Bandwidth costs of snark January 14, 2006 4:23 PM   Subscribe

What uses less bandwith, posts that are calling out people being stupid or hypocritical, or MeTa posts that are calling out the deletion of posts that call out people that are being stupid or hypocritical?
posted by Balisong to Etiquette/Policy at 4:23 PM (97 comments total)

I called out Paris here, but it's gone now..

That's why it reads like a book with a page missing.
posted by Balisong at 4:25 PM on January 14, 2006


Also seen around here
posted by Balisong at 4:30 PM on January 14, 2006


I don't know. But the PP-bashing thread is #10883...
posted by ParisParamus at 4:31 PM on January 14, 2006


This just might be my flameout!

Gather your seats, and put your popcorn in the microwave.
posted by Balisong at 4:31 PM on January 14, 2006


So, Paris, you're OK with it? deletion of your thoughts as if those moments of your life never happened are just fine with you?

I bet Bush wish he could do the same...
posted by Balisong at 4:34 PM on January 14, 2006


At least leave the posts so people directed to the MeTa post won't be confused...
posted by Balisong at 4:38 PM on January 14, 2006


Huh? I don't think anything should be deleted? When did I say that?
posted by ParisParamus at 4:40 PM on January 14, 2006


I don't know. But the PP-bashing thread is #10883...
posted by ParisParamus at 4:31 PM PST on January 14 [!]


It might be if you quit posting bullshit on Sept 21, 2001.
posted by Balisong at 4:40 PM on January 14, 2006


But they WERE deleted.. Or don't you care or keep track of what you say, Paris.
posted by Balisong at 4:42 PM on January 14, 2006


come on, Paris' "ignore the trolls" comment was a masterpiece.

kudos to PP
posted by matteo at 4:42 PM on January 14, 2006


i don't see what iraq or your dislike of pp has to do with shelley winters or the crude people on yahoo making comments about her ...

it was irrelevant
posted by pyramid termite at 4:43 PM on January 14, 2006


Children! Sit down and explain yourselves.
posted by Jimbob at 4:43 PM on January 14, 2006


Did PP say something offensive in that thread that was deleted?
posted by Gator at 4:43 PM on January 14, 2006


I guess we'll never know...

I wouldn't have posted anything comative or controversial if Paris hadn't posted his spew first.

I'm sure he doesn't mind it being deleted, but I do.
posted by Balisong at 4:47 PM on January 14, 2006


For those coming late, here's a recap: jbielby posts about the craven hordes on the yahoo message boards making light of Shelley Winter's death. Paris makes this comment: There is proobably nothing more telling about a person's character than the way they treat death. Even the death of someone they don't know personally. Balisong follows with a comment on Paris' attitude towards the deaths in Iraq, and Paris replies with a comment about deaths caused by Saddam. Balisong's comment and Paris' reply get deleted. Space Coyote's comment is left floating in midair.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:49 PM on January 14, 2006


It's revisionist - and you're right, it fucks with the context of the thread. I had no idea comments within threads were being removed - WTF?

Delected comments should be tagged in-situ, so at least some sense can be made for people, like me, who live in a wholly different timezone that only allows access to arguments 10 hours later.

Blah.
posted by strawberryviagra at 4:49 PM on January 14, 2006


I didn't say anything controversial. Did I?
posted by ParisParamus at 4:52 PM on January 14, 2006


That one wasn't the worst of it.

The other thread about Iran had several posts, not only by Paris and I, deleted from it.

It's like someone comming in and stealing breath out of your lungs.
It's unnatural and uncalled for.
Was it Matt or Jess?
posted by Balisong at 4:52 PM on January 14, 2006


Thanks monju_bosatsu! So Balisong, worried that some users might miss his really crappy comment, decided to call himself out?

Indeed, this does have the makings of a flameout...
posted by Chuckles at 4:53 PM on January 14, 2006


Excuse my naivety - but exactly who on the board has dominion over what is and what isn't appropriate (and is ultimately capable of editing a post)?
posted by strawberryviagra at 4:54 PM on January 14, 2006


Chuckles- thank you.
Strawberry- Matt or Jess.
posted by Balisong at 4:55 PM on January 14, 2006




There is proobably nothing more telling about a person's character than the way they treat death. Even the death of someone they don't know personally.

posted by ParisParamus at 6:18 PM EST on January 14



Deleted comment by Balisong

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight: There are mean people on the internet?
posted by elwoodwiles at 6:24 PM EST on January 14

.

