In light of multiple threads about AverageJoe90's demise, a question; why don't people use ignore?

[MadDAsHell]

I'm reading the threads where so many people say they were "harassed for years" by this user. Isn't that what ignore is for? I understand if this idiot was following you around with a different username every day, but people seem to be saying that they knowingly and willingly continued, for years, to see and respond to this loser's racist, misogynistic rants.

I don't understand the need to even engage with a poster like that. I'm assuming people didn't have this troll on ignore because they have an irrepressible urge to respond and try to prove it's wrong/call it out? The old, "Cancel all my meetings, someone on the internet is wrong"?

If so, you're wasting your time: 1) It is a troll, and has no intentions except to disrupt, and 2) the vast majority of us already know it's a troll, so its posts really aren't convincing/influencing anyone.

I saw a thread response from a poster talking about how disheartened he/she was to not be able to keep up with trying to respond to/alert on AverageJoe90's threads. Why? What's the point? Calling people out as trolls (subtly or unsubtly) just seems to drive away new members, and using the alert system for "troll control" just doesn't seem like an effective measure when there are likely dozens of daily signups simply to disrupt.

Bottom line, if you feed a troll, it stays around. We would all be better served to remember that there's probably nothing more disheartening to a troll than to return to its "My Posts" tab just to see that no one has taken the bait.

[bettyellen]

1. Because it makes DU a fucked place, an embarrassment.

It matters, putting your head in the sand is not the preferred solution.

[Little Star]

7. +1

[Blue_Tires]

51. Sometimes it's the only thing that makes DU readable

And it's sometimes the only thing that prevents me from going on a shooting spree...Especially as the number of your "enemies" grow...

But it's just a temporary solution...Every couple of months I have an amnesty and clear out the list -- Even those I truly despise...

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. On-line mobs are more fun. n/t

[cwydro]

3. I've wondered the same.

Anyway, he'll be back...if he's not already.

[DanTex]

4. That's not the question. The question is why did a racist/sexist poster last this long.

We don't want a board crawling with racists who everyone else has on ignore. We want a board of Democrats.

[MadDAsHell]

39. A noble but impossible goal. It's a website, and registering requires nothing more than an...

email address.

[BainsBane]

50. He wasn't exactly subtle about it

The fact is this is supposed to be a liberal/Democratic website, not a while male supremacist one. There is a TOS, and Joe didn't fit it.

[LittleBlue]

5. I think this meme shows why

Oh and BTW he's back, showing once again the futility of banning people on this site

[Nye Bevan]

8. Classic

[cwydro]

11. Love this!

I don't think I had any interaction with the guy.

If I did, it wasn't memorable. But I never put anyone on ignore. Never have. Ever.

[Nye Bevan]

27. I have never used Ignore and never will. For several reasons.

1. I like to see everyone's point of view, even those I tend to disagree with.
2. I am perfectly capable of ignoring someone if I choose without the aid of the DU software.
3. That warm fuzzy feeling when I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with someone that I normally disagree with.
4. When I have a great idea for a pithy, original response to a thread I look dumb if someone I am ignoring beat me to it.
5. Nobody on the internet can upset me enough that it actually raises my blood pressure or endangers my physical health.
6. I am even-tempered enough that I don't reflexively respond to something I find offensive and get a post of my own hidden, eventually earning myself a suspension.

Of course these points do not apply to everyone. Many folks would clearly improve their lives greatly by taking advantage of Ignore.

[cwydro]

32. Those reasons are exactly mine as well.

There are posters I avoid; I may read their threads - I just don't comment.

Number 5 is perfect and something many here should learn.

[MadDAsHell]

41. "I am perfectly capable of ignoring someone if I choose without the aid of the DU software. "

Good point.

[Nye Bevan]

45. DUers much more eminent than I actually beat me to it on this point.

Response to hrmjustin (Original post)Mon Mar 16, 2015, 11:34 AM
Star Member Skinner (60,162 posts)
1. Unforced ignore works just fine.

