Multi-account MeFi abuser is back May 15, 2001 12:06 PM   Subscribe

If he hates MetaFilter so much, why does he keep this up?
posted by briank to Etiquette/Policy at 12:06 PM (49 comments total)

Back from his latest banning....ladies and germs, PatMcGroin.
posted by briank at 12:07 PM on May 15, 2001


Sigh. He posted that to just about every thread he could. What a schmoe.

(Still reeling in shame that I let him troll me.)
posted by Skot at 12:09 PM on May 15, 2001


Matt, you do phenominal work here. I don't doubt that you're going to be banging your head against the wall because of this fuck up, but there are many, many of us who think you do damn good shit here.

You fucking rock, don't let weasely little shits like this piss you off too much.
posted by cCranium at 12:15 PM on May 15, 2001


Maybe we should have some sort of neighborhood watch for this guy . . .
posted by iceberg273 at 12:17 PM on May 15, 2001


Yeah, and here I was all excited to see a new reply in the Russell Weston discussion. *sigh*
posted by binkin at 12:17 PM on May 15, 2001


I'm guessing that Pat McGroin (insert endless list of pseudonyms here) has no life. Of course, some days I feel like I have no life, but I try not to take it out on you guys.

posted by anapestic at 12:21 PM on May 15, 2001


I feel, sorry for Pat. How truely pathetic can a creature be?
posted by john at 12:31 PM on May 15, 2001


I feel, sorry for Pat. How truely pathetic can a creature be?

We could bake him a cake. Cakes always cheer me up.
posted by iceberg273 at 12:32 PM on May 15, 2001


maybe we should bake him *into* a cake?
posted by jcterminal at 12:42 PM on May 15, 2001


There's no way McGroin's getting a cake before Matt does.
posted by cCranium at 12:42 PM on May 15, 2001


Well, you can put a lot of interesting things in a cake.

Is there any way he can be stopped?
posted by anapestic at 12:52 PM on May 15, 2001


Holy water?
posted by Hackworth at 12:56 PM on May 15, 2001


Godzilla can stop him!
posted by starvingartist at 12:59 PM on May 15, 2001


There's no way McGroin's getting a cake before Matt does.

Good point.

Well, we can just go back to feeling sorry for him. Then, when he comes back as "PrivateSpeechMcWinger", we could say sympathetic things to him, and try to get him to feel better about the world.

Or something like that.

Is there any way he can be stopped?

Hey! Maybe this is a job for a superhero. Maybe he's DoublePostGuy's nemesis (because he posted the same message a bunch of times)!
posted by iceberg273 at 12:59 PM on May 15, 2001


Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Bungle has entered the building.

At least MOO has @gag and @ignore.
posted by holgate at 1:07 PM on May 15, 2001


I think he keeps coming back because he wants to ruin metafilter. He obviously feels slighted by Matt. But this time, he was basically begging to be banned for a while before it actually happened.
And while he's pretty idiotic, and certainly pitiful, I do agree with him that "Meta-Censor Adolph" is a really catchy name. Matt, run out and get that URL before someone else does!
posted by Doug at 1:11 PM on May 15, 2001


He never did answer my question about how aaron, CRS, and davidmsc (among others) survive here in our Lefty Utopia. Oh well. I hope someone calls his parents.
posted by darukaru at 1:15 PM on May 15, 2001


[Jon hugs Matt]

Yer doing a good job with the place Matt. Actually, all things considered, a great job. For whatever it's worth, you have my support.

Pat will fad away. Your good work and reputation will stay.
posted by y6y6y6 at 1:16 PM on May 15, 2001


he is every asshole you've seen here before. RightWinger, FreeSpeech, PrivateParts, etc.

I know his name, where he lives, and his phone number.

What should I do about him?
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:26 PM on May 15, 2001


can you complain to his ISP? most have an anti-abuse policy.

or to his place of work if that's where he's posting from (which may be the case if he has an endless supply of computers.)

rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 1:29 PM on May 15, 2001


Give it to us! MeFi mob rules!

