none of them hold a candle that guy (who shall never be named tho his handle doth burn my soul) for pure unadulterated bat-shit insanity.
Dennis SGMM
I go back to BBS days and there have always been trolls and there has always been flaming. Moving forward, some USENET threads turned into À la recherche du temps perdu length epics of asshattery.
Strict moderation or enabling comments to be voted up or down is too much expense and effort if you’re not Ariana Huffington. Turning off comments would destroy the reason that this blog exists in the first place. People either need to grow thicker skins or find another place to hang out.
Foxhunter
Hey, is that a picture of the ‘Where’s the beef’ lady?
If so, RIP, madam.
scav
For about the top half of that photo, I thought we were back on the subject of Trollope’s great aunt Bobo and her fear of rumpled bed-linens.
DBrown
Trolls are one thing, paid trolls are another – for both good and bad; far too many of the paid trolls are just stupid and use foul words and pointless arguments to just end a thread their paymasters don’t want or like; luckily, a few are rather sharp and in “discussing” points with them, one can learn a lot but boy, did I feel sorry for the poor BJer’s that had to (or tried for a while) endure the long series of endless point/counter point series of posts. I guess there are good aspects to some trolls in that respect.
Still not sure which is worse, paid trolls that just come here to say the dumb shit to wreck a thread (for $$) or the unpaid clowns that are too stupid to even get paid for being total asswipes… .
LGRooney
@Svensker: Not in its colloquial usage! I feel an email to JC coming!
Suffern ACE
@pablo: Yes, mostly. 1/20 chance. Make a run for it.
soonergrunt
@Angry Black Lady: You’re welcome. Now, please put down the deck of cards…
HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist
What’s wrong with you people? The only time I ever emailed John was to send him a picture of my cat.
JPL
Actually some trolls are kinda fun. (I’m talking about you John and Doug)
You know who’s not crying..the helicopters that’s who.
OT..How are those basketball brackets looking btw?
CT Voter
@THE: I think that’s a splendid idea. It could be like the weekly hate-mail-palooza that Markos posts.
Could this happen, please???
schrodinger's cat
OMG Jane Cole is back and she is angry!
t4toby
I read this blog all the time but never read the comments, much less comment.
That being said, this is my favorite post in a long time.
F*ck ’em if they can’t take a joke.
Steeplejack
@slag:
Ignore, ignore, ignore. What you think of as a “devastating manner with an unmistakable air of finality” the troll hears as “Thank you, may I have another?!”
Poopyman
I laughed, and that’s before getting to the comments.
Delegate.
David in NY
@pablo: No one has been exploded yet. Yet.
Paul in KY
@soonergrunt: AFT means ‘Alt Fan Tolkien’ & RABT is ‘Rec Arts Books Tolkien’, so I understand you loud & clear.
We have some obsessives, but not compared to your obsessive Trekkie or Tolkienite (IMO).
bemused
I suppose suggesting a group hug would be asking for trouble.
Cris
Are paid trolls really that common an occurrence? I feel like the actual existence of paid trolls (and yes, I realize they exist) has fostered a culture of paranoia that far overestimates their frequency. It’s like the way affinity groups start examining each others’ shoes for fear of CIA infiltration.
chopper
forget it, john. it’s the internet.
Parallel 5ths (Irish Steel)
@John Cole:
After reading though the ABL/Tim thread in question, I gave this some thought. How would I handle rotten commenters, banning etc?
I think you do a fine job balancing freedom of debate and only putting the boot in with egregious cases of idiocy. You are certainly more tolerant than I would ever be. To your credit!
If I was in your place, John, I think I would ban the people who are soul-numbingly repetitive. The one-note Johnnies who haunt this blog. We all know who they are. It drags down the overall quality of the commentary.
Not that I think that would be practical or particularly fair. The commentariat must police itself. More mockery is call for.
RossInDetroit
@HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist:
I would never consider emailing a blogger unless I knew him personally. Why the hell should he give a damn what I think? That’s what the comments are for.
lacp
When this old blog starts getting me down
And sock puppets fill all the comment space
I’ll e-mail a rant to the BJ host
And get my whine going right in his face
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@KG:
Agreed.
It doesn’t help that we aren’t currently in an electoral cycle, so while there are plenty of things for people to do to try to make it better in the long run, most of them require a deeper commitment in terms of time and attention than the quick-fix of making a campaign donation, and require months/years to payoff, unlike the rapid feedback you get from winning an upcoming election. That creates a illusory sense of helplessness which feeds our despair and anger.
Ditto that. I like to read deep-time non-fiction (starting with longue durée history and working backwards into historical sciences like archeology, geology and astronomy) as an antidote to what pisses me off about the present. YMMV.
jl
My advice to that poor Mr. Cole:
Set up a little set of guidelines, post it on the blog, enforce them, and then ignore complaints about the comments. For example:
Post a disclaimer that you are not responsible for what goes on in the comments.
Post a few rules on offensive things that will get a comment removed or a commenter banned.
Post an announcement that this is your blog and you can do what you damn well please, and if people don’t like it they can go to another blog.
Trash silly emails.
People EMAIL Cole complaining about their hurt feelings about the comments? Really? Maybe he is making up that part.
David in NY
@Cris: I’ve never thought any troll here was good enough to get paid.
scav
@Maude: Oh, and the blanket is just crocheted granny squares which, by the by, are probably are strewn across Bobo’s fainting couch right next to the antimacassar. I think I’m developing an obsession. Haven’t had one of those before. help. Can I trade it in for a less disturbing one?