You all are adults and you are all capable of managing your own interactions with each other.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1259&pid=7711

[hifiguy]

94. That is pretty much my MO as well.

I might miss something clever or enlightening, in particular a snappy comeback to someone I find noxious.

And it's just the freaking internet.

[LiberalLovinLug]

106. I won't use Ignore either for those reasons.

Also

7. I actually enjoy a good spar. I am unfamiliar with this poster in question, but if everyone has trolls like this on ignore, then who will battle them (with words) in order to help reveal their true natures or antiquated ideas? Because some posters seem to have an agenda to cleverly sway opinion away from progressive ideals (the anti-whistleblower brigade comes to mind). If no one is there to challenge them and reveal their disguised fear/ignorance, others might assume they have no opposition on this site and take their reactionary positions as reasonable.

[Blue_In_AK]

113. The only person I ever put on ignore

sent me menacing PM's. He was TSed within 12 hours.

[Nye Bevan]

114. Ah yes, I have actually used the block PM feature.

Haven't received a nasty one in a while, so I'd forgotten about that.

[yuiyoshida]

146. I can say the same thing

I remember his name but never had an encounter with him. Guess I am lucky.

[cwydro]

147. You and me both!

But I have no doubt that he'll be back.

Seems to be a lot of socks and zombies here lately.

[yuiyoshida]

148. I am not worried about Zombies...

We have Sid, the Zombie fighter!!! If he doesn't beat them, Skittles will!

[cwydro]

149. Skittles will kick their asses!

Hell to the yeah!

[yuiyoshida]

150. YES INDEED!

[LittleBlue]

22. Yeah and the ultimate irony is that by banning these people

I'm forced to read them again. I use my Ignore list so that I don't have to read it. But that doesn't transfer to their second, third, fourth, etc. accounts. So while these banned members take a moment of inconvenience to make a new account, those of us who can properly use our ignore lists spend weeks/months reading their BS until they can be re-identified and re-added to our ignore lists.

[MadDAsHell]

44. Wow, never thought about it that way; makes a lot of sense. Tombstoning makes "Ignore" useless. nt

[BainsBane]

69. Are you saying AverageJoe90 was on your ignore list?

Really?

[LittleBlue]

73. When I started reading the AA threads and saw him more and more

At first I thought he had genuine disagreements, but it became obvious he was there to provoke black forum members with disingenuous arguments.

I am willing to read anyone who is genuine , no matter how wrong their opinion seems to me. They go on the ignore list once I think they're making arguments even they don't believe.

[BainsBane]

74. Well, you have told me more than once that you don't read my responses

and I don't think a convincing argument can be made that I don't believe what I write.

Anyway, I know I'm in the minority, but I think he actually believed that nonsense. I don't know how it would be possible to so consistently fake that level of cluelessness.

[boston bean]

76. Trolls often do believe what they are saying.

[LittleBlue]

92. When they're long and confuse me

I don't.

As for Joe, I think his views were stronger, but he moderated them so that they would pass juries and cause dissension. He knew how to make his arguments just offensive enough to provoke, but not so offensive that people stopped arguing with him.

[sibelian]

118. Yes, exactly.

When it becomes blatantly apparent that your opponent is playing "hmmm, how can I contradict you today" it's just my attention being spent for their sake. I'm incredibly strict with ignore. I like reading DU, I'm not wasting my time on people that have nothing to bring. They don't even have to be irritating anymore.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

119. "Oh and BTW he's back" AverageJoe90?

Post? Link?

[Spazito]

161. I'm pretty sure it was "letters4words", he was here and gone again in short...

order. A genius he is not, I guess laughing at him re TBH, IMO, SJW was too much for the poor troll so he came back under this laughable user name and the few posts he managed to make before the ban hammer nailed him again were single capital letters replacing words, ie IDKWYM.

Not obvious at all!