(she was an incredible actress both fat and thin)
posted by kimdog at 6:28 PM EST on January 14


ignore them.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:13 PM EST on January 14


(head explodes)
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 6:29 PM EST on January 14



Deleted comment by ParisParamus



Deleted comment by mr_crash_davis


< br> and putting an end to it. and taking it up about 5 notches.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:29 PM AST on January 14 [!]

posted by Space Coyote at 6:35 PM EST on January 14



Not only was Marilyn Monroe her peer, but the two were roommates in the mid-1940s and close friends and confidants.

posted by ericb at 6:37 PM EST on January 14


Deleted comment by ericb
posted by orthogonality at 4:55 PM on January 14, 2006


The deleted comments by mcd and ericb were requests to leave the Iraq stuff out of the thread.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:57 PM on January 14, 2006


This is one of those moments where I suggest turning off the computer, taking a few steps away, and finding something more pleasant to do for a few hours, Balisong. Just because ParisParamus is stupid doesn't mean you need to harass him.

*goes to take own advice*
posted by Firas at 4:58 PM on January 14, 2006


That's not even the thread that really pissed me off and made the MeTa thread, it's the Iran thread.
posted by Balisong at 4:58 PM on January 14, 2006


But deletions happen often enough to hardly keep track
posted by Balisong at 4:59 PM on January 14, 2006


I wouldn't have posted anything comative or controversial if Paris hadn't posted his spew first.

that wasn't spew, it was an intelligent and legitimate comment

(no comment about things he has posted elsewhere)
posted by pyramid termite at 5:01 PM on January 14, 2006


Even if PP was baiting, you could have just put your dot and walked away. Flagged it, even - although I doubt his comments would get deleted, since in the context of the thread they were completely appropriate.

What he said didn't derail the thread, the indignant callouts did. Kinda funny, what with the post partially addressing decorum and bad behavior in a memorial thread...
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:02 PM on January 14, 2006


I know that Paris is a bot programmed to piss people off, and is programmed to find your buttons and push them until overload is reached.
That does not excuse deletion of comments to refute it or finding it's weakness.
posted by Balisong at 5:03 PM on January 14, 2006


people only have buttons if they believe they have them

i'm done with this
posted by pyramid termite at 5:06 PM on January 14, 2006


I left one comment in the memorial thread.
The Iran thread had 10 or so comments deleted from it.
I wasn't fast enough to copy-paste them to MSword.
That is the thread that should have stood on it's own (lack of) merits.
There was whole conversation that got deleted by 5+ posters over something stupid that Paris said, and I refuted. Some of it didn't even address Paris, but it's gone. It's part of the discourse. It shouldn't have been deleted.
posted by Balisong at 5:10 PM on January 14, 2006


Stop pushing my buttons.
posted by exlotuseater at 5:11 PM on January 14, 2006


You didn't "refute" anything. You made a snide, off-topic insult, and it was deleted. STFU.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:11 PM on January 14, 2006


Don't leave tham exposed.
posted by Balisong at 5:11 PM on January 14, 2006


Balisong is drunk.
posted by mischief at 5:13 PM on January 14, 2006


OK then I didn't refute them.
It should stand as something stupid that I said.
You don't see Paris bringing it up about his comments being deleted.
He knows that his word is worth shit in a blender.
I stand by what I say, and take offence that it is deleted.
posted by Balisong at 5:14 PM on January 14, 2006


Balisong is drunk.
posted by mischief


It's just my fingers.
posted by Balisong at 5:14 PM on January 14, 2006


I stand by what I say, and take offence that it is deleted.

Then you should take your offense elsewhere.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:20 PM on January 14, 2006


I wouldn't have posted anything comative or controversial if Paris hadn't posted his spew first.

Balisong, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but that sentence reads like a child wrote it. Be the bigger person and don't take the bait.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:21 PM on January 14, 2006


I have no idea why you people want to antagonize PP and dios. In case you haven't figured it out yet, these people are CONSERVATIVE. C-O-N-S-E-R-V-A-T-I-V-E. They can be relied on to consistantly express conservative points of view. Yes, it is obvious that none of us agree with them. Yes, they like to draw attention to themselves by trolling. Yes, it is disappointing that they often like to resort to bumper sticker snarks as opposed to engaging in substantive argument.

However, anyone who isn't a total n00b knows that they like to troll, and can thus avoid starting yet another thread-destroying argument with them.