Donut
I am so old, I think 1997 was the last time I had hurt fee fees about something an anonymous asshole said about “me” on the Internets. I say “me” in quotes because at some point I realized comments typed on a blog or a message board really don’t reflect much of any person’s personality, let alone depth as a human being. For god’s sake y’all, if you take this stuff so personally that you feel moved to complain to Cole, maybe you need to spend some of your free time doing something away from your computer for a change. Get a grip.
geg6
Well, I admit to having emailed you once or twice in the past. But not ever to bitch or moan or complain, I don’t think (I know that one email was about a suggestion for the BJ Lexicon). And never a GBCW, dawg forbid. I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would.
If I have a problem with someone, I just deal with them in the comments or ignore the whole thing. Now, I know I’m not always Ms. Nicey Nice. And I’ve been banned from other blogs, once for discussing
assholescommenters there in my own personal blog (!!) and once for telling someone to go get fucked for being an asshole. But that last is what prompted someone there to tell me I’d like it here. ;-)Perhaps a Lily pic will calm the madding crowd, John. Or, at least, might calm you. Good thing it’s Friday. Have a mojito, Mr. Cole.
cathyx
This could end right now if John would name names. Publish the letter writers and their letters. It would make for some fascinating reading.
Shadow's Mom
@geg6: Excellent suggestion. Hey John, how about a Lily, Rosie, Tunch thread? More pet pics please.
Also, donate to World Vets Japan Disaster Relief Fund here: http://worldvets.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203
@andrewsomething: I’ve emailed him maybe one time on something unrelated to a blog post.
I opt for option 2 described as “Leave John’s email alone.” If you don’t like a commenter’s posts, use the pie filter.
Good lord people, grow up and get over yourself. The nature of a vibrant society is its ability to entertain diverse viewpoints. One of the reasons I read, and continue reading, this blog is John’s efforts to provide alternative voices. I refuse to take offense because of someone else’s view on any topic. I may try to offer an alternative view, or offer real data if I can. But my fee fees are not so easily offended.
You go, John!
Steeplejack
@LGRooney:
I think she was deliberately going with a slangy construction.
YellowDog
For perspective, let me offer my experiences with another blog. I have been largely banned from posting because I had the temerity to point out that the blogmaster likes to stir the pot with half-truths and distortions under the guise of “his take.” It is a trick to satisfy the advertisers with mouse clicks, but the half-truths and distortions have often been directed at individuals. In the most egregious recent case, an apology had to be issued that took the form of “sorry for the defamation, but here’s why I wasn’t wrong to make a more general point.” Others have had the same experience. The rule is “Thou shalt not criticize Florio.” If you recognize the name, you know the blog and the problem. But, I don’t miss posting there. As ABL would say, too many of the commenters are fuck wads.
All of that is to say, I find this place refreshing because it is none of that (except for a few fuck wads).
soonergrunt
@JPL:
I see what you did there.
Davis X. Machina
@cleek:
I love ya, cleek, this side of idolatry, but now I’ve got type 2 diabetes from all the pie.
The code needs to be revisited and ‘s/sugar/sucralose/g’ done, or something….
soonergrunt
@Paul in KY: Dealing with that guy was basically bouncing back and forth from high octane nightmare fuel to “dude, REALLY?!”
FlipYrWhig
@Mnemosyne: I think they actually believe things. There are other frequent posters who rarely even bother to say what they themselves believe about anything.
Sloegin
You could look at a site like say horsesass and see how the commentary has devolved to the point of continual flamewar between 7 or 8 parties, with nobody actually commenting on the original post… and count your blessings.
But yeah, having the great unwashed whiny commentariat filling your inbox, not so cool. Put up some boundaries.
schrodinger's cat
What the comments section needs is Tunch’s paw of doom. BTW I think I missed all the fun, I have been busy and haven’t checked BJ much in the past few days.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@Paul in KY: Absolutely – it’s his blog, he can ban whoever he likes – he has a lot more patience than I would
@ppcli: interesting name – Canadian military?
Tony J
Seriously? People are e-mailing Cole to whine about the comment section? Cripes Jeebus that’s pathetic. Why would anyone want to be ‘that guy’?
Like a lot of mostly-lurkers here BJ is my first port of call in the morning, and most of the inventive insults thrown around the comment section entertain me while I’m supposed to be working. Yeah, there are trolls, and quite a few cranks who seem to think their sneering disapproval has the force of executive veto, but it’s still head and shoulders above every other comment section on the interwebs, mainly – IMHO – because people only get banned here when they jump the shark in a truly offensive manner, so it actually means something.
And for the record, I’m English, but as long as who controls Washington (the Democrats or the Batshit Insane Koalition of Real ‘Merka ) continues to matter on the international stage, I’m going to feel free to comment on issues affecting domestic American politics. And if anyone doesn’t like that, feel free to e-mail me at http://www.youropinionisirrelevanttomeandwillremainso.co.uk and I’ll get right back to you.
slag
@Steeplejack:
Probably true. But I find that, for my own psyche, I sometimes have to get it out of my system before I can ignore. And maybe others do too. The trick that I’ve found works the best is to refrain, refrain, refrain, and then wail on them all at once and be done with it. Or I’ll wait for someone else to do just that and then let it go.
Of course, other times I enjoy the process of smacking them around a little. But because that tends to annoy others, I’ve learned to refrain. Or at least I try to refrain.
