Is it really necessary to comment on things you don't like?

December 3, 2003 5:45 PM

dazed_one: six (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6) of the last ten thread he/she has participated in contain this "here comes the (newsfilter) pain" message. Is it really necessary to go around to every thread you don't like and comment in it?
posted by The God Complex to Etiquette/Policy at 5:45 PM (60 comments total)

I understand the belief that a thread in the blue must be able to withstand some criticism, and I don't even mind if someone occasionally says something. But is there really a need for this sort of systematic--and incredibly boring--repetition of the same message over and over?
posted by The God Complex at 5:47 PM on December 3, 2003

Sure, if you whistle it to the tune of "Here Comes The Sun", TGC.

Perhaps the time has come to catalogue the classic repetitive strain here sentences on MeFi: "I just don't know"; "I feel pretty"; "Here comes the pain"; "shut up shut up shut up"...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:52 PM on December 3, 2003

doo doo doo doo...
posted by machaus at 5:59 PM on December 3, 2003

*yawn*

(adding to mig's list; not making any statement about this thread)
posted by LionIndex at 6:01 PM on December 3, 2003

That's pretty stupid. Let's go choose-your-own adventure:

Should I:

1. Delete them all and hope the person gets the message

2. Email them, asking why they do that and ask them to stop

3. Ignore it, keep the historical record intact.

4. Delete comments, ban user.

Curious to see what people think about it, and if the other repititous phrases should get the identical treatment.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 6:02 PM on December 3, 2003

I pick #3.

He does come to metatalk, and will see this thread. That's what metatalk is for, yes? Please don't ban him - that would be a wee bit harsh.
posted by iconomy at 6:08 PM on December 3, 2003

I vote for 2 and maybe 1. A sort of combo plate. Surf and turf.
posted by dobbs at 6:09 PM on December 3, 2003

5. Set a script to post teasing comments immediately after each of his pain posts!
posted by billsaysthis at 6:10 PM on December 3, 2003

For now, I'd probably keep the historical record intact for further usage (in case it happens again), and because it seems they were summarily ignored in the threads. I do hope dazed_one will explain his/her actions in this thread, though, because I'm curious as to what he/she was expecting to achieve with that.
posted by The God Complex at 6:11 PM on December 3, 2003

Oh yes, he's around, he definitely is, bearing fruitcake for Matt, no less. Come on in and defend yourself like a man. Here comes the pain! ;)

#3, of course.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:15 PM on December 3, 2003

I don't know.
posted by TimeFactor at 6:18 PM on December 3, 2003

What's with all this "he or she" and "person"? The guy's called Alasdair James, begorrah. That's doubly male; triply so if you spot a Scottish connection.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:20 PM on December 3, 2003

sorry , having a poofy name like alasdair makes you extremely english.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:22 PM on December 3, 2003

You mean he wasn't just announcing himself??

#2 for his contribution of #2.
posted by rushmc at 6:23 PM on December 3, 2003

begorrah ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:27 PM on December 3, 2003

3
posted by matteo at 6:31 PM on December 3, 2003

Heh, Sarge. Sorry about that. I'm 12,5% Irish - I can say begorrah. Is "Alistair" Scottish and "Alasdair" English, then? What about dear old Alasdair Gray?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:31 PM on December 3, 2003

I just don't know about this.
posted by Galvatron at 6:34 PM on December 3, 2003

well begorrah away to your hearts delight migs.

well the thing about alasdair gray is that he's a loveable loveable eccentric and has a genuine all embracing love for scottish culture , he's not trying to eradicate it by leading us all to the new jerusalem, he's trying to add to it, quite successfully too in my opinion.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:42 PM on December 3, 2003

Final Shut-Up, I promise, please excuse: Thanks, Sarge! Did you know this great author (and painter and publisher) is called Alasdair James Gray - just like dazed_one without the MeTa. I love the way he describes himself (according to Mick Imlah's review of "The Ends Of Our Tethers" in last week's TLS, p.23) as "a fat, spectacled balding old Glaswegian pedestrian". Ten years ago it was simply "an elderly Glasgow pedestrian". Funny, no? Besides, two of the Scottish musicians on this site are called Alasdair and the other two Alasdair. So I'll need more proof of poofiness, if you don't mind. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:53 PM on December 3, 2003

Damn. The other two are Alistair, I mean.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2003

Superb new releases from this excellent ceilidh band. All the old favourites - Strip The Willow, Gay Gordons, Waltz, Scottische - played in Alasdair's inimitable and intensely musical style.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2003

Tou-feckin'-che guevera. I am forced to concede the point and skulk away, gin and tonic guiltily in hand, trying not to mince too much on the way.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:05 PM on December 3, 2003

My vote would be for #3, as has always been done in the past. Plus a severe MeTaThrashing just for the fun of it.

and if the other repititous phrases should get the identical treatment
*wonders if mathowie is trying to trick us into talking him into deleting all those banal but lovingly hand-crafted comments that pepper the site.*
posted by dg at 7:06 PM on December 3, 2003

*blows migs a kiss*
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:07 PM on December 3, 2003

sorry to take up so much time ,
but we can have cladius saying "i'll take you to the fucking dojo and feed you to the banyans"
or whatever it was , it really was very good indeed and most worthy of repetition.
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:13 PM on December 3, 2003

Number three, and a "what the hell is your problem?" doesn't seem too out of line.
posted by majcher at 7:13 PM on December 3, 2003

I wrote most of it out before I thought to check his profile for gender. Then I didn't feel like changing it.

