Don't get mad, HIT IGNORE! (As seen on DU)

[Bicoastal]

Hi, I'm Democratic Underground personality Bicoastal, here to tell you about an EXCITING new offer!

Tired of other posters getting you down with their hyperbolic language and complete failure to find middle ground? Unable to fit in with either the "Obama can do no wrong" mob or the "Obama can do no right" mob? Wish there was some way you didn't have to read posts that insult your intelligence and/or you personally?

"There's got to be a better way!"

NOW THERE IS! Introducing the new and improved, handy-dandy Ignore Function!

Yes, the Ignore Function, so useful during the Primaries last year, allows you AND your loved ones to not read anything that you yourself don't wish to corrupt your eyeballs with! Suddenly, all of the posters who never compromise an inch and never truly discuss anything, but continue to pump out infuriating and/or mindless invective day after day, turn INVISIBLE to the naked eye! Just click 'em, and FORGET 'EM!

"But Bicoastal! That's not my style! I enjoy a healthy diversity of opinion, and I wouldn't want to eliminate a viewpoint I may find myself agreeing with! Isn't that the essence of Democracy?"

Yes, but with the Ignore Function, you don't HAVE to eliminate a "viewpoint!" Just single out the jerks who HAVE no views and just seem to enjoy 1) hijacking threads, 2) starting flamewars, or 3) lead you into endless ranting non-conversations of insults until you find yourself so mad you want to reach through the computer screen and throttle them! Worse yet, it prevents you from TURNING INTO one of these aforementioned jerks!

"But Bicoastal! Wouldn't these same loudmouths then accuse me of fleeing their so-called "arguments" and declare victory?"

Ah, but with the Ignore Function, you don't have to SEE their accusations OR victory dance! Just click 'em, and FORGET 'EM! It also eliminates the need to write yet another meaningless "DU isn't the way it used to be" or "I wish people here were nicer/smarter/better Democrats" thread that, although frequently K&R'ed, often revert into more unwanted recriminations and hurt feelings! According to medical science, the Ignore Function will lower blood pressure, prevent misuse of the keyboard, and provide you and your love ones with the happy, healthy, informative DU experience you've come to enjoy over the last eight years!

"Wow, Bicoastal! The Ignore Function sounds too good to be true!"

BUT WAIT! Act now and for a non-limited time only, you will also receive the "Ignore *Thread* Function!" It allows you to block NOT a poster but a particular thread you don't wish to read--perhaps on a hot-button DU issue (i.e. circumcision) you know will devolve into more mindless jibber-jabber! The Ignore *Thread* Function--"For when even your self-restraint fails you."

This generous two-part offer can't last! ACT NOW!

(This has been a public service announcement by Bicoastal Enterprises Ltd., a subsidiary of the Ignorance Is Bliss Company.)

[HopeOverFear]

1. The ignore button changed my life!

Thanks, Ignore button! :)

[MadBadger]

2. I'd rather by snarky and incredibly sarcastic to those who piss me off then ignore them

Do you realize how much fun I would have missed if I ignored Proud2BAmurkin??

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. I HAVE MY CREDIT CARD READY!!!!!

I'm signing up within fifteen minutes. Does that mean I get the free steak knives?

Or only personal redemption?

That is one great post - K&R -and I can vouch for its content. My Ignore list grows daily and, as a result, I've missed almost all of the posts that have some good people upset. It seems my gift for spotting people I'd rather not deal with is great, and, what's really funny is that I rarely encounter an "ignored" post in any of the threads that I read.

So, either I've ignored a lot of one-time trolls, or else they're a group, a circular firing squad, who are feeding each other's goofiness in their own special threads - which I never see.

So, am I getting the steak knives?

[kimmerspixelated]

12. Heh,heh!

[kiva]

4. !!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Warpy]

5. I don't have a very long ignore list

but I find it deeply satisfying to give some jerk a well deserved Bronx cheer as I hit the button of permanent disappearance. It's equally satisfying to see replies to posts with "Ignored," knowing they're exposing themselves to countless other DU members while I remain blissfully untroubled by their nastiness.

It's not cowardice. It's the moral equivalent of walking away from a ranting, insulting blowhard in real life.

[Zodiak]

38. It's also saves bandwidth and reading time

Some people have nothing to contribute but negativity towards their fellow DUers. I really do not like have to read through a bunch of immature chaff to get to the wheat.

[polichick]

6. Yes, but shouldn't we be able to ignore without pushing a button??

[pleah]

7. Never touch the stuff.

But, thanks for the offer.:hi:

[Contrary1]

8. I've already purchased an Ignore Function Program from Ron Popeil.

Unlike the Bicoastal model, mine slices and dices too! Lets me inflict some much-deserved pain on those obnoxious posters before I put them on ignore.

So there.

[The Straight Story]

9. But wait, if you ignore now you can ignore two posters with a single click, call now

:)

[azmouse]

10. Can I get a volume discount on the use of the ignore function?

[Muttocracy]

11. I cleared out my ignore list around inauguration...

and then remembered why it was so full :)

I consider it a "filter" or "selectivity" button. There's so much good stuff on DU I don't even get to read - why waste time on those things.