Either way, a little self-control can be everyone’s friend. But for me–and I suspect for some others–self-control is really just self-trickery in disguise. Sometimes you gotta trick yourself into ignoring something. Or I do, anyway.
cckids
@Ella in New Mexico: From another mom, AGREED!! times 1000. Never own their problems, that way lies madness & mucho wasted time. If people have issues, they can solve them. But emailing John arguing or pissed off? Wow, do they have no actual problems in their lives?
BTW, this is also my first stop of the day, it is interesting & often touching and/or funny. You’re doing good work, John.
Tim in SF
Hey John, instead of having an email address, post a Google Voice number that forwards to your phone 2 or 3 hours a day (rest of the time taking voice mails or refusing the call). I’ll bet you get less than 1% of the bullshit you do now. people are much more likely to ignore petty drama if they have to SPEAK with an actual person to address it. Case in point: when I had roommates, we had note wars *all* *the* *time*. Then I instituted a note ban – every issue had to be dealt with in person. Drama went down to 1/100th of its size.
You could try it for a week and see what happens.
Paul in KY
@soonergrunt: A non-fan would probably not understand how many bits of minutae in the Trek/Tolkien universe one can argue about.
One of the most infamous (when I was there) was whether or not Balrogs had actual wings. Frothing, screaming, 3,000 word exposes on both sides of the divide. There were probably about 25 or 30 more things that hit that level & that was before the first movie came out!
FlipYrWhig
@donnah: I used to read Shakesville regularly and participate a fair amount. But the atmosphere was _completely_ crazy, where so many things were declared “triggering” (probably including the word “crazy”) and any offense against the unspoken norms of the place led to a dogpile (probably an insult to dogs) that it became absolutely insufferable. Then all the stuff about how hard it was to run a blog, but any suggestion about what else to do was utterly unacceptable and devaluing the already-so-hard important work everyone was doing. Wow. I gave up like two years ago. I can’t imagine that it would have gotten better since.
ppcli
@Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water: Yes. In a long past life, getting more distantly past by the day.
soonergrunt
@Tim in SF: Of course, the fact that people don’t have to look each other in the eye is the primary cause of most of the haterade drinking around here. It’s a lot harder to say something patently offensive when you can see the shocked facial expressions and closed body language in real time.
geg6
@slag:
Agreed. One of the worst comments section around because of it. Which is a shame as there are some mighty smart people there. But the false civility shit makes me gag and want to throw up. Not my personality or cup of tea in others.
Paula
@FlipYrWhig:
Christ on a pogo-stick. That place is too much emotional drama for little-to-no intellectual value in re “feminist” issues.
Hewer of Wood, Drawer of Water
@ppcli: so was my father
ed drone
@soonergrunt:
Now, where have I heard that before? It sure sounds familiar. Say, you weren’t in a platoon with ABL, were you? And got captured, and held for some time behind enemy lines?
Dang, that sounds familiar. You don’t know John McCain, do you?
Ed
Berial
Might want to include a permanent link directly to Cleek’s pie filter,(not just his blog), somewhere for easy troll removal services. It is invaluable.
I’ve been reading your blog for at least 3 years and so far I seem to be averaging 10 trolls to the pie filter per year.
debbie
There’s definitely more arguing around here than there used to be, but that’s a reflection of the times we live in. I can’t imagine being upset enough to send an e-mail of complaint; it’s much easier just to skip the posts of those you know piss you off.
ed drone
@Chris Andersen:
Hmmm… maybe use March Madness as an excuse to turn off comments, then bring ’em back for the baseball season.
Or the Premier League playoffs, whenever those are.
Ed
danimal
Cole (and his readers) love it when he tells his readers to f*$k off. An endearing trait of the blog, if you ask me.
Kejia
I usually read you on rss feed w/out comments. Looks like I missed the fun. Did it get to the level of the bike helmet flames in the old list-serv days?
Why not just shut down a thread when things escalate, and ban repeat offenders. You are in charge here, you can do what you want. I’ll still read you, as will most of your readers.
Mnemosyne
@FlipYrWhig:
I don’t think they believe anything other than Obama Bad! At least the other commenter I name-checked can talk about something else. Heck, even WP has his occasional moments of rationality where he can focus on something other than Obama Bad!
But I have a somewhat idiosyncratic definition of troll, I think. I think a troll is someone who absolutely, positively has to disrupt the thread back to the single subject that they want to talk about, no matter what. Even if someone is a total asshole and I disagree with absolutely everything they say on every topic, if they can participate on-topic in a movie or music or pet thread, they’re not trolls in my book. That’s why I never considered Dana a troll over at Pandagon — he was an annoying self-righteous pain in the ass, but he could actually make conversation about other topics when the topic called for it instead of standing up and screaming, “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WORKERS!?” in every. single. thread.
Tony J
@Paul in KY:
You learn a lot about yourself when you read something like that and, just for a second or two, find yourself thinking “Well, duh. The texts make it crystal clear that balrog wings were emanations of the dark Fire of Udǚn…”
Parallel 5ths (Irish Steel)
@freelancer:
https://balloon-juice.com/2011/03/17/like-weve-been-saying/#comment-2481883
taylormattd
Why do I always miss the good stuff here? That’s what I get for spending too much time at Daily Obama=Bush
FlipYrWhig
@Mnemosyne:
I would include anyone who absolutely, positively has to turn the discussion to being about other posters rather than the topic.
AnnaN
Pikers each and every one of you. This isn’t crazy. I have a subscription to a quilting mag that has bible belters bitching to the editor about the lack of family values…
in a quilting magazine.
