Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Books are my comfort food!

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

T R E 4 5 O N

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / This Seems Like a Good Time

This Seems Like a Good Time

by | 122 Comments

This post is in: ,

It’s a quiet Saturday, so it seems like it might be a good time for this.

There has been talk in the comments lately that this annoying person or that annoying person should be banned, so this feels like a good time to remind BJ peeps about the Balloon Juice comment policy.

The comment policy lives in the footer of every page on Balloon Juice, and it has been there since the new site was rolled out in 2019.  Many of our BJ peeps conform to the polices, without even having read them.

John doesn’t ban people for being annoying, or for being assholes.  Or trolls.  It’s up to each of us to either engage or not.  Cole bans people who violate the comment policy, and you all have a role to play in that.

But don’t just take my word for it – the details are outlined below.

I have copied the policy into this thread so we can all be on the same page re: what the rules are.

Anything below that is written in first-person is obviously John Cole.

BALLOON JUICE COMMENT POLICY

First and foremost, Balloon Juice is a community, so our commenting policy is a combination of objective standards as well as some more subjective community standards for decency.

So while there will be some very clear lines that cannot be crossed, there will also be some fuzzy areas that we will deal with when we get to them. It’s not a black and white world, and this is a liberal blog, so you will just have to deal with some nuance.

Commenters: To Flag a Comment You Think Violates the Policy

If you see a comment on Balloon Juice that you believe violates the standards that are set forth below, and you want flag the offending comment for attention, please do both of these things: 1) send email to WaterGirl and 2) use the Site Feedback form and select Report a Problem.  Be sure to include the name of the thread that contained the offensive comment (or a link to the thread) as well as the person’s nym and the date and approximate time of the comments.

Front-Pagers: To Flag a Comment You Believe Violates the Policy

If you see a comment on Balloon Juice that you believe violates the standards that are set forth below, please do all three of these things: 1) mark the offending comment as SPAM, 2) send email to John Cole and 3) use the Site Feedback form and select Report a Problem.  Be sure to include the name of the thread that contained the offensive comment (or a link to the thread) as well as the person’s nym and the date and approximate time of the comments.

Process for Bans and Timeouts

If your comment has been flagged for inappropriate content, one of the front pagers will mark your comment as SPAM. That removes it from view in the thread. Once that has been done, the front-pager will email me (John Cole) with a link, and I will figure out what to do.  I will consult with the front-pagers, but I will have the final say, not them, so direct your venom and incoherent tweets and emails at me.

Punishments

  • First offense: 3-day timeout
  • Second offense: 1-week timeout
  • Third offense: 1-month timeout
  • Beyond that: banned

Things That Will Get You an Immediate Timeout

  1. Sexism, racism, ageism; homophobic outbursts, targeting of marginalized groups, etc. We’re not going to put up with personal attacks beyond a joking nature, nor will we tolerate targeted harassment of commenters. Take your shit somewhere else.
  2. Explicit calls for violence. Obviously things said in jest such as “guillotines” or nonsense like that are recognized for the hyperbole they are. But direct, actionable threats or calls for violence are out, for obvious reasons.
  3. Targeted harassment of other commenters or front pagers.
  4. Intentional disinformation campaigns.
  5. Posting links to inappropriate websites or sites that compromise a user’s security.
  6. Divulging personal information about a commenter or front pager (real name, address, place of work, etc.)
  7. Calling for explicit violence or war crimes in Ukraine.
  8. I am sure you idiots will think of something else so I will just leave this here.

Intentional Disinformation Campaigns, in Detail (#4 above)

Intentional disinformation campaigns include anything that is known to be false with the slightest bit of knowledge and or research. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Obama is a Kenyan Muslim.
  • Climate change is a hoax.
  • Vaccines cause autism.
  • The world is flat.
  • Nicotine is not addictive.
  • Iraq had WMD.
  • The DNC stole the 2016 election from Bernie.
  • Chemtrails.
  • Seth Rich was murdered by the DNC.
  • Sandy Hook was a false flag operation.
  • There was no Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Take that bullshit to reddit or 8chan or whatever.  It will not be tolerated here.