Just for AverageJoe90 aka letters4words....YAAFIWSFB, figure that one out asshole.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

163. Thank you.

[JoePhilly]

6. Becasue then the trolls win.

[Nye Bevan]

10. Everyone ignoring them, and nobody responding to them, or seeing their posts, is "winning"? (nt)

[JoePhilly]

13. Their posts get to stand, which suggests that they are acceptable here.

Not a fan of ignore. Hiding from hate does nothing to stop it.

[zappaman]

25. +1!

[Nye Bevan]

33. If a post stands and nobody gets to see it, did it really stand? (nt)

[geek tragedy]

36. most people don't put anyone on ignore. also, telling people "avert your eyes"

is not the way to handle things, the correct response is "no bigotry and harassment allowed"

[R B Garr]

57. Exactly. I was always told to never turn your back on a snake.

[JoePhilly]

154. You incorrectly assume no one would see it.

[bettyellen]

129. Exactly what I was trying to say. I'd rather we don't tolerate the bigotry and sexism....

Because it's been fucking DU up in terms of diversity. Posters are less interesting, and more self involved and libertarian leaning. They agreed to the TOS but it pisses them off they can't spew any old bullshit like they can on Reddit.
A lot of good people are gone because it's an ugly environment for women and people of color.

[laundry_queen]

151. Bingo. nt

[Rex]

35. LOL! How do you purpose making sure everyone is ignoring and not responding.

You cannot and you know this. Winning is getting rid of a longtime sexist/racist troll. Funny how some are blind to that obvious truth.

[seabeyond]

9. ignoring racism, sexism and homophobia makes you part of the problem, imo. nt

[valerief]

81. reading about it doesn't make it go away. that can really only be done in

face-to-face interactions.

[seabeyond]

82. i believe in challenging stupid and hate. that simple. whether on a board or in rl. nt

[valerief]

83. You just reminded me. I have some editing on my novel to do. nt

[Scootaloo]

107. Why should its presence be tolerated on DU?

You want to sww Bigots backslapping each other, Skinner runs Disgustingus for exactly that sort of conversation.

[Kali]

111. Disgustingus

[gollygee]

12. I don't know, maybe the same reason people don't hide threads they don't like. n/t

[Tuesday Afternoon]

17. boom

[cyberswede]

19. *snerk*

[cwydro]

26. ...

[Rex]

29. You did there, I see what.

[spooky3]

87. Hahaha!

[msanthrope]

40. Drop that mic! nt

[A-Schwarzenegger]

109. That was going to be my post

if I had read through this thread
and hadn't seen your post,
which I did, so, yeah.

[cyberswede]

14. Because hostility toward equality needs to be addressed

...especially on a Democratic message board.

[Rex]

21. You mean don't let someone run around calling other posters radfem?

On a progressive website? Hmmm...you know that makes a lot of sense. If we ignore the troll, they just find new members to pick on. Not like they will go away unless confronted.

[MadDAsHell]

53. I disagree, I really think they'd go away. Trolling is prob only entertaining if it gets a response.

[geek tragedy]

65. you certainly would know.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5878041

MadDAsHell (155 posts)

37. I'll bite. As a black male I appreciate someone contributing to...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5908182

MadDAsHell (156 posts)

41. African-American, not "black," please. Thank you. nt

[bravenak]

86. Very confusing.

One after the other. Maybe he cannot decide. I accept both.

[zappaman]

89. Huh?

[MerryBlooms]

136. Hopefully this one doesn't last 3 fucking years.

[Number23]

156. !!

[Rex]

15. Why do you care?

This concern is touching.

[cyberswede]

18. We keep having posts near each other...with our matching avatars.

[Rex]

23. That is logical. Spock is with us.

I see you have great admiration for the man as well.

[hifiguy]

95. DU desperately needs that Spock smiley.

[cyberswede]

96. I think Admins are going to add it!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12597658

[hifiguy]

97. Woohoo!

[boston bean]

20. I think this OP should really be called, Thread for those having a sad AJ90 has left the building.

brought out a lot of his friends already.