Pffffft.
Midnight Marauder
@ahem:
Why? Because fuck ’em, that’s why.
Southern Beale
This isn’t about my shameless blogwhoring, is it?
MattR
@Angry Black Lady: Your decision to ban Tim yesterday was pretty pathetic. You claim he was being “pervy and creepy” but you were the one who introduced the sexual element into the conversation by referencing a comment he made about your breasts 3 months ago (and you were happily flirting with him about it when he made it)
(EDIT: Unless of course there were other comments that he made which you deleted, but my opinion is based only the data I can actually see)
HBuellA
I’ve been here for quite a while now. I have been attacked when I truly had to wonder why and I rarely ever comment. I never once thought I should complain to you, John.
Even if I feel someone else is wrong or I disagree in their comment, I don’t engage them. They are entitled to their own opinions. On the other hand, those who use insults rather than to use words of explanation are quite difficult to understand in their reasoning and I am not referring to a casual FY either.
Some of the trolls are amusing and I don’t mean the ones ABL cited either.
Suffern ACE
@AnnaN: Just out of curiosity – what on earth do they find morally objectionable about quilting?
Southern Beale
What’s ironic is that I find this place a lot more pleasant than Atrios’, which if you want to talk about a cesspool of trolls, well, his blog can be pretty much the definition ….
Lester Noyes
Charge people to make comments. If comments contain words from your Special List, they cost more, and more. And/or permanently ban whiners, etc. To hell with ’em. Whittle it down to just Reasonable, Intelligent People who know how to stay on the topic. PS – You kids get off my lawn!
soonergrunt
@Cris: This much is true. Some of them post here as well.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@eemom:
Very insightful theory concerning corner stone and sock-puppetry, but unless someone is hopping back and forth between proxy IP addys to sock-puppet, those with the access to the backstage at BJ can figure out who’s playing Sherry Lewis and Lambchop.
soonergrunt
@Paul in KY: Imagine the exact same behavior in relation to the color of the light bar visual effect on DS9 runabout engines, with the added spice of promises to find his antagonist in the real world and…do…things.
scandi
My computer has this really nifty arrow key so when I don’t like a post on a blog, I can scroll right past it. I do this whenever Andrew Sullivan wanks on about his faith or John Aravosis whines about how Obama has failed him today or when John Cole bitches that his commenters won’t play nice with each other. Okay, maybe not that last one.
Paul in KY
@Tony J: I was on the ‘no real wings, just emanations of its shadow’ side. I could argue it pretty passionately, but there were others who I usually respected that would argue just as fiercely on the other side.
I think the freaking movie made em look like ‘real’ wings, but they didn’t help it fly when it was on the 1 mile plunge to the icy lake.
soonergrunt
@ed drone:
Not many people know this, but John McCain was a P.O.W.
He doesn’t like to talk about it.
kc
Ooh, I love it when you talk sternly to us!
Mustang Bobby
I heard there would be refreshments. That’s why I came here.
Paul in KY
@soonergrunt: Jeebus Spaghetti Monster! People like that have NO life.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@soonergrunt:
LOL!
Those are the people who make it hard for me to admit that I really like the various Star Trek series.
Sentient Puddle
I’m going to be entirely counter-productive and post some music here. Mainly because I finally got around to watching the Arkham City trailer.
AnnaN
@Suffern ACE
The magazine is primarily about quilting but also has spent the years detailing “fabric arts”. They recently had the audacity to print a photo of a quilt showing a side view of a nude woman (totally tasteful and equisitely crafted) holding a baby and reminded one of a painting by one of the Old Masters only more impressionistic.
D. Mason
I knew BJ was getting overdue for one of these posts.
artem1s
@Tony J:
I have sooo been there…
FlipYrWhig
@scandi:
So, immediately scrolling past every post.
Tsulagi
Well shit, since I don’t get all butthurt and pretty sure I’ve never sent you an email, then I must be in the other half; an asshole. I’m so, so….crushed. Fuck off, Cole.
I dunno, have an auto-reply telling them to pray to Jesus or their skyfairie of choice for strength and guidance? That’s been a go-to blowoff through centuries.
Mnemosyne
@FlipYrWhig:
I think that falls into the same category as “single issue troll.” It’s just that their single issue is the other posters and not Obama Bad!
soonergrunt
@Paul in KY:
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
People would read that shit and be like “wow. I have no idea what to do with that.”
RalfW
Just ignore us, John, we’re mostly useless. If we were useful, wouldn’t we be doing something besides whining and getting upset?
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@soonergrunt:
Back-trace, then report to state police and cyber police. Consequences will never be the same!
arguingwithsignposts
I’m back. What did I miss?
AkaDad
I’ve been here since the beginning and John’s bi-yearly rants are one of the reasons why I keep coming back.
The irony is, when John rants he gains readership, comments, and e-mails, which guarantees another future rant.
ET
@Comrade Javamanphil: I agree!!! MORE TUNCH…….NOW!!!
Just Some Fuckhead
Damn prissy drama queens ruining it for everyone. Someone said something I didn’t like! Someone is a troll! Christ, grow the fuck up.
And the Debate Teamers, jesus, it’s anonymous fucking commenting on site named for Hot Air that specializes in pet fetishization. Get a clue, morans. I’m looking at you Mnem, Loblaw.