Things You Should Avoid That May Lead to Punishment

  1. Just generally being a no-life asshole who derails every thread with your own personal hobby horse. Yes, we have the pie filter, but some people don’t like to use it. They shouldn’t have to suffer because some idiot has come in and posted 75 comments that have nothing to do with the original post.
  2. Repeated attempts to derail a conversation. Unlike yours truly, we have actual experts here, and others who are good at what they do. We are lucky to have them. When they are trying to have a serious conversation and you are just trolling or being a jerk, you take away from the rest of us. You are stealing a valuable asset: their time and wisdom. It’s selfish and irritating, and I don’t want to see it.
  3. Again, left blank here for other things you all will inevitably come up with.

My Closing Note

I absolutely hate that I even have to have these policies, but there it is. I don’t expect it to be a big problem, because most of the people will self-select out and go somewhere else where their nonsense is appreciated (reddit incel forums? Red State? Who knows? Who cares?)

For the most part, you are free to talk about whatever you want. Obviously there are some things we will not tolerate, like racist, sexist, and otherwise bigoted bullshit. But my overall philosophy has been that you are, within limits, able to post whatever you want, because it only reflects on you. When you say stupid shit, you’re the one who is standing out in public with your pants around your ankles looking the fool, not me.

We’re not going to delete comments, and we’re not going to censor you, unless you commit the offenses listed above. If people don’t want to hear your rambling nonsense, well, that’s why we have the pie filter (ALL HAIL CLEEK!).

Just don’t be a dick. Treat people decently (I’d say treat them the way you want to be treated but I know some of you self-loathing idiots will take advantage of that), and you will find that people will be good to you in return. A lot of us have known each other for a good long while. We want new people to feel welcome.

This is a community. Treat it like one.

Note:  I put post together a week or more ago, so you can be sure it’s not in direct response to anything in the comments over the past week.

Reader Interactions

122Comments

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    I mean. We all know the person that gets brought up in these conversations most often. I won’t rant about it, but I’ll simply say I think they have violated the policy in more than one way and on infinitely more than one occasion. If there is no desire to ban them, I hope they could at least be told to quit the garbage. Not that they would listen, but that would seem to me more proof they don’t deserve to be a part of this community.

  4. 4.

    Snarki, child of Loki

    tl;dr

    clearly I’ve been skating on thin ice for a very long time; I suspect that Loki puts bugs in the moderation software just to keep me out of trouble/amp up the chaos.

    But maybe it’s microsoft.  One of those.

  5. 5.

    Damien

    I mean can we just ban this John Cole guy?  He seems like a real gay globehead vaxwhore holding back the TRUTH!!!!1111!@@@

    /s OBVIOUSLY, but included anyway because as mentioned in the comment policy there are some idiots who would take me seriously.

  7. 7.

    wmd

    Has anyone put together a humorous post involving all the items listed in “Intentional Disinformation Campaigns, in Detail”?

    Might be worth a 3 day ban to do it.

  8. 8.

    TaMara

    A lot (all?) of these trolls thrive on attention. Which is why the best option is PIE and move on. Starve them of the O2 they so desperately want. Besides, the pie emojis are super cute.

  9. 9.

    Another Scott

    Not to derail the thread, but OpenThread?

    Carlos Guillermo Smith
    @CarlosGSmith
    2h

    WOW! The energy, enthusiasm + huge turnout at @TheVillagesDems meeting this AM is so inspiring! This is how we #TakeBackFL— local organizing. 🌊

    I’m running for State Senate to make Florida affordable again and to ensure freedom and equality for ALL!

    Together, we WIN! 🗳️

    [ images ]

    Feb 10, 2024 · 4:29 PM UTC

    Good, good.

    More, please.

    (If the link doesn’t work or is excessively slow, you can go to the original twitter link here.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who realizes it’s still an up-hill battle.)

  15. 15.

    Alison Rose

    @TaMara: But how does this square with the points about not derailing conversations? Because most people end up pieing someone, especially a certain someone, for that reason. If constantly derailing conversations with someone’s hateful obsession is supposed to be against the rules, why is the onus on other commenters to find ways to indirectly enforce the rule by pieing them?

  18. 18.

    Baud

    Targeted harassment of other commenters or front pagers

    That’s why I choose to harass people indiscriminately.

  20. 20.

    Tony Jay

    It’s a good policy. Trolls like Eternallyrubbedraw are here to get attention/cause Libtears/express personality flaws. The simplest trick in the book is just ignore them, and if you can’t bring yourself to do that, just respond with “Ha! You stupid prick!” and bask in the sure certainty that everyone of quality and gravitas is nodding along to your prose.