[Rex]

24. Yes maybe a grieving thread for all his buddies that liked to call women radfems.

Or joked about SJW. As if being concerned about others is something to laugh about.

[bravenak]

128. He was MY boyfriend!!

Why are they sadder than me? I think he was cheating on me.

[MadDAsHell]

58. I'm absolutely concerned when DUers say they're being harassed. You're not?

[seabeyond]

77. yet you want the harassment to be ignored, instead of a community addressing it?

[Rex]

79. Sure you are. Kewl story bro!

[boston bean]

16. Because if you care about this place as a community,

you take the effort to make it a better place.

The way the system is set, is if you ignore a poster, you don't serve on their jury. If you Trash a thread, you won't serve on a jury for it either.

So, best not to ignore.

[pnwmom]

28. If you ignore them, they still post on your threads -- you just don't see them.

Maybe people prefer to know when jerks are spreading around vile comments, instead of just letting them stand, unanswered.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

110. Good point

I've experienced that myself. Can't help but logoff to see WTF and who da phuq posted.

[geek tragedy]

30. Because then the message is that bigotry and harassment are okay and that the

onus is on the non-malignant personalities to accommodate the bigots and stalkers.

[Capt. Obvious]

31. I removed AverageJoe90 from my ignore list

Thanks for the reminder.

[geek tragedy]

34. Also, this is interesting:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025995389#post44

[Rex]

38. Ohhhh...'race-sensitive'...learned a new term TY for the link.

My, my, my...one of those posters is not like the other...one of those posters is not the same.

[geek tragedy]

42. see also this link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5907772

apparently the OP is both black and someone with similar views as aj90, except when they're scolding people for referring to "black" people because something something

[MadDAsHell]

61. Holy cow, "apparently" the OP "is black"? Who the hell are you?

I guess I should remember my own advice on ignore.

[geek tragedy]

68. you frequently talk about how liberals expect black people to feel sorry for themselves.

See, e.g.,

MadDAsHell (156 posts)

37. I'll bite. As a black male I appreciate someone contributing to...

,with virtually no filter, this mythic "open and honest discussion about race" that everyone claims they want to have.

Do I feel this individual is overgeneralizing? Yes.

Do I feel this individual is probably not a minority and thus is making assumptions about African Americans without any firsthand experience to back it up? Yes.

But do I also feel that we as liberals are pretty disingenuous about our desire to have an open and honest discussion about race, as most of us clearly have no plans to let anyone speak their honest opinion on race if it offends us, we suspect it may offend others, or we don't like what the statistics are hinting at? ABSOLUTELY.

As evidenced by the OP's rhetoric, there sometimes seems to be a blind assumption on DU that every African-American is anti-police, that every African-American feels the world is against them, and that every African-American wants white people to feel sorry for them. That's the real offense.

Funny thing is that no one at DU has ever expressed the opinion that black people sit around expecting pity.

So, where do you get this talking point?

Also, you deny race was an issue in the Michael Brown shooting. Please explain on what planet this is plausible, given the grotesque racism of the Ferguson PD.

[Rex]

85. 'honest opinion on race'

Odd thing to say, I always figured everyone here was honest about their opinion on race. Even if it offends some, we all seem to be very passionate about how we feel. I guess some are scared to say their 'honest opinion on race'.

Us bad bad liberals are always scared to say our honest opinion on race...yep...

I'll buy that one for a dollar!

[geek tragedy]

102. aj90's signature phrase was "to be honest"--such that "TBH" became a joke nt

[Rex]

121. YEP.

Good catch.

[Hekate]

131. "Apparently" you self-identified. Then wanted to change the terminology....

Is that to keep us liberals off-balance while we're trying to deny that we ever said things we never said in the first place?

Be honest, now.