Oh lord, don’t let me forget about the Lawyers. I’m going to level with you folks: ONLY YOU CARE THAT YOU ARE A LAWYER. No one else cares. No one else thinks that means you are better. We’re authors and programmers and librarians, professors and teachers, chemists, doctors, tax professionals, etc. etc. etc. No one else uses handles like Tom Dolittle, PhD. Get it? No one else climbs up on a high horse when someone offers someone else medical advice and points out they aren’t a doctor.
Oh My Fucking God, how can I forget the meta commenters. This thread sucks, I’ve seen this movie, Here we go again. Do you really think anyone gives a damn that you aren’t thrilled with the direction of a thread? Jump in or jump off, clowns.
Each of you sucks to infinity in infinitesimal ways and it pisses me off to have to remind you of this regularly. No one cares if you go away. Hell, I’m easily the most recognizable and popular commenter in the history of blogging and no one gives a fuck when I take a break. Do I let it bother me? Hell no, I just double down on trying to endear everyone to me, being everything to everyone and a big giant people pleaser. And the insults I’ve endured over the years would make normal people cry… Sorry, I got a little choked up. Something in my eye.
Suck it up people, and always remember: better people than you have come and gone and left us missing them while we are Stuck with you. Don’t look at it like someone is ruining your good time. Look at it as if you are ruining it for everyone else. I know that’s how I operate.
I love each of you in that special, creepy anonymous internet stalker way and this hurts me just as much as it hurts you. (Did you know I once mapped all the Balloon Juice commenters in Google maps? Yes I know where all of you live, true story.) Call it tough love, call it an intervention, whatever. I’m here for any of you that need a hug or a small loan to make it to the next paycheck but you have got to man the fuck up.
Thanks in advance.
ps. The Sockpuppetry is total bullshit and needs to be ended STAT. That’s just plain bad faith and John should have never lumped it in with everything else. You suck, John.
Mnemosyne
@AnnaN:
I think this explains why my (liberal) boss has so much trouble finding a quilting guild that she likes, even in So Cal.
Mnemosyne
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Oh noes! Some fuckhead on the internet dislikes me!
I will go sob into my pillow now before drafting an e-mail to John explaining why you should be banned.
(ETA: But I found the parts of your rant that referenced other people to be very amusing.)
Tony J
@Paul in KY:
I really, really want to suggest that Tolkien’s depiction of the balrogs as fallen Maia who could mask themselves in horrific physical forms that became ‘fixed’ once their descent into rebellion against Eru-Illuvatar and the Valar distanced them far enough from the true ‘fire of creation’ explains why the balrog in LOTR has vestigal wings, and then continue with a paragraph or two on how the text of The Silmarillion supports this – vis a vis Melkor/Morgtoth being stuck in his Big Black Bastard In Armour form during the Wars of Beleriand…
But I’ll just say, yeah. I know what you mean.
soonergrunt
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): That’s funnier than hell.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Mnemosyne: Sorry, I may have had one caffeine drink too many today.
Tony J
@artem1s:
I’m there right now, and it’s a cold and lonely place.
That settles it, I’m going to complain to Cole via e-mail. I think he wrote a post saying it was ok if the issue was really important.
Comrade Mary
@Just Some Fuckhead: That’s physically possible?
If this is kiss and make up time between Mnem and Fuckhead, I want video.
Just Some Fuckhead
BTW, haven’t read the thread yet and don’t know if someone already pointed this out but that old lady flipping the bird is an actual picture of John, for all of you that wondered what he looks like. (He’s put on a little weight since it was taken, typical middle-aged thickening.) (I call it “mom-chunky”.)
HyperIon
@debbie wrote:
I disagree. Sincerely.
Commenters around here have always been cranky and quick to pull the trigger. However, there were many fewer in the past.
But emailing the proprietor? That’s just LAME.
ruviana
@FlipYrWhig: THIS!
Just Some Fuckhead
@Mnemosyne:
Thanks. I completely forgot to lambaste the first strike Obots and Anti-Obots. Maybe I’ll do that one next year.
HyperIon
@Just Some Fuckhead wrote:
Fuckhead, you make me laugh.
Regularly.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Comrade Mary: Can we just be happy I killed another thread dead? I’m getting pretty good at this.
Comrade Mary
@Just Some Fuckhead: You’re the roach motel of the internets, Fuckhead: you check in, threads check out.
arguingwithsignposts
@Just Some Fuckhead:
I think the Tolkienbots did most of the killing before you got here, JSF. That said, I almost thought you were a Cole Sockpuppet with that rant.
General Stuck
@Just Some Fuckhead:
It’s always an honor to get mentioned in one of your comments, fuckhead. Recognition of one’s work is always appreciated.
And this one was epic, and proved you can actually write more than one paragraph at a time, though the continuity of rational thought could use some work. We will just call it SnarkHead with lots of license.
Since I have mostly retired from blogging, I expect you to pick up the pieces here and make something of my reported blog stealing and forming secret blogs within BJ, oh these several years.
So pull yourself together pumpkin, and make a plan. Maybe put CornerStone in charge of spiritual guidance for the coming times. Cole will need you in fine form to create the kind of quality blogging experience, only your level of skill can conclude.
It will be interesting to watch, and no doubt admire, because everyone likes well orchestrated trains wreck with the highest qual of snark you know bestest.
Anyways. This song is for you.
Just Some Fuckhead
Shorter Stuck: Hey, up here, look up here – I’m still nailed to this cross!
Love ya, Sunshine.
Just Some Fuckhead
@arguingwithsignposts: 300 comments is a lot to read and tonight is Drubk Friday. Care to point me to any of the highlights?