Or maybe I'm above all that. Yes, that's it.
posted by The God Complex at 7:19 PM on December 3, 2003

Clavdivs said "I'll skull fuck your verbs then sell your nouns to the Yangban". Hee. Beautiful. Those words are permanently etched into my memory.
posted by iconomy at 7:26 PM on December 3, 2003

I say #5: start a MeTalk thread and give dazed_one the attention he desires.

... and oh yeah: ;-P
posted by mischief at 7:59 PM on December 3, 2003

*flips ahead, notes that option 3 and 4 results in "YOU HAVE DIED. YOUR ADVENTURE IS OVER." flips back*
posted by Stan Chin at 8:18 PM on December 3, 2003

"1. Delete them all and hope the person gets the message"

Too much work for too little return if you really want to effect change. This type of pet one-liner is part of the MetaFilter culture. You'd have to stamp them all out to be fair, but I really doubt that would stop them. So you make more work for yourself without making things that much better.

Even if the user gets the message, they may not care, and you really have a core of many dozen people who have been doing this for years. Asking nicely hasn't helped. I doubt deleting will either.

Which is sad. Asking nicely should be enough.

"2. Email them, asking why they do that and ask them to stop"

Might work most of the time. Most people will start acting like an adult if you confront them and hash things out in an adult manner. But many people will take this as a challenge to their right to free speech here. Which doesn't exist of course. Which will only piss them off. Which will make the problem worse.

"3. Ignore it, keep the historical record intact."

Which is what we do now. It's worked so far. Kind of.

"4. Delete comments, ban user."

Like I said it's part of the culture. Trying to stamp it out by shooting users in the head is a bit extreme. And like the "war on drugs" it's one of those zero tolerance things that goes bad every time.

I think the only real answer is a shotgun approach - Do what you think will get the most results, which will be different for every user. Maybe start off with by stating a position up front on MetaTalk, fallow with an email to see how the user is going to spin the reprimand, then educate/ban/delete as needed.

Having a rule would help. It's hard to enforce anything without one.
posted by y6y6y6 at 9:50 PM on December 3, 2003

5. ????
6. Profit!


But seriously, I'll take number 3 with a big-sized fries and soda.
posted by antifreez_ at 10:35 PM on December 3, 2003

#3. Life's too short, and nobody's perfect.
posted by plep at 12:54 AM on December 4, 2003

Why pick just one option? It almost looks a like a progression to me.

Initially, 3. Then a combination of 1 and 2. Then 4 if the behavior continues ad nauseam.

Of course, there's always 5. 5 is where it's at.
posted by attackthetaxi at 1:08 AM on December 4, 2003

keep the historical record intact.

*spits liquid through nose onto screen and keyboard, falls out of chair, rolls on floor laughing out loud and scaring the cat*
posted by quonsar at 1:21 AM on December 4, 2003

and, i *still* feel pretty!
posted by quonsar at 1:24 AM on December 4, 2003

5. is where we inflict dazed_one with paper cuts applied using pages from Time and Newsweek, then cover him with salt and lime and do tequila shots off his naked body.

Right?
posted by taz at 1:25 AM on December 4, 2003

then cover him with salt and lime and do tequila shots off his naked body

You two-timing ragamuffin!
posted by The God Complex at 1:48 AM on December 4, 2003

and, i *still* feel pretty!

You're just drowsy after the surgery I detailed in the lingerie bowl thread.
posted by The God Complex at 1:49 AM on December 4, 2003

Don't forget #5 - Sin Bin, with a Californ-y style "three counts and you're out" banning.

But my personal preference is to ignore it. The half a second of life that I spend reading these comments is hardly painful.
posted by seanyboy at 4:02 AM on December 4, 2003

Email him/her and tell him/her to cut it out.
posted by vito90 at 6:46 AM on December 4, 2003

Having a rule would help. It's hard to enforce anything without one.
We are a self-policing community. From his profile page: Metafilter: Are you on jonson's list? Maybe he is trying for it.
posted by thomcatspike at 10:10 AM on December 4, 2003

I think I might be gay.
posted by Witty at 12:20 PM on December 4, 2003

So do I.
posted by cortex at 3:23 PM on December 4, 2003

Think you might be gay, I mean.
posted by cortex at 3:23 PM on December 4, 2003

Er, may I point those that seem interested in the direction of a really good Alasdair Gray interview?
posted by Fat Buddha at 4:47 PM on December 4, 2003

im a bear.
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:57 PM on December 4, 2003

Option 6: Put a star beside the name of everyone but him.
posted by teg at 7:24 PM on December 4, 2003

im a bear.
a bear?

and witty, welcome to the team! : >
posted by amberglow at 7:53 PM on December 4, 2003

I vote 3...and 5. Because there's always room for Naked Tequila Time.
posted by dejah420 at 8:39 PM on December 4, 2003

amber , what have you unleashed ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:01 PM on December 4, 2003

i dunno...my animal magnetism? ; >
posted by amberglow at 9:05 PM on December 4, 2003

One more emoticon in this thread, amberglow, and it'll be you who gets the banhammer!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:02 AM on December 5, 2003

er, ;->
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:02 AM on December 5, 2003

: {
posted by amberglow at 4:59 AM on December 5, 2003

nice moustache amber , you a bear now too ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:26 AM on December 5, 2003

Nah, he's Dali taking a nap.
posted by orange swan at 7:43 AM on December 5, 2003

damn hippies.
posted by sharpener at 2:35 PM on December 5, 2003

Number Two worked for me.
posted by feelinglistless at 2:42 AM on December 6, 2003