I know that it's fun to have a conservative punching bag around and all, but maybe we could do without all of this? Remember, there are other people who like to read this site, too.
posted by Afroblanco at 5:23 PM on January 14, 2006


Actually, lemme rephrase it -- Paris didn't even leave "bait" he was talking about the attitude of the yahoo board posters, which wasn't a troll and had nothing to do with anything iraq related.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:24 PM on January 14, 2006


Thanks for trotting a pony into this thread, Orthogonality. It's a much needed usability improvement. Really, please, would a coding change even be necessary for the admins to adopt his format?

On topic, Balisong, your outrage of PP's hypocrisy aside, it looks like you may have brought conflict from previous threads into one where PP was acting somewhat civil.
posted by klarck at 5:24 PM on January 14, 2006


And yes, balisong, my comment was directed at you. I'm pissed off about Iraq, as well. But am I going to use a random obituary thread as an opportunity to disagree with someone else's position just because he happens to be in the same thread at the time?

Maybe we need another subsite : fightclub.metafilter.com, where the entire site is dedicated to knock-down, drag-out fights over various issues, thus redirecting all of that energy from the blue (or the green) (or the grey).
posted by Afroblanco at 5:28 PM on January 14, 2006


Matt, why let the bait hang on your site?
I promise to be civil, straightforward, and even jovial from here on out.
Please do not let juicy, tasty, bait be hanged from your site for me to jump at.

He's just asking, really begging, for it.

Does this mean that it was you that deleted my comments?
posted by Balisong at 5:28 PM on January 14, 2006


BTW, I didn't start this thread because of Paris's or Dios's trolling...
I started it because my comments were deleted.
posted by Balisong at 5:30 PM on January 14, 2006


Dude, there was no bait.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:31 PM on January 14, 2006


klarck writes "It's a much needed usability improvement."

You can have it too. It just requires a FF extension. About which I'll say no more in this thread.
posted by orthogonality at 5:31 PM on January 14, 2006


It was me who removed stuff in that thread, not the Iran thread. How is Paris talking about how people handle death bait in any way? Am I out of the loop, mostly hanging out in AskMe? Is there history I need to know?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:31 PM on January 14, 2006


Bait or no... This thread is about deletion of posts.
posted by Balisong at 5:32 PM on January 14, 2006


Yeah - Orthoganality's solution is good (be even better if the "deleted comment" linked to the deleted comment).

Arses.
posted by strawberryviagra at 5:32 PM on January 14, 2006


It would be nice to know which users are saying stuff that requires censure...

Maybe on user pages it could say "User has posted X links and Y comments to MetaFilter. Xd links and Yd comments had to be deleted." Of course that would actually require some coding.
posted by Chuckles at 5:32 PM on January 14, 2006


Balisong, if monju_bosatsu's recap is correct, you were derailing the Shelley Winters thread. There's a "derail" flag for a reason.
posted by Gator at 5:35 PM on January 14, 2006


Paris makes this comment: There is proobably nothing more telling about a person's character than the way they treat death. Even the death of someone they don't know personally. Balisong follows with a comment on Paris' attitude towards the deaths in Iraq

So let me get this straight. PP made a reasonably on-topic, certainly noninflammatory, comment about the way people treat death. Balisong responds with a completely irrelevant snark about Iraq. And now Balisong is dragging it into MeTa?

Balisong, here's a chainsaw. There's your right hand. You know what to do.
posted by languagehat at 5:36 PM on January 14, 2006


I appoligise for the derailing of tha Shelly Winters thread.
That post should be deleted.

The posts I made in the Iran thread were entirely (somewhat) on topic with the conversation involved in the thread, and should not have been deleted.

I have seen much worse pass as acceptable, and do not see why those posts should be deleted.
It wasn't just me and Paris, there were posts by other members that (tangently) were deleted, too.
posted by Balisong at 5:39 PM on January 14, 2006


Chuckles writes "Of course that would actually require some coding."


select
a.name
|| ' has posted '
|| convert( varchar, ( select count(*) from comments b where b.uid = a.uid ) )
|| ' comments to MetaFilter. '
|| convert( varchar, ( select count(*) from comments c where c.uid = a.uid and c.deleted = 1 ) )
|| ' of those comments were deleted.'
from
users a
where a.uid = $page_var
posted by orthogonality at 5:40 PM on January 14, 2006


I didn't do anything wrong and won't do it again.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:41 PM on January 14, 2006


I have seen much worse pass as acceptable, and do not see why those posts should be deleted.

"but Timmy was doing it worse" is also a holdover from childhood.