General Stuck
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Hey, it was you that brought the nails and cross and did the hammering while live texting Cole every step of the way. I just showed up and ran my mouth.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@Just Some Fuckhead:
A fine speech sir, although I must admit to being a tad bit disappointed that you did not see fit to single out for recognition and approval those of us who are professional sexual fetish aid product quality testers. That’s a low blow, bro’
Ash Can
Oh for fuck’s sake, John, you’re full of shit. You don’t look anything like your sister.
Tony J
@arguingwithsignposts:
All done with malice aforethought, your honour. Plus the original topic has moved to the thread above, making this a mercy killing.
It’s a public service, when you really think about it.
Just Some Fuckhead
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ: TLTIA, you’ve been a fine and upstanding Balloon Juice commenter since way before I got here but I actually did not know what you do for a living and for that I apologize and will redouble my efforts to connect.
Is that work jargon? I must say it sounds fascinatingly interesting.
Cheryl from Maryland
I’m not finding any resemblance between this picture of John and those posted earlier of his sister.
Just Some Fuckhead
Just a couple hit and runs and then I gotta run:
I love Uncle Clarence Thomas. Brevity is the soul of wit.
Isn’t Tim gay?
When did it become okay to ban people just because we don’t like them? Hell, I woulda banned nearly every one of you fuckers.
One person’s troll is another person’s entertainment.
Fuck U6: A More Accurate Measure of the Total Amount of Duck-Fuckery in the Economy
I would think that every poster in this thread who wants to remake BJ in their own image would be the most likely to email John with their petty grievences, but mostly I just think that too many people take themselves too seriously.
Oh, and Fuck You John Cole (just because I can). :-)
Amir_Khalid
Whatever happened to Sarah Proud and Tall? Now, there’s some fine parody trolling.
Just Some Fuckhead
@HyperIon:
Thank you but I’ve actually been trying to make you think Win some, lose some.
I’m going to put you on my Christmas card list anyway. Is that Hyper-L-on or Hyper-I-on?
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
@Just Some Fuckhead:
i need a ruling here, is telling people to man up, more or less misogynistic than a lapping up couscous reference?
Fuck U6: A More Accurate Measure of the Total Amount of Duck-Fuckery in the Economy
Fuckhead is a national treasure. The rest of you can die slowly and painfully. KTHXBYE
Just Some Fuckhead
@Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal: Are you asking me for the ruling? Because I have no idea. I just write stupid shit and click submit before I think better of it.
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
@Just Some Fuckhead:
my own simian way of saying that these blanket rebukes, by random persons, of unspecified behavior lead one to comclude that it is a race to the bottom of the justice potter stewart standard.
winner is the most easily offended, for they set the guidelines by their capacity to take offense.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal: Oh, we already found our winner. Check out this dumbass if ya wanna know who’s been ruining it for everyone.
I apologize for #315. I thought it was all of you. I should have known better. Three million chinese are never wrong.
Svensker
@arguingwithsignposts:
Where ya been? Everything OK? Kitty? SO? You?
Yevgraf (fka Michael)
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
Are you saying that people can get paid for that? Shit, I’ve been doing it for free for years…
philbert
Why not cut off comments at 100. Any more is ridiculous – who reads the whole comment thread anyway?
If there is anyone with a point that they simply must have aired, they should be promised a platform if they send a real (OK electronic) letter to the editor, complete with return address and phone number – which will definitely be confirmed.
Limit it to the first 10, or 5, or 3, or whatever, letters recieved for a given post.
I predict that will stop the drama.
Larry Van Goethem
Yes Mr. Cole, something always has to give. But it never does, or so it seems. I don’t pay much attention to comments but when they enter my horizon it amazes me that some people get so consarned volatile about things. I mean, I must admit to you: I hate sometimes. I despise Bobo too. I’m working on a real hissie fit about Obama and his betrayal. And I’d like to pass a law forcing every wealthy person in this country to tithe at least a quarter of their income to the poor. Pipe dreams. But really, what can we do about unruly typewriters or computers? They are as common as beer cans on roadways.
You never apparently worked as a reporter or editor. I did and did and did. God help me, there’s no pleasing readers or editors, and it seems, looking back, that I was always in over my head. Editor told me once I made people mad. “That’s the sign of a good reporter,” he said. You are doing fine work; you piss me off sometimes. We need more of you, and others like you. Just getting this off my chest.
soonergrunt
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ: So, you’ve been following me around since the old ST:DS9 days?
That’s not the name I remember you by…
Mnemosyne
@philbert:
Are you saying that those of us who do read the 300+ comment threads have no life?
Oh, wait …
Just Some Fuckhead
@Mnemosyne:
I didn’t get that either. I know plenty of people that read every comment on every thread. It’s usually the ones that break 200 that are the most interesting.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Edward G. Talbot:
This is a good idea. I run a forum for gamers and I allow just about anything except for hateful, racist and/or misogynistic-type bullshit. During one (of many) community squabbles I was getting buried in the same kind of email/PM bullshit and was it ever nasty (and some just plain creepy). I finally posted that if the shit didn’t stop then I would post every single message that pissed me off. When people didn’t believe me I picked one asshole (out of many) and posted a few of their messages where they were slagging on one of their “friends” as being the ‘problem in the community’ while also trying to polish my scrotum with their tongue and lips.
The shrieking that happened afterward was worth it. How dare I divulge “private communications” without permission!! I doubled down and told them that any communications sent to me are mine to do with as I wish. It seems that it never occurred to them that sending messages to strangers on the internet wasn’t a good way to keep things secret.