[geek tragedy]

47. and this gem:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6024147

[Rex]

49. Interesting.

AJ90 could not STAND it if you did not include the white race in everything! It was so obvious to some of us, it became painful to watch.

[geek tragedy]

52. follow the discussion to the end, quite revealing about the participants nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

84. The pack of bigots that have swarmed on this issue see AJ90's shitcanning as their own future

The grumbling from that camp is oddly both pitiful and hilarious.

[azmom]

99. Sounds like him

MadDAsHell (158 posts)
12. Just a personal opinion, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the phrase "black voices" ...

in this context. I've seen this assumption a lot on DU that, somehow, all of us think and act the same, that being born with similar skin tone bonds us into one big unthinking reactionary force. Even from white posters, who will say how sorry they feel for us as African-Americans, how hard our lives must be, or how all of us must really hate this thing, or that person, as if every African-American comes from the exact same background, same experience, etc.

I have felt discrimination at times, but I can tell you that I swear some of my family members don't even know they're "black," and some of you probably would say they're not, because they would deny they've ever been discriminated against for their skin color. There seems to be this assumption that every black person feels sorry for themselves, and if they don't, they're not black; it's a little insulting.

I think it's become far too easy for people to pidgeonhole everyone in a racial group as being one thing or another.

Not every African-American feels oppressed, unheard, or discriminated against, just like not every Caucasian is deaf/blind to the benefits of being born with lighter skin.
Reply to this post
Back to OP Alert abuse Link to post in-thread

[geek tragedy]

101. sounds like Ben Carson and Herman Cain nt

[seabeyond]

104. i would think he would keep in mind, that discussing discrimination does not make "feeling sorry for

oneself". that post comes off that, not all black voice is the same, please remember, but if racism is called out, or discrimination is discussed, then a person is "feeling sorry for themselves"

talk about a "little" insulting.

[azmom]

105. And it was posted in the African-American forum.

[Spazito]

48. Very interesting...

I can see why the OP prefers people ignore rather than respond to ugly posts. The responses to the post in the link were not to the liking of the poster I'm sure.

[seabeyond]

55. called it AND, we are all just over sensitive. thanks geek. not surprised. nt

[BainsBane]

60. Looks like this PPR makes some people nervous

and I'm not referring specifically or exclusively to the OP.

[hrmjustin]

63. I noticed that as eell.

[arcane1]

37. If someone shits on my living room floor, it's not fixed by relocating to the dining room

Besides, wouldn't you be better served to hide threads you don't wish to see?

[bravenak]

43. That's like saying 'ignore the bully and he'll leave you alone'.

It is not true. I ignore Joe. He still followed me around whether I responded or not. Then he began bothering other people to tell them I and others were targeting him. Nope. Gotta nip them in the bud.

[Rex]

54. +1 bravenak is a perfect example of how you cannot just ignore trolls on DU. nt

nt

[Hekate]

122. +2

This is an odd and yet enlightening thread, isn't it?

[seabeyond]

123. isnt it? interesting, the people that all of a sudden want us to ignore racism and sexism.

if we do not ignore, we are all that in emotional, and incapable of reasoned discussion.

[bravenak]

125. Did not know he had such great supporters.

I did wonder if this was him at first but not enough TBH, SJW, or RadFem's being used.

[Number23]

157. I have to say that most DUers do not believe that ignoring the bully makes them go away

Judging by the number of times I've been alerted on by telling certain individuals to stop shadowing my every move and find somebody -- ANYBODY -- else to respond to but me, it does seem that most DUers agree that the onus is on the person being the asshole stalker and not the person being stalked to do the right thing and stop engaging as requested.

So this OP is just all kinds of interesting. Especially the posts that Geek posted upthread.

[bravenak]

158. This poster is a special type of poster.

I saw those post that Geek posted. Lol!

[BainsBane]

56. As opposed to every other thread on every other subject?

[LanternWaste]

59. Creative allegation.

Creative (and self-validating) allegation. Somewhat clever...