I deleted some posts in a recent Iraq/Iran thread that were calling out Paris and he hadn't even shown up yet, and they were antagonistic. Not sure if some of those were yours Balisong.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:41 PM on January 14, 2006


Balisong, if you think PP's comment was baiting you are giving him far too much credit. He is not sophisticated enough to come up with a good troll. When he thinks he is trolling he says stuff like 'President Bush is the greatest President in history and a snappy dresser to boot'. I have begun to find it quite humorous, especially when he does it and gets ignored.
posted by Mr T at 5:47 PM on January 14, 2006


Fine, done.
Paris can get a free pass with whatever crap he wants to pass on us, and anyone who wants to call him on it get's the shaft.

quonsar may have had it right all along.
posted by Balisong at 5:50 PM on January 14, 2006


The whole phenomena of pursuing personal conflicts across multiple threads is one of the very worst things about this great site. Whatever someone said or did in a different thread should stay in that thread. Give people the room to change.
posted by LarryC at 5:55 PM on January 14, 2006


"'President Bush is the greatest President in history and a snappy dresser to boot"

except that I have never said such a thing (either clause), and that you think I have speaks volumes.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:55 PM on January 14, 2006


The whole phenomena of pursuing personal conflicts across multiple threads is one of the very worst things about this great site. Whatever someone said or did in a different thread should stay in that thread. Give people the room to change.
posted by LarryC at 5:55 PM PST on January 14 [!]


Show me two threads where Paris has changed his stripes.
posted by Balisong at 5:59 PM on January 14, 2006


The whole phenomena of pursuing personal conflicts across multiple threads is one of the very worst things about this great site.

I appologise for dragging my bile into the Shelly Winters thread.

What was said in the Iran thread should have stood. Both my comments and Paris'.
posted by Balisong at 6:01 PM on January 14, 2006


DELETE * FROM COMMENTS WHERE USERID > 4902;

Show me two threads where Paris has changed his stripes.

Dontyaknow, Paris used to be a moderate Democrat, before the world changed.
posted by Jimbob at 6:07 PM on January 14, 2006


jessamyn: It was me who removed stuff in that thread ... Am I out of the loop, mostly hanging out in AskMe?

Sigh. We've had this conversation too many times. A lot of people (OK, me) don't like the feeling of control and supervision that comes with heavy-handed modding. It's like the precious, puritan nicey-niceyness of AskMe is leaching into and killing the rest of the site. The Blue isn't a nice place, and it's all the more valuable for that.

OMG! OMG! A derail! Off topic!!
So fucking what?
posted by Sonny Jim at 6:12 PM on January 14, 2006


Paris, once shown that his comments will not be deleted, continues to thhow crap in our face.

I love it. Matt, can I throw you another $5 just for the thrill of it?
posted by Balisong at 6:13 PM on January 14, 2006


er throw.
posted by Balisong at 6:13 PM on January 14, 2006


"Dontyaknow, Paris used to be a moderate Democrat, before the world changed."

And still am. The "problem" is that President Bush is closer to being a moderate Democrat than most of the Democrats.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:24 PM on January 14, 2006


So, Paris, before today, what was your LGF handle?
You say that Bush is a moderate, what is your position?
Paris, you say that what someone says about the death, especially those they don't know, shows much about them. What would you say about what the deaths that have happened in Iraq. Both American and Iraqi?
posted by Balisong at 6:27 PM on January 14, 2006


And still am. The "problem" is that President Bush is closer to being a moderate Democrat than most of the Democrats.

*MIND FUCKING EXPLODES*
posted by interrobang at 6:31 PM on January 14, 2006



posted by stirfry at 6:36 PM on January 14, 2006


And still am. The "problem" is that President Bush is closer to being a moderate Democrat than most of the Democrats.

i wouldn't have put quote marks around "problem"

truth is, both parties are fairly bankrupt these days ... and increasingly indistinguishable in things that really matter ... the current m o is to yap a lot about it and not actually do anything that solves the real problems
posted by pyramid termite at 6:46 PM on January 14, 2006


I love it. Matt, can I throw you another $5 just for the thrill of it?
posted by Balisong


It's a bigger thrill if you stick it in his g-string rather than just throwing it.
posted by leftcoastbob at 6:48 PM on January 14, 2006


Aww, stirfry, that's just adorable.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:50 PM on January 14, 2006


Paris, I have to say "I didn't do anything wrong & I won't do it again" was a great comment, which totally made me laugh, but then you had to go and follow it up with "President Bush is closer to being a moderate Democrat than most Democrats these days", which was actually much funnier. That Bush is a crazy rightwing bastard, even if you totally agree with his policies (high deficit spending to support military ventures, economic growth over ecological protection, lower taxes that disproportionately favor the wealthy, etc), you have to see that he's neither moderate nor a Democrat, unless you mean a Jacksonian Democrat circa 1820.
posted by jonson at 6:58 PM on January 14, 2006


"So, Paris, before today, what was your LGF handle?"