    There are commentators here who wind me up no end with their one-note banality and ego-driven inability to admit they’ve been pantsed, but I wouldn’t dream of asking that they be banned. I just apply Trick One and let the sands of time bury their boring shtick in a billion grains of Archive Dust.

    No need to thank me.  It’s literally the least I can do to keep this place running as smoothly as it does.

  22. 22.

    debit

    @Alison Rose: ​I have to agree with this. Some commenters have proven they are here with the sole intention of stirring up shit. They do not participate in good faith and don’t deserve to have a platform.
    There have been commenters that have pushed up to the very edge, but still managed to have conversations and built relationships (even while calling other BJ denizens cudlips) but the grifters and single issue trolls have earned a ban.​
      ETA: I am not arguing against the policy, just stating my opinion. There’s a reason why I went from being a regular to someone who only checks in on occasion.

  25. 25.

    kindness

    There is always the pie filter too.  Let us not forget that.  God knows I’ve made it to more than one person’s list here.

  26. 26.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, the GQP continues to eat its own…

    Aaron Fritschner
    @Fritschner
    18m

    One of their very best, thrown overboard for having a conscience to appease the jackals and feed the cult of personality

    Lawrence Andrea
    @lawrencegandrea
    37m

    NEW: Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the Select Committee on China, will not seek reelection this November.

    He tells me he will leave Congress but plans to continue work on defense policy: jsonline.com/story/news/poli… via @journalsentinel
    Feb 10, 2024 · 6:50 PM UTC

    Aaron Fritschner
    @Fritschner
    14m

    They knew he was one of their best but they purged him immediately and without a second thought literally for upholding his oath to the Constitution because Trump and his minions ordered it. It isn’t shocking or new, but it’s a really bad thing for the country

    JSOnline.com:

    Gallagher’s departure leaves open his safely-Republican northeastern Wisconsin seat. Republicans have about a 16-point edge in the largely rural 8th District, and Gallagher had won each reelection handily, by no fewer than 25 points. His announcement gives Republicans just months to join the race before the state’s primaries. A Trump-aligned GOP consultant living in Florida with ties to the district has indicated interest in the seat.

    Largely seen as a more moderate Republican in today’s GOP, Gallagher has at times been at odds with his party.

    Notably, Gallagher called on former President Donald Trump to call off his supporters as they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and was critical of the insurrection. But he ultimately voted against impeaching Trump for his actions. He’s said Trump lost his support after Jan. 6 but has remained relatively quiet on the former president since.

    (Emphasis added.) Sure, why not have a Floridian represent Green Bay??!

    :-/

    It would be a tough pickup, but who knows.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  27. 27.

    jackmac

    Thanks for posting this.  I’ve never read the ground rules (but also haven’t violated them).

    The rule in the second-to-last paragraph covers everything pretty well:

    ”Just don’t be a dick.”

  29. 29.

    glc

    @Alison Rose: If the regulars pie the people they really don’t feel are contributing anything, at least they won’t wind up contributing to the derailment.

    The only real derailments I’ve noticed myself (for what that’s worth) were responses to one or possibly two comments. The responses were even more pointless than the comments, quickly going meta.

    I’ve occasionally pied some of the people who get sucked into these things, briefly, when a certain level of excitement has been reached, even if I’m generally interested in what they have to say. That worked for me.

    To me, asking people to use the pie filter when needed is a bit like asking people to get vaccinated. A persona l choice, but I’d appreciate it.

  30. 30.

    Sandia Blanca

    @TaMara: The pie emojis are indeed super cute. And for variety, you can always change your settings to get inspirational quotes about pie. The toggle switch makes it easy to see if you’ve missed something that was actually worth reading. (Spoiler: you usually haven’t.)

  32. 32.

    gene108

    I do not understand why people can’t just scroll on by comments that are one note and add nothing to the discussion.

    Nothing gets derailed if certain comments are ignored. Also, I don’t know what people think they add by posting things like “you [troll] are a POS. Hope you have a terrible day”.

  35. 35.

    David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch

     According to the Associated Press, an hour after the “Bad Blood” singer’s show ended, journalists saw minivans arrive at Haneda Airport where “someone went inside the gate area as four to five people carrying large black umbrellas obstructed the view of the person.”

    Swift, 34, will have to travel against time as she treks through multiple time zones in order to make it to Vegas.

    Her plane (call sign: The Football Era) is currently parallel to Honolulu (radar map)

    the best part – incels are losing their shit on social media

  40. 40.