[hrmjustin]

62. I use ignore from time to time but you tend to miss some epic meltdowns.

If I get pissed at someone I might place them on ignore but I get over it and usually unblock after a few days.

It also becpmes pointless because I end up signing out to see if the responded to me. Also a friend will pm me and tell me that someone I have on ignore is having a meldown and I want to watch.

One thing that is effective is to leave a person off ignore but to not respond to them. It pisses a few off and gets them mad.

I advocate the ignore function to people who will end up getting hidden posts if they engage with certain individuals.

I tend to be good at avoiding hides because I try never to cross that line. Of course I have failed once or twice but have gotten lucky with juries.

[MadDAsHell]

67. I think Ignore is very necessary for some users.

"One thing that is effective is to leave a person off ignore but to not respond to them. It pisses a few off and gets them mad."

I agree but there are clearly DU'ers for which it is more difficult to ignore a post if you actually see it. In those cases the troll is getting a double whammy, they're hurting feelings with their misogyny/sexism, and they're getting their kicks out of people's response to it.

That's why I'm advocating using the official Ignore option as it eliminates the temptation; again, don't feed the trolls.

[hrmjustin]

71. Yes if there is someone that is too difficult to deal with ignore is the best option.

I also use trash thread as well.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

64. I'm inclined to agree with this post by you but if I do, in true DU fashion, I will be accused of

agreeing with ALL of your opinions and of either being a supporter of yours or "supportive" of your views.

So, I won't.

[seabeyond]

72. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. how many OPs of yours have i seen you OUTRAGED, outraged, i tell you.

you made me laugh.

ah ha

[ChisolmTrailDem]

108. Every single letter of your post...

...right back atcha, seabeyond.

[pintobean]

115. So, the mob rules.

It's really sad, isn't it.

[Kalidurga]

66. Probably the same reason someone wouldn't use the TRASH THREAD feature...

and would rather make a thread about people not using the ignore button.

[KamaAina]

70. I don't believe in it.

There are many times when I vigorously disagree with non-troll DUers. If I had them on Iggy, I'd never see them.

[daredtowork]

75. Trolls accumulate and end up packing juries when not called out.

It's already obvious there's an MRA contingent.

[spooky3]

88. You make a great point.

[MadDAsHell]

93. I hadn't thought of that either. nt

[jeff47]

78. Because ignoring stupid does not make it go away.

And if you don't like the threads, there's this nifty ignore thread function you seem to be hypocritically not using.

You can even auto-ignore threads by keyword. Say "AverageJoe90". Then you don't have to sully your pretty mind while we deal with the trash.

[valerief]

80. I do, I do, I do. I've put at least one person on Ignore today. Every year or two

I clean out my dozens upon dozens of Ignores. Many are tombstoned by then anyway. It doesn't take long before I'm rolling my eyes at some asshole's post and putting that one on Ignore and the process repeats itself.

I wish I knew how many non-tombstoned posters have me on Ignore now. That would be a fun stat.

I also hide threads, when I think of it. I should do more of that.

[Warpy]

90. I checked. He was on my own iggy list

He always had the needle out, trying to provoke people into saying something that would get a hide.

I'm glad he's gone. Thanks, Skinner.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

91. I don't know. Because I'm too chickenshit to admit that I'm drawn to the spectacle of

it all?? Maybe....

[carolinayellowdog]

98. he was on my ignore list, but for that reason I'm glad people are discussing his demise

Several times I've received or observed very abusive insults from individuals, put them on ignore immediately, and much later saw that they had been tombstoned. Sometimes it was YEARS later but always at least months. Even though I'd not been reading their posts, it was still a relief to know they were gone.

