The Quintessential Anonymous

August 7, 2009 9:41 AM

Kind of a very silly question, but I recall seeing at least one post floating around that describes Anonymous - things such as having a poor sex life, needing a divorce, etc. Can you hope me find this post, hive mind? Mostly for the lulz.
posted by kldickson to MetaFilter-Related at 9:41 AM (30 comments total)

That's pretty mean spirited. You want to read and laugh at someone else's problems?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:48 AM on August 7, 2009

Let he who is without snark cast the first stone.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2009 [3 favorites]

I know there've been a couple comments sort of taking a joking shot at summing up Anonymous in aggregate, but I'll be damned if I can think of how to search for them.

I've talked a couple of times about the general idea of doing an actual informal demographic survey of Anonymous, by scanning through all (or at least a solid sample) of those questions and just noting explicit statements of demo information where they're provided, to draw up a sort of blurry collective portrait, but I've never gotten around to actually doing it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:53 AM on August 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Lulz are not permitted in here.
posted by Mister_A at 9:53 AM on August 7, 2009

I know there've been a couple comments sort of taking a joking shot at summing up Anonymous in aggregate, but I'll be damned if I can think of how to search for them.

A search for Anon's usernumber (17564) brings up some results.
posted by burnmp3s at 10:01 AM on August 7, 2009

Yeah that was me. I am great.
posted by ND¢ at 10:08 AM on August 7, 2009 [16 favorites]

It was in the thread about the hacker who posted the database linking users to their anonymous questions.
posted by brain_drain at 10:09 AM on August 7, 2009

searching using "anonymous profile personality mental" and variations of those keywords didn't produce anything interesting via both Metafilter (searching all subsites) or Google (just searching Metatalk).

I could swear someone wrote a personality profile of the Anonymous account, but damn if I can remember where.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:09 AM on August 7, 2009

That's pretty mean spirited. You want to read and laugh at someone else's problems?

Heh, that's exactly how the first commenter responded in another thread about glorifying 17564 that I was just reading.

And yes. Anonymous is fucking hilarious. And tragic and moving and disenchanting and mesmerizing and wonderful and desultory and so much more all in one. I want to read and laugh at someone else's problems. I also want to commiserate and sympathize and pity and worry about Anonymous, laughing or crying along their hidden journey. Nothing wrong with that.

Also, great comment ND¢.
posted by carsonb at 10:18 AM on August 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

That's pretty mean spirited. You want to read and laugh at someone else's problems?

In case you were serious... we're not laughing at the individual problems people post anonymously. We're laughing at the idea of one person having all those problems and posting all those questions. Because, well, damn, Anonymous is one operatically screwed up person. Who also doesn't contribute so much as a single FPP or even a comment to the community. Freeloading asshole.
posted by orange swan at 10:52 AM on August 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

So are we calling out kldickson's nasty, tone deaf, and repetitive I ARE A SMART NEUROBIOLOGY MAJOR commenting style yet?
posted by Burhanistan at 11:09 AM on August 7, 2009

Oh, that's next post up!
posted by Burhanistan at 11:13 AM on August 7, 2009

Stay classy, Burhanistan?
posted by kldickson at 11:30 AM on August 7, 2009

I like the noise this post makes when it clacks together with the one above.
posted by item at 11:44 AM on August 7, 2009 [3 favorites]

Anonymous is as good as all of us.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:45 AM on August 7, 2009

We are all Anonymous.
posted by JeffK at 12:03 PM on August 7, 2009

Time to drink some coffee.
posted by ageispolis at 12:04 PM on August 7, 2009

I'm having tea, personally.
posted by Kattullus at 12:14 PM on August 7, 2009

Tater.
posted by fixedgear at 12:45 PM on August 7, 2009

I've talked a couple of times about the general idea of doing an actual informal demographic survey of Anonymous, by scanning through all (or at least a solid sample) of those questions and just noting explicit statements of demo information where they're provided, to draw up a sort of blurry collective portrait, but I've never gotten around to actually doing it.


If I stop fucking stuff up, would that give you more time to do this? Because that would be kinda cool.
posted by hal_c_on at 12:46 PM on August 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Tater.

Great, this thread just went NSFW!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:00 PM on August 7, 2009

Let s/he who is without snark, snark the first snark!
posted by blue_beetle at 1:08 PM on August 7, 2009

Did anyone ever actually figure out what the taters were?
posted by 6550 at 1:18 PM on August 7, 2009

No, but I'm actually still searching every now and then. Nothing definite yet.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:00 PM on August 7, 2009

Anonymous & I once had a thing going, but it didn't work out.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:11 PM on August 7, 2009

That's pretty mean spirited. You want to read and laugh at someone else's problems?

I realize that the mods try to cultivate a respectful, welcoming atmosphere here, but I feel comfortable saying that, if all of anonymous's questions actually are from one person, that person's life is hilarious.
posted by gsteff at 8:51 PM on August 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

I forgot if markovfilter is back, but it would be neat to add a checkbox to just run it against a users posts instead of comments, granted for most low post users, it might not generate have a large enough codex, but that would also allow us to run it against Anonymous.
posted by mrzarquon at 9:19 PM on August 7, 2009

> Jeez, NDcent

Wow, I never picked up on that pun. I suck at rebuses (rebii?) too.
posted by cj_ at 9:44 PM on August 7, 2009

I think this may be the thread you're looking for.
posted by reenum at 4:12 PM on August 8, 2009

I forgot if markovfilter is back, but it would be neat to add a checkbox to just run it against a users posts instead of comments...

This is such an excellent idea. I could use it to prop up my favorites stream when I'm on vacation - I don't think anybody would know the difference.
posted by Dr Dracator at 4:51 AM on August 10, 2009