    Quiltingfool

    These rules are why I like this joint.  I’ve never pied anyone, I just roll my eyes and do a “scroll-by.”  There are far more interesting and informative comments to read.

    I also very much appreciate the wealth of experience our commenters have on so many topics.  I learn stuff here.  And the humor can’t be beat!

  41. 41.

    Spanky

    Wait, nicotine is addictive?

    (Also, I read “Chemtrails” as “Cheesetrails”. I don’t know what to make of that.)

  43. 43.

    gene108

    @David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch:

    Has anybody revealed how Taylor & Travis hooked up?

    They seem, on the outside, to move in different career and social circles before getting together.

    I doubt Taylor’s on a dating app, so the connection was probably made by a real human getting them together.

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I’ve gotta up my game, I’ve never even gotten a time out.

    Oh yeah, The world is TOO flat. So there.

    We’ll see if that worked.

  48. 48.

    debit

    @gene108: ​ Speaking only for myself, there’s little to no value in even opening a comment thread when most of it is pied. Some threads are better than others, and things have been better recently.

    I still fail to see what value is added by allowing known trolls a wide open door.

  53. 53.

    Alison Rose

    The issue, as I see it, with “just ignore them/pie them/scroll by” is that it only works if 100% of the commenters abide by it, and that will never happen. There are lurkers who aren’t aware that someone is engaging in consistent derailing, there are people who can’t resist telling someone off, there are some who seem to still believe certain people can be reasoned with. And again, this is putting the onus for dealing with a hateful, rude, pointless person on the other commenters, and I simply don’t understand that.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @debit:

    “I have to agree with this. Some commenters have proven they are here with the sole intention of stirring up shit. They do not participate in good faith and don’t deserve to have a platform.”

    If you see a comment on Balloon Juice that you believe violates the standards that are set forth in the comment policy, and you want flag the offending comment for attention, please do both of these things:

    1) send email to WaterGirl and 2) use the Site Feedback form and 2) select Report a Problem.

    Be sure to include the name of the thread that contained the offensive comment (or a link to the thread) as well as the person’s nym and the date and approximate time of the comments.

    edit: If you think, say, eversor violates the part of the policy that says “Just generally being a no-life asshole who derails every thread with your own personal hobby horse.” then send me the email and use the site feedback form and Cole will decide whether he gets a time out.

    A lot of us don’t read all the comments, and I, for instance, certainly don’t read eversor, so we may not know if someone violates the policy unless commenters report it officially.

  56. 56.

    Shalimar

    When you say stupid shit, you’re the one who is standing out in public with your pants around your ankles looking the fool, not me.

    Hold on a second.  I thought we don’t have to wear pants at all if we don’t want to.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    @Sandia Blanca: Nice to see the pie filter images and the sayings getting some love. :-)

    I can’t tell you how many hours I spent finding them all when we were doing the site rebuild.  So it’s nice to think they are appreciated.

  59. 59.

    sab

    The pie filter does not work if they have the same nym twice, one lower case the other with Caps. The filter will work on the first one you use but not the other. You can unfilter the pied name, back all the way out of BJ and go back in and filter the other. That works, except when they alternate between the two versions in the same comment thread.

    Also too I love the toggle switch. I have pied people with one weird obsession that are otherwise interesting. I find I mostly continue reading them with the toggle. In the old days they just stayed pastry.

  64. 64.

    BlueGuitarist

    @Another Scott:
    Interesting,
    district votes about 15 points more R than the statewide often very close results.
    District includes Green Bay, Appleton, and Menominee reservation. Rs had wanted Gallagher to challenge Baldwin for US Senate this year, good that he didn’t.

  65. 65.

    Geminid

     

     

    @Another Scott: Rep. Gallagher would win reelection if he ran, and I think he’ll be back in elective politics by 2028 when Ron Johnson’s Senate seat comes up again. Gallagher be 44 years old then.

    In the meantime, he can bank some money, eat some brats, and enjoy his time away from his crazy caucus colleagues.

  67. 67.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch: I heard a short discussion on a news show (maybe MSNBC, maybe CNN), where two reporters were commenting that both their teenage Swiftie daughters were preparing to watch their first Super Bowl. It would be interesting to see what they make of it. The car and beer ads!

    On the other hand, it will probably be a good game, one the 9ers will hopefully win, although I have been traumatized by Patrick before and feel a combination of excitement and dread about the game.

  70. 70.