Seriously, though. I don't know what you can do except keep banning him. Does this count as harassment? Probably not, and even if it did it's probably not worth the cost and trouble of a lawsuit. We just have to ignore him.
posted by starvingartist at 1:30 PM on May 15, 2001


If there's a common IP block between him and his previous incarnations, config the httpd to deny all requests from those addresses (or forward them to goatse.cx.)
posted by darukaru at 1:40 PM on May 15, 2001


Didn't Free Republic get a court order banning someone from using the service after he kept coming back with new accounts and behaving abusively?

Maybe you should add a user setting to MetaFilter so that a twerp like Pat, once identified, is invisible to everyone but himself.

I don't think it'll work on Pat, since he's doubtlessly reading this, but others will be less likely to go on the "I've been banned!" rampage if they don't actually realize they've been banned.
posted by rcade at 1:45 PM on May 15, 2001


"What should I do about him?"

I was going to suggest that you turn the info over to someone who is a bigger, and possibly more violent, asshole such as myself, but that would be childish.

(Just as an aside, if he lives in San Diego, I have been known to get drunk and throw up on people by mistake.)

If his employer or ISP won't shut him off (and I bet they will), I really think just letting him fade away is the best bet. No one listens to him. No one is fooled. New users get baited but they learn quickly. Anyone can click on his profile and see what he's all about.
posted by y6y6y6 at 1:45 PM on May 15, 2001


Now do you people support the death penalty!?!
posted by thirteen at 1:58 PM on May 15, 2001


I guess that wasn't funny.
posted by thirteen at 1:58 PM on May 15, 2001


What should I do about him?

Call his mother.
posted by aaron at 2:19 PM on May 15, 2001



May be his membership should be configured to post text in the same color as the background of the page. Or a special color.
posted by ParisParamus at 2:39 PM on May 15, 2001


Or a special color.

Oooooh...I like it. A bit "shades of Nathaniel Hawthorne," but I like it.
posted by dnash at 2:58 PM on May 15, 2001


a special color? he'd love that.
posted by jpoulos at 2:59 PM on May 15, 2001


a scarlet "T" it is.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 3:07 PM on May 15, 2001


Rebel without a clue from Flame Warriors. (As I'm reading through it, I recognize some other MeFi participants. Haven't found myself yet, but I have no doubt I'm in there somewhere.)
posted by Steven Den Beste at 3:11 PM on May 15, 2001


Ah. There I am.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 3:18 PM on May 15, 2001


actually, this seems more fitting...
posted by mathowie (staff) at 3:19 PM on May 15, 2001


christ, it's like looking into a mirror.

(I have a laptop and wireless networking at home and I've noticed myself doing exactly what you see pictured. And I mean exactly.)
posted by mathowie (staff) at 3:21 PM on May 15, 2001


You shouldn't drink coffee so late at night, Matt. It's not good for you.
posted by anapestic at 3:25 PM on May 15, 2001


I have been accused...
posted by bradlands at 3:35 PM on May 15, 2001


I sometimes feel like this, but more often end up like this.
posted by Skot at 3:42 PM on May 15, 2001


Does this one look familiar to anyone, lately?
posted by darukaru at 3:56 PM on May 15, 2001


Um. . . I missed it. What did our lad do?
posted by rodii at 3:58 PM on May 15, 2001


You're talking about me, aren't you darukaru. (Is there a paranoid Warrior?)
posted by jpoulos at 4:56 PM on May 15, 2001


Unfortunately I have to admit to being several of those FlameWarriors over the years. If you don't see yourself in at least one of these types, you're not paying attention.
posted by briank at 5:45 PM on May 15, 2001


palegirl clued me in--thanks.

I agree with briank. Flame Warriors is sobering (funny too).
posted by rodii at 6:00 PM on May 15, 2001


I didn't have anyone particular in mind, jpoulos. ;)
posted by darukaru at 7:05 PM on May 15, 2001


On the other hand, most would say this is me...
posted by owillis at 7:34 PM on May 15, 2001


I might be an Evil Clown posing as an Eagle Scout.
posted by john at 8:23 PM on May 15, 2001


owillis: both of them!
posted by rodii at 8:54 PM on May 15, 2001


Wait a minute. This is our Lefty Utopia?
posted by ParisParamus at 1:44 PM on May 16, 2001


Interesting choice of colors for the ideologue background. Now where have I seen that blue/gold combination before?
posted by JDC8 at 6:11 PM on May 19, 2001


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