Plus I often see

Ignored
...Ignored
......Ignored

etc. flamewars and know why they're on the list or

Ignored
...What? How can you say something so awful?
......Ignored
.........You need help - hitting ignore...

etc.

[SoCalDem]

21. I used this as a sig pic for a while (primary season)

[Muttocracy]

45. :)

[Mamacrat]

27. Ignore Posts

I've seen this term a couple of times. Does this mean you just see "ignore" for someone you have on your ignore list?

I've never put anyone on ignore on any board, but at a point there are some people whose posts I really do wish I didn't have to read, and not just someone who has replied to me in an offensive way. I would like to read the more interesting posts and debates without reading the predictable replies and/or ad hominem attacks of some I see regularly.

So, it's not really a bad thing to put people on ignore?

[Muttocracy]

28. yep, instead of their subject line it just says "Ignored". nt

[Mamacrat]

37. Can you see their posts easily if you want?

I'm wondering if when you have someone on ignore and the replies to something they wrote leaves you wondering what they did write do you have to take them off of ignore to see it? Do they know if you have them on ignore? I'm really not interested in a big "hey, you're on ignore" offense; I just want to pass over certain posters. At the same time, I just read a thread during which I wished I could have pushed "ingore" for a couple of posters just for that thread at least. You know, when it's obvious they are going to go round and round without really ever saying anything.

[Muttocracy]

43. Ignore only works if you're logged in, so you can log out - but that sorta defeats the purpose

and I've learned it's not worth the trouble in most cases. Usually it's the same people who attack people (not necessarily me), use offensive (to me) language, etc.

You can always remove someone from the ignore list and then all their posts past and present show up again, so it's completely reversible.

[Mamacrat]

47. Thanks

Thanks.

[Zodiak]

40. I cleared mine out when I became a mod (had to)

And to be honest, it totally ruined DU for me, and I had to quit modding because the site became stressful for me to visit. I forgot how negative certain people here are, independent of political position. What's worse is those kinds of posters post 50+ times a day, so they are in every thread fighting with someone.

Once I lost my mod status, the ignore list went up again.

By the way, just so everyone knows, the rule on ignores is this: Before you put someone on ignore, you are free to call them out personally and be snarky, but the mods had BETTER find out that you really did ignore that person afterwards, or your post will be removed and it will go on your "permanent record". I think it is a very sound rule-of-thumb.

[Muttocracy]

44. interesting

I think based on post counts my ignore list is a few people who post a lot, and mostly people who haven't posted much (sometimes my ignore list has been a good predictor of who will be tombstoned - lots of dead folks on it).

I can only think of one case where I told someone I was putting them on ignore - because I felt like they kept misinterpreting everything I said and they had a chip on their shoulder about me. I said I'd ignore them because we seemed to drive each other nuts. Otherwise, I usually just think, hmmm, not a nice person, not someone I'd spend time with in real life, and hit the button.

[FlyingSquirrel]

59. Wow, permanent record?

:scared: Never knew 'bout that one. Hey is this anything like at your job, where you can request a copy of it? I'd love to know what's in my permanent record. Same goes for DHS. ;-)

[progressoid]

13. I wish I could read the posts here but everyone is on my ignore list.

Actually, I've never used it.

[truedelphi]

31. ANd here I thought, all this time, that it was just me!! But if you're ignoring everyone

I cannot feel all that bad about it can I?

[leftofthedial]

14. Now using it for the first time ever.

Ahhhhh...

SO much better without all the shrill stupidity.

[Hawkeye-X]

15. Are you going to get the ShamWow guy to do this?

[cobalt1999]

16. That or have a glass of wine to relax

Because it's just an online message board and people shouldn't take it all so seriously.

[ColesCountyDem]

17. Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Do I also get the handy-dandy bookmark feature?

;)

[Canuckistanian]

18. My whole family uses ignore button!

It's fast, convenient and fun, too!

I don't know how we ever did without it.

[SoCalDem]

19. But but but, Bicoastal

I do use ignore sometimes (see primaries), and then my page1 has only 2 threads and all this blank space...:rofl:

[Hekate]

20. Lose weight fast! Ignore removes heavy trolls from your back!

What a terrific OP by Bicoastal. :toast:

I, too, cleared out my Ignore file after the Election, but have had to start adding people back. Strangely enough I can often tell who Ignore is in a thread by the kinds of replies they are getting and the kinds of subthreads they provoke. Yet my brow remains unfurrowed because I don't have to read whatever rant they produced this time.

Thank you Bicoastal for this offer!

Hekate

[Starry Messenger]

22. Nine out of Ten Doctors recommend the Ignore Button:

The Ignore Button ACTS FAST and BURNS CALORIES. There are ZERO FAT and ZERO CARBS in Ignore Function. The Ignore Thread feature has been proved by MEDICAL SCIENCE to lower arterial plaque and to retard HAIR LOSS and TOOTH DECAY.

Act fast today!

[Mike 03]

23. Ignore is for wusses. In the more-than-six years I've been here, I've only put one person on

Ignore, and even then it was only for a week, because I felt guilty and like a chickenshit.