I told you, the same as here, always. I don't contribute to LGF--its like an AOL chat room over there.
posted by ParisParamus at 7:00 PM on January 14, 2006


There is proobably nothing more telling about a person's character than the way they treat death. Even the death of someone they don't know personally. posted by ParisParamus

Paris, I'm not looking to pick a fight with you, I thought the attack on you in the blue about Iraq was pretty unnecessary. But I will say it's strange to see you claiming this particular moral high ground, given some of your comments in the thread about Arafat's death.

[Breaks resolution made a few months ago when ponied up $5 never to get mixed up in this kind of shit, slinks back into n00bcave]
posted by donpedro at 7:06 PM on January 14, 2006


Here. He's not lying. He's just an idiot.
posted by interrobang at 7:08 PM on January 14, 2006



This is an outrage.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 7:10 PM on January 14, 2006


ps: My first chuckle for the day, thanks donpedro!

Breaks resolution made a few months ago when ponied up $5 never to get mixed up in this kind of shit, slinks back into n00bcave
posted by uncanny hengeman at 7:12 PM on January 14, 2006


donpedro, Arafat was a mass murderer. Shelly Winters?
posted by ParisParamus at 7:21 PM on January 14, 2006


donpedro, Arafat was a mass murderer. Shelly Winters?

she was just a mass
posted by pyramid termite at 7:24 PM on January 14, 2006


Zing!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:26 PM on January 14, 2006


So the resolution is:

Post something that calls Parisparamus out on his bullshit = Deleted

Parisparamus continuing his shitslinging = normal day on Metafilter.
posted by Balisong at 7:50 PM on January 14, 2006


Now you're getting it Balisong, PP is like a pet. Sure he tears up the drapes but we would never think of getting him declawed.
posted by Mr T at 7:54 PM on January 14, 2006


comment deletion sucks the big one. always has. i despise it. however, i'd note that as we finally have non-disappearing threads sitewide. it's probably rushing it a bit to hammer on matt about non-disappearing deleted comments. even though its the only reasonable solution. and a little checkbox on the page to view deleted comments or not.
posted by quonsar at 8:01 PM on January 14, 2006


I see...
And here I am, alergic to non-declawed drape shredders. (I have 4 cats).
Well then, I don't see why I need to hang around this place where such animals are left to rip up the place, do I?
I guess I'll just relieve myself from contributions for a while.
(not quite the flameout that I or anyone was going for, but I will time-out myself none-the-less)
Maybe the management will weigh the contributions. Paris=1 of 7 conservitives VS. Balisong=1 of 10,000 like minded individuals.

Somehow I don't trust blind justice.
posted by Balisong at 8:06 PM on January 14, 2006


Bait or no... This thread is about deletion of posts.

No, this thread is about you making a squalling ass of yourself.

Ignore the trolls. If you think, as I do, that ParisParamus is one, then ignore him. He will either stop or go away, and you just might keep a shred of dignity intact.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:06 PM on January 14, 2006


ParisParamus writes "I told you, the same as here, always. I don't contribute to LGF"


Well, I must admit PP's being honest, PP definitely doesn't contribute here.
posted by orthogonality at 8:09 PM on January 14, 2006


The thing about apples and oranges is, they're both edible fruits. But meh, whatever.
posted by donpedro at 8:17 PM on January 14, 2006


Ever tried to make applesauce out of an orange?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:30 PM on January 14, 2006


Less of a flame-out and more of a lame-out.
posted by Mr T at 8:34 PM on January 14, 2006


No, but I did follow a recipe once called "chocolate orange ice-cream soda".

It was a disaster.
posted by Firas at 8:34 PM on January 14, 2006


firas, of course it was a disaster ... you forgot the tabasco sause
posted by pyramid termite at 8:41 PM on January 14, 2006


I'm very disapointed in Balisong, there was only a mild amount of pathos in the flame-out. I expect higher quality around here, folks.

OMG! OMG! A comment was deleted! It's gone!
So fucking what?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 9:08 PM on January 14, 2006


every sperm comment is sacred
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:11 PM on January 14, 2006


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