The message one takes from this experience re the alert/jury system can be either:

1. Glad I put that one on ignore months or years ago, because the jury system is so corrupted or inefficient that they kept getting away with abuse for a very long time, and I spared myself the stress of seeing their stupid, hateful crap
OR
2. Maybe if I'd alerted instead of putting them on ignore, their trolling history would have been shorter

All the outpouring of angst re AverageJoe90 and fruitless efforts to curtail his trolling via the jury system tends to confirm my leaning to #1 above. Getting rid of some of the most obvious trolls is extraordinary long and hard, it seems.

[BainsBane]

100. I use ignore

I didn't have Joe on ignore though. I didn't really take him very seriously. That doesn't mean I'm not glad to see a racist and sexist shown the door.

[Starry Messenger]

103. It hides the whole subthread.

I still use it, but much less than at DU2.

[seabeyond]

116. cant really have that "reasonable" debate, either, having someone on ignore, right?

so, they do not use ignore, cause they are all emotionally outraged.

you resort to a lot of name calling in this supposed "reasonable" debate, lacking all that said "emotion". too fuggin' funny. or laughing makes me too emotionally involved?

[MadDAsHell]

153. Trolls don't have reasonable debates...

They're there to piss you off. And you're letting them.

[seabeyond]

159. it seems you do not either. many people have pointed out the reason to not ignore them, and have

Last edited Sat Mar 21, 2015, 12:16 PM - Edit history (1)

done so succintly, and with a point. you seem to ignore all the obvious, ....

we state why someone should not be allow racism and misogyny without challenge. you insist on, continuing to allow racism and misogyny to stand with a simple... turn your head, ignore.

the bully is beating up a kid.... turn the head away. dont worry this beautiful brain over it. do not look.

walking to the trains.... turn your head

hang from a tree.... turn your head

no thanks.

[sibelian]

120. You are correct.

On both counts.

Symbolic thinking is swamping rational discourse at an absolutely epic level.

[sibelian]

117. My ignore list is truly huge.

Really, utterly huge. And some more people are going to end up on it soon.

But I suppose I don't really need it to be. I don't really interact with this site to anywhere near the extent I used to.

[arcane1]

126. And yet you have nothing else better to do yourself? Pot, meet kettle!

[carolinayellowdog]

132. sorry you bullied that DUer into silence

as someone who has admired your contributions for more than a dozen years, I must say his/her observations seemed quite accurate, and your response-- six minutes later!-- was downright mean. Maybe s/he was a troll returned under a new pseudonym-- or maybe s/he was a newbie who will never return thanks to a very cold shoulder.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

135. Did you see the post?

It was mirt that bullied him into silence.

[seabeyond]

138. a whole post of insults to duers, a lot of sexist language. you feel it quite accurate? nt

[arcane1]

140. Did you even read the post? Accusing all of DU of doing what they themselves did with every post?

I know exactly who it was, and they were a returning troll.

[Logical]

127. They would rather whine! nt

[seabeyond]

139. now wait a minute. you called out the other OP, yet participate with this OP.

be consistent.

otherwise it looks like your angst is simply because averagejoe90 got kicked off.

[PowerToThePeople]

130. i do

I have most third way dems on ignore.

But, I do not put on ignore obvious republicans, right wingers, or trolls. (I do think third wayers are right wingers too, but this place seems to think they are ok because they are registered Democratic) I tend to try and call out obvious trolls and right wingers for what they are. I would say that I am very close to 100% at predicting pizza.

[tabasco]

133. Cuz you didn't make me.

Make me use ignore.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

134. You win

something:

[MadDAsHell]

152. That's hot.

And I don't just mean your username.

[Doctor_J]

137. I perused the grave dancing threads, and it seems like those who found him most

offensive also hung on his every word. Kind of like self identified dems who listen to hate radio and watch Fox while complaining about it. I don't get it, but to each...

[kwassa]

144. You don't get it. AverageJoe90 invaded legitimate threads, relentlessly.

Those of us trying to have a meaningful discussion saw it get continuously derailed by his pompous, pedantic pronouncements. He would not debate his view, either, but place those who disagreed with him on ignore.

We didn't go looking for him. He came looking for us.