    Marcopolo

    @smith: y’know, credit where credit’s due. voting against the impeachment as an R wasn’t like a heroic act but it did mean sticking his head up (along w/ Buck & McClintock).  easier cause he’s not running again but he still will prolly miss out on at least a little of that sweet conservative wing nut post-retirement gravy train.  if he joins Ds in signing a discharge petition (if it’s needed) to bring the ukraine aid bill to the floor—well, that would be something.  i assume jeffries or someone in D leadership is in ongoing talks w/ all the Rs who’ve said they are retiring just in case their vote might be pivotal.

  79. 79.

    jimmiraybob

    @Baud: ​
      “I didn’t realize this blog only welcomed round earthers. So much for a big tent.”

    Personally, I’m an oblate-spheroid guy.

    [calmly sits down, pours scotch, puts on music – ready for the banning]

  81. 81.

    wjca

    @Baud: I didn’t realize this blog only welcomed round earthers.

    You know perfectly well that cubic earthers are perfectly welcome.  What is actually banned is 2 dimensional earthers.  (So even round flat earthers are right out.)

  82. 82.

    FelonyGovt

    @David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch: Thanks in large part to this blog, I’ve gone from being somewhat agnostic about Taylor Swift (albeit, of course, wanting to defend her from the deranged wingnuts) to being an enthusiastic fan and supporter. I do hope she has excellent personal security.

  83. 83.

    CatFacts

    @sab: Yeah, the toggle switch is great!

    You’re right that the pie filter doesn’t work if there are two names in the same thread that are the same word(s) capitalized differently. I’ve noticed that, too.

  86. 86.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @gene108: Acvording to People magazine, Travis was interested in her, tried to see her after her Eras tour gig at Arrowhead stadium, and then a mutual friend or two “played Cupid” and introduced them.

  89. 89.

    Marcopolo

    @jimmiraybob: well, hell, i’m a potato 🥔 earther:

    Earth, in most renderings, is a smooth sphere with a glossy complexion—a blue marble, as pictures snapped from space have shown us. Earth scientists know that’s not exactly true. Earth, in fact, is an ellipsoid, a little bit squashed at the poles and fat around the equator, not to mention speckled with mountain ranges. And then you have the geoid people—the ones who think of Earth less as an imperfect sphere and more as a lumpy potato.

  93. 93.

    raven

    There is/was a University of Georgia football blog called “Get the Picture” that was run by a UGA Law grad (Steve in Atl is aware) that was probably one reason I was able to weather the storm when BJ changed from the football focus.  The blog owner tried to allow political discussion. Being that it’s a football blog in Georgia it’s no surprise that most of the commentators are right wingers.  Eventually the Senator decided to juts shut down politics and was pretty good at policing it. Well, he died Thursday and the outpouring has been quite something. Many people have mentioned that they didn’t really know him, or other commenters for that matter. I guess my point is that these online “communities” do have value and don’t take it for granted that this will always be here.

  95. 95.

    WaterGirl

    @Skippy-san:

    How about one of the Front Pagers take on this terrible Ross Douthat column urging Biden to resign?

    If I did a post on that, it would be very short.

    Ross Douthat should resign/abstain from public writing.  THE END.

  96. 96.

    SFAW

    @David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch:

    Perhaps the best thing (for my teeny tiny mind, that is) about the Sooper Bowl matchup, is that the RWMFs won’t know who to root for:

    On the one hand, the Chiefs have Tay-Tay

    On the other hand, the 49ers have Nancy Pelosi.

    I’m praying for RWMF heads a-sploding over it.

  101. 101.

    glc

    By the way WG, belatedly, thanks for the detailed reminder.

    And it does seem to be a quiet enough time here, for some reason, in spite of all the excellent reasons why it might not be, out there in the world (for those who believe in an external world – I don’t think this, or object permanence [e.g., mustard]  is on the list of unchallengeable assumptions).

  102. 102.

    wjca

    @Baud: That’s why I choose to harass people indiscriminately.

    Compensation, perhaps, for so many of the regulars constantly giving you a hard time for wearing a kilt.  Which has to be some kind of violation of the rules (ethnic slur on Scots, maybe?).  But I’m new here, so perhaps those are grandfathered in somehow…?

  106. 106.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    why is the onus on other commenters to find ways to indirectly enforce the rule by pieing them?