Some people love to create their own soap opera storylines online and then live the life of drama that thus far has escaped them in RL. Your life must be pretty sad if that’s what you do for amusement.
Never have emailed you about a damned thing John, and never plan to. If I can’t say it here then I have nothing to say in private.
Jeez, get a life people! Damned drama queens…
Cat Lady
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Hello. Sully’s a drama queen who still hasn’t apologized for his 5th column comment, Glenn Greenwald needs to STFU about politics and stick to civil rights, and Jane Hamsher is a preening attention whore who hates Obama and wants to have Grover Norquist’s babies.
I can haz 900 comments plz?
PaulW
John:
do not let the bastards get you down.
I guarantee you half the trolls are astroturf’d fake IDs of the far righties trying to harass you out of blogging. Don’t let them.
Kathy in St. Louis
Of the progressive sites I have bookmarked and visit daily, yours is the least trolled. Nothing like HuffPo or, even, Crooks & Liars. This must mean you are hitting the bigtime if the whiny neocon wingers have found your site. Look at this as a positive development. Perhaps you, too, can sell your site to Google, or Time, or who knows? for a bajillion bucks.
Just Some Fuckhead
@PaulW:
Yes, this is exactly what we found out with Nick last night. He’s been masquerading as several different putative center-right “Democrats” in an effort to astroturf.
I was frankly stunned, and I don’t stun easily.
Donald
I’m a little surprised people think the comment section here is better than average. I come here to relax and watch idiotic catfights. Seriously, people act like utter morons here. I can feel my own IQ dropping even as I type this.
And I’m only half-joking.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Cat Lady:
Here’s one:
I agree.
Only 899 to go! :)
Donald
Okay, not everyone acts like an utter moron. But the percentage is pretty high and it’s not limited, for instance, to one side or the other of the perennial issue “Does Obama suck?”
Alex S.
@Amir_Khalid:
I think she morphed into David Koch.
MikeJ
@Just Some Fuckhead: How did we find that out? I missed some threads what with pretending to have a life every now and then.
Just Some Fuckhead
@MikeJ:
Visit the Game On thread, scroll to the bottom or search for Corner Stone. Fascinating shit.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Donald:
Right??
Which side do you find more annoying, the “Here’s-my-outlandish-opinion-on-why-Bush-was-better-than-Obama” or the preemptive and sullen “(Random event)-is-all-Obamas-fault-for-not-using-the-bully-pulpit”?
We need a third way.
MikeJ
@Just Some Fuckhead: I went and read one thread from last night, and first it was nick saying he was rejected for the navy then it was merkin who said didn’t you read me saying I was rejected?
Just Some Fuckhead
@MikeJ: Yeah, I didn’t catch it and still don’t quite understand it because I’m on a two day bender but CS assures me he’s nailed.
Angry Black Lady
@MattR: whether or not you think it’s pathetic is not really relevant, now is it? he was being a sexist pig and it wasn’t called for.
by the way, i thought his comments were gross and pervy back then, but rather than make a stink about it, i reacted the way i do when people are gross and pervy in real life — i make light of it and change the subject. suzanne, if i recall, called him out for being pervy and his response was “i’m gay!” (doubt it.)
yesterday after he couldn’t win the argument, he did what many do — play the race card. that’s when i got pissed off. and his subsequent claim that i was slutting it up for the blog was creepy. cole agreed. maybe if you had a vagina and were subject to men’s gross behavior on the regular, you wouldn’t be so quick to judge.
thankfully, cole isn’t as much of a neanderthal as you seem to be.
i put up with a lot of shit here. A LOT. and i take it and dish it back in stride. but tim’s comments yesterday were racist AND sexist, so fuck you.
how’s that?
Angry Black Lady
@Just Some Fuckhead: yeah, it’s all hilarious until the racist and sexist bullshit is aimed at you day after day after day.
/eyeroll.
Larv
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Link?
Paula
@Donald:
Heh, the reason why I haven’t installed the pie-filter is because the utterly serious PASSION w/ which the inanity is dispensed gives these comment threads a certain … um … pungent flavor. But I try to avoid speaking directly to people who clearly want to “have a discussion” when all I want to do is mock.
But I have gotten in trouble more than a couple of times for snarking on random individual commenters who perceived that I wasn’t Serious or Adding Positively to the Conversation.
soonergrunt
@Cat Lady: No 900 comment thread. The last one of those was a fucking disaster. But I’d buy you a beer for that.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Angry Black Lady: I can’t imagine what you must go through. No one ever says anything mean to me. :)
Just Some Fuckhead
@Larv: Visit the Game On thread, scroll to the bottom or search for Corner Stone.
Cat Lady
@soonergrunt:
Make it a kegger and maybe we can get this sucker up to 450. I got all weekend. Sadly.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Angry Black Lady:
I did too, BTW. But you were gracious and graceful. It’s one thing to say some version of “hot hot hot” as many of us did but, I dunno. People are so fucking inappropriate sometimes, and I say that as someone who has never been inappropriate except for the “You know what they say about the Greeks” line at my wife’s company Christmas party only to find out the owner’s mother was Greek.
What can ya do?
soonergrunt
@Just Some Fuckhead: I pie filtered the little freak about two days after he showed up, so i missed all the fun. I just lifted the filter and went back to that thread. What a sick, fucked up individual.
soonergrunt
@Cat Lady: Well, right now I’m finishing off the Macallan’s I swiped from ABL a while back.