[ismnotwasm]

141. I have two people on ignore

This was after years of not using it. One is harmless, just irritating, the other I firmly believe has an Troll-like agenda. Both like to post OP's here and there. I take them off ignore periodically. When they bother me I put them back on.

Mostly I ignore any other people without using the ignore function. Easy.

I also make liberal use of the hide thread feature. I love that one.

The person in question was more than irritating, and was and should have been challenged for his bigoted views.
I hear the (much over-used) term 'echo chamber' a lot. If I ignored every person I disagreed with, that's exactly what I would end up with. There is nothing wrong with disagreements. There is something gravely wrong with biogtry.

[LWolf]

142. I use my own considerable ability

to ignore posters or posts, usually without resorting to software features.

I have been known to "hide" threads with certain phrases, when I get sick of the topic and want to see the front page of a forum filled with other choices.

For example, I might "hide" threads whose titles refer to Hillary Clinton, since I've already said anything I have to say about her and heard anything that interested me.

[Princess Turandot]

143. The current version of 'ignore' has a feature that I don't like...

It hides any sub-thread in a post in which the Ignored person replied, not just the Ignored's own post.
i.e. In a sub-thread with 25 posts, a single reply at the end of the thread by Honest AverageJoe90 aka TBH™, results in that entire sub-thread being hidden. (That was not the case in the prior version of the software.)

[Nye Bevan]

145. No, that's not true.

Ignore only hides subthreads started by the person you are ignoring. In the scenario you describe, you would still be able to see every post in the subthread except the one by the person you are ignoring (and any replies to this post, and replies to those replies, etc.) (I have never used Ignore so I just did an experiment to verify this).

[Heidi]

155. By that logic, AverageJoe90 might never have been banned.

I do not believe that ignoring bigotry is the answer.

[closeupready]

160. People here are really vested in their screen names/personas.

For whatever reason. Not judging, but this is just one of thousands of discussion boards. Employing the ignore feature here is characterized by most of them as some earth-shattering failure of quantum proportions, when in fact, it's part of the board architecture, nothing more, lol (with that Voltaire quote thrown in to show how international they are).

I live in a place where every single day from end to end I encounter thousands of people. While I do sometimes encounter co-workers on my commute, or at lunch out in the street - I even more rarely encounter acquaintances from B&M hangouts - most everyone I pass is a complete stranger. I tune almost all of them out - I find that I have to, or else I would be overwhelmed, and also I could not achieve my personal goals as effectively.

The same principle applies here on DU - plenty of damaged psyches and freaks come here to harass and troll - nothing I can do about that, but at the very first indication that someone is either here in bad faith, or simply doesn't have social skills, click they get on my ignore list. Don't have time for it - THEN, when I see the My Posts tab light up yellow, I'm confident that it's likely someone who has something substantive to offer in response.

[seabeyond]

162. here is a simple fact. and we watched it here, over the last 3 yrs and more, on DU3

i have been here for over a decade enjoying this site for so many different reasons. initially.... and in the past, living in the panhandle of texas. a sea of conservative and fundamentalist, du was my oasis with different people and different thinking.

i have met a lot of wonderful people. in real life. with a decade of interacting. i have women across the nation, that if i came into their space, i would look them up and buy them a glass of wine.

you come here and state that if one speaks out against racism, they are weak victims or some such garbage. painting a whole.

now you have a thread, insisting the only way.... your way, is to ignore racism, misogyny, homophobia.

i could no more stay quiet in a church, a grocery store, a PTA meeting or the family table when facing racism, misogyny, homophobia, than i could on du.

personally, if i let it slide, i would feel shame

sure, i could put someone on ignore, or it could be right in front of my face at the family table and i could pretend i did not hear it. and my sons would look at me, and say mom..... they are wrong. the are hateful. surely.... you will point that out. cause, it is not good that us as children are conditioned to hate.

how long did administration ignore 90? how did that work for this board? positive? really? the answer?