    I don’t believe it is on the rest of us. But individually we may just not want to see the commentary from some, it may be beyond the pale for an individual. I have 2 in the pie room at the moment, the most I’ve ever had of active posters. I once had six in there but I believe 5 of them hadn’t posted for a while. It is a good way for the proletariat to have some control of what they see, to give them a chance to not have to deal with people that would otherwise make them leave. And it works for the worst of the worst of them because a lot of folks will block them, creating an effective way to get them to leave – their crap doesn’t work to piss off most everyone because many won’t see it. To me it is one of the reasons this place works and has so for so very long, in blogging time.

  108. 108.

    Princess

    I really like the low-moderation policy BJ has and I think it works brilliantly. And I adore the pie filter

  109. 109.

    dr. luba

    @Elizabelle: Easter is March 31.  Way early.

    OTOH, those of us who still believe that Easter should come after Passover (i.e. Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic) will be celebration Cinco de Easter this year!

  110. 110.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    It’s a free country. One is allowed to be an ass. One is allowed to be all ass. But all/most of us are capable of being an occasional ass – it’s humanity. I’ve heard someone who I’d never expect to be anything but bright, sunny, happy, snap at someone who really, really deserved it. It’s humanity, it can get away from all of us and for some/many it has a hard time hanging around. I worked in professional sports and HAD to be friendly to 99.9% of everyone I encountered. Even had to be nice (at first) to people that it was exceedingly hard to even speak to. We even took classes in how to do that. Now that group is rather small, but it does exist in humanity and often it is only a few who have to constantly deal with them. It’s fun – to be able to not respond the way they want you to, because it works. Your world is OK and their’s gets smaller and smaller. It’s not a win mind you it’s just a small ray of sunshine around a cloudy individual.

    Some don’t see that level of person often, some see them more than they ever want to. Try working retail. Most customers will be just fine, some will be a pain and fewer are complete and utter assholes. (I’ve also owned a retail business – first hand experience)

    The world is a big place, there is getting to be far less space around all of us. LA County now has a larger population than 40 states. And no that’s not a mistake or a brag, it’s just the way it is.

  116. 116.

    Vet

    @WaterGirl:

    Thanks watergirl. The last thread I took the trouble to get involved in resulted in the stern threat of being summarily blocked by the front pager OP. This put the kibosh on enthusiasm for further participation, or really of spending time here.

    Thanks for spelling out that John retains the final say on whether a contribution has upset someone/s, or is actually demonstrable f*ckery. I appreciate that there is explicitly single ownership here.

  117. 117.

    Starfish

    @debit: By having an open door, it allows people room to see other points of view.

    The way the commenters have grown more brittle and have started complaining more about other commenters creates a weird culture that excludes a lot of people.

    I mean, the pandemic and all the things that entailed led a lot of people to grow a little more brittle and unwilling to engage with people that they don’t see as like-minded, but we are all going to have to do better.

  119. 119.

    bbleh

    @Princess: I concur.  There are things that just get under individual people’s skins that are idiosyncratic rather than broadly offensive like calling for violence or overt bigotry, and the fact that one person happens to push another person’s buttons is what the pie filter is for.  Click, no more annoyance, no more gritting teeth to scroll past, hooray.  Plus, no scratchy flame-wars to clutter the conversation, which I gotta admit have soured me entirely on the site more than once.

    Blog-code violation: report it.
    Not a violation but really pushing your personal buttons: pie ’em.
    Don’t wanna pie ’em but can’t respond constructively: scroll on.

  120. 120.

    bbleh

    @bbleh: and btw, hats off to WG (and others) who have to implement these policies and make the necessary judgment calls in, y’know, The Real World.  Moderation is an arthritic migraine during a full-body neuralgia flare while having a root canal.

    Someday perhaps we’ll see the outtake reel.

  121. 121.

    debit

    @Starfish: ​
    I’m a firm believer in taking responsibility for my own internet experience. When I was still on Twitter, I blocked liberally. When I was active here, I pied the commenters that got yuck in my BJ yum.

    And I don’t believe I’ve ever complained about a specific commenter by name, I just went away when the proportion of yuck to yum was too high.

    Finally, I’m all for having an open door, but when someone uses that opening to do nothing but abuse, that’s a not exchanging ideas. I understand, John’s place, John’s rules. I’ve had my say, and am going to peace out for a while.

  122. 122.

    Sally

    @Starfish: I think this is a very good comment. Some commenters have become increasingly brittle, and imho should take use the pie filter.  I don’t use it but just scroll on by. We all have agency – we’re not republicans!

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