Just Some Fuckhead
@soonergrunt:
It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round.
Allan
@Just Some Fuckhead: Funny how you’re sucking up to ABL now that you know she has the power to ban your ass, while slagging on her co-blogger at ABLC and pretending I’m the only person who has complained to John the same thread, as if she wouldn’t tell me about it.
Angry Black Lady
@soonergrunt: HEY!
::checks ban rules::
Mr Stagger Lee
I can see inside you, the sickness is rising
Don’t try to deny what you feel
(Will you give it to me?)
It seems that all that was good has died
And is decaying in me
(Will you give it to me?)
It seems you’re having some trouble
In dealing with these changes
Living with these changes
Oh no, the world is a scary place
Now that you’ve woken up the demon in me
–Disturbed Down With The Sickness
Just Some Fuckhead
@Allan:
lmfao
Do you seriously think the threat of banning influences me one tiny bit? Me? Does that even make sense to you?
I’ve always liked ABL and never made a secret of it.
You are seriously twisted, dude.
Allan
@Just Some Fuckhead: Keep ’em coming, dude. Thought you were going to use up your first warning today. Still waiting to see what you’ve got, but I’m sure I’ll be as disappointed as the woman who saw you naked.
soonergrunt
@Angry Black Lady: Hey, you were busy liveblogging that night, and you declared you were drinking something else, so I helped myself.
BTW–IRL it IS pretty good.
Tax Analyst
For some reason I loved this post tag. Probably because it reminded me of the when I was nine and Dad took the lot of us (Mom, Dad, me and my older brothers, ages 14 & 17)to Palm Springs to spend at few days at Aunt Fannie’s motel.
The ride back to L.A. was the last trip we all took together. The route included a “short-cut” through the mountains around Hemet that my barber recommended to my mother. It turned a 2-to-3-hour drive into somewhere between 8-to-10 hours of “Purgatory Plus”. Little did we know what a sadistic jack-ass that barber turned out to be.
Personally, if I had been in my father’s position somewhere between two and three of the passenger’s would have been dropped off somewhere in the mountains surrounding Hemet and probably never heard from again.
Corner Stone
@Allan:
I hope you’re not in charge of the “zinger” department where you work. Cuz that just would not be right for you.
Allan
@Just Some Fuckhead: I see someone taught you how to use the Google.
While you’re there, be sure and fill out the contact form with a lot of offensive language. The woman who owns the business always gets a kick out of it when another internet troll stalks and harasses me online.
You see, I don’t hide behind an anonymous persona on the internets, because I’m not afraid of bullies like you.
But I thank you for violating one of Cole’s very simple rules in such a pathetic way. It’s been fun knowing you.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Allan:
Let’s see what happens now.
Angry Black Lady
@soonergrunt: You found the loophole! Drunk ABL strikes again. I’m gonna have to have a chat with her when she shows up… in about a half bottle of wine from now.
Allan
So who had Just Some Fuckhead in the “who will be the first banned” pool? Collect your prize and congratulations.
Angry Black Lady
@Just Some Fuckhead: I don’t mind the “hot” comments because… well… ::holds up vanity mirror:: but a little class never killed anyone.
Cat Lady
I love that every time I hit refresh I get that old lady’s middle finger all up in my grill. Fuck all yuz. I love this fucking place.
+ a lot
John D.
@debbie:
Wow, no, there isn’t.
Back when John was a Republican, there were some EPIC asshats and arguments here.
soonergrunt
@Angry Black Lady: See that? Everybody thinks that just because I used to make my living running into machine gun fire that I wasn’t very bright.
Showed them, didn’t I?
Just Some Fuckhead
Allan, I already drank your fucking milkshake.
Allan
@Just Some Fuckhead: Really? I’m not seeing how. Perhaps you can explain it to me and the other fine people reading these comments.
Just Some Fuckhead
Just watch and learn, clown.
Allan
@Just Some Fuckhead: That’s still not nearly specific enough. Keep talking…
ItAintEazy
This is why I read entire comment threads. Such cheap, cheap entertainment.
Donut
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Fuck you for not including licensed property/casualty insurance brokers in your list of professionals who frequent Balloon Juice.
We get no respect.
Fuck you, I say.
Paul in KY
@Tony J: I think I remember you….
Bill Cole
@Tom Johnson:
Ancient BBS/Usenet jargon: an additional identity that one uses online to give the impression of having allies. See also: “The lurkers support me in email.”
That is definitely the most effective way.
Drawing from BBS, Usenet, and mailing list experiences, I also know that if the bad actors are of the right sort, a periodic general berating like this post can be adequate to keep the worst behavior subdued. Stronger actions can also be needed, will work with some people, and if done in the open can serve a function much like public executions. Unfortunately, as long as an online system is meant to be something like an open public discussion forum, there is a risk that it will attract people who will work very hard to get around any defenses for no higher goal than toxifying it. I don’t read the BJ comments religiously enough to guess which classes of bozos are involved.
Polar Bear Squares
I don’t think I’ve said anything really offensive (except that I hate the Steelers and I’m not that big of a pet person) but this was the most hilarious shit I’ve read inna while. Sometimes the offending parties need to be yelled at.
4jkb4ia
@geg6:
Talking about a comment that absolutely no one will read–
TNC’s comment section is wonderful because he has “made his house a meeting place for sages”. For example, the Victorian fashion thread was outstanding. I will grant you that when they have to talk about politics they don’t know any more than anyone else for the most part.