DU is about conflict, sometimes, and we all know that. So it's like cooking: If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

Otherwise, this place would be a monument to narcissism, where we spout off but can't stand to read criticism of our own views. That would be embarrassing and unhelpful, intellectually, since we grow through discourse.

Boy, if I had put everyone I didn't agree with on Ignore, I would not have had my mind changed about some very important issues.

[Zodiak]

41. Disagreement is one thing

But not everyone builds their ignore list based on political position. I build mine on how that poster treats other DUers. Bullies and assholes are a waste of time, and my time is precious to me.

Just in case you wanted to carry that "cowardice" judgment to other people, you should check your assumptions about why people ignore each other.

[TorchTheWitch]

55. Very true

I only use ignore on people who are obviously trying to stir the pot and have nothing useful to say... whether I agree with their views or not. Interesting that most of the people I put on ignore over the years have been banned. It isn't a matter of disagreeing with someone else's view, it's a matter of refusing to allow someone who is nothing but a distruptive jackass on the radar screen. I enjoy a good back and forth discussion of different ideas, but the batshit crazy few here ruin that for everyone by their bullying, obnoxious and disruptive behavior that stiffles the discussion... that's WHY they do it. People like that in real life I don't give the time of day to either.

I don't think there are many people that put others on ignore because they disagree with their view... that would be incredibly boring. It's discussions of DIFFERENT views is what makes a conversation interesting. But there's no doubt that a few people have nothing to contribute other than trying to muzzle useful discussion and turn nearly every thread into a screaming match that has nothing to do with the discussion at all. It bothers me that some people find it cowardly to ignore certain posters and feel like they have to jump in and argue... that only contributes to the disruption and getting the discussion off course. It just feeds the fire, and that's exactly what disruptors strive to do... it's feeding the trolls.

[Canuckistanian]

57. Sometimes, it isn't about "heat" at all

There are some posters here who I disagree with mightily. But I wouldn't put them on ignore because they at least put a rational argument forth every once in a while.

But then there are posters who are nothing but contrarians who seem to ENJOY pissing people off.

There's one particular poster that I have on ignore and here's what I usually see when they're at work:

Ignored.
..WTF? That's insane
.....Ignored.
.......Same to you, Buddy
..Bullshit
..Are you serious?
..You sure you're in the right place?

Life is too short to endanger my blood pressure.

[K8-EEE]

24. THANK YOU!!!!

I'm getting so I hate the weepy "WAAAH! what happened to DU???" posts as much as the "Waaaah! Obama made me mad!" posts.

Ignore button is a wonder!

[elocs]

25. "Ignore" is the greatest thing since the "mute" button on tv.

It's nice when you find someone irritating and a pain in the ass to simply shut them up--for you, anybody else may hear them, or read them, but I choose ignore. Life is too short and my BP is too high. I love "ignore" and use it liberally.

[csziggy]

26. The Ignore Button lowered my blood pressure

Instead of reading posts from people who repeatedly pissed me off, I never see their irritating (to me) messages. I can continue to read DU with a zen like feeling of calm and illusion of world peace.

[NashVegas]

29. Sorry Bicoastal, That's a Strategy - It's Not a Solution - And It's a Cop Out

When people put an obnoxious, attention-demanding asshole on ignore, no one is reporting said asshole to the mods, thus giving the impression the majority agree the little ankle-biter ought to be tolerated.

When a poster has a regular habit of attempting to stop a particular conversation from moving forward, or leads an all-out push to force a consensus, they are a troll. A bullying troll.

A year ago, a small group of posters was allowed to completely hijack the big board, common areas of discussion. This group included a subgroup that now includes many of the very same posters that make up our president's harshest critics. Meanwhile, the lead group is wigging out because they can't silence critics of the president's policies.

DU should have enforced its own civility rules all along.

[yowzayowzayowza]

30. "To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it."

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I tend to agree. Never used it.

[NashVegas]

52. Especially When

You've got people spreading BS.

[Zodiak]

42. If you have the stomach for being a mod, you should volunteer

No snark intended.

I would love to detail my experiences as a mod here, but alas I cannot because of a confidentiality agreement. However, your comment is correct on many levels. If you put someone on ignore for being an asshole, be sure to alert on that poster.

And DUers should start to police our assholes better....both sides of the political divide. People who constantly attack others do so knowing that often the worst that will happen to them is getting a post removed, and because they post constantly, that only amounts to a small percentage of the total attention they get.

When people become more civil, actual discussion can occur. As it is now, a few people are trying to have a discussion amongst the din of a bomb-throwing contest. And there is a lot of collateral damage.

[Djinn]

49. I think they already do

I rarely see personal attacks left standing, what I see that IS left standing that many wail about are attacks on ideas and beliefs these have always been allowed by DU's rules.

If I think someone's views are bull and follow that with an explanation of why I do, that is not a personal attack. Many people fail to distinguish the two.

If one can not defend one's ideas that doesn't instantly make the other person a bully or asshole.

I find it very very hard to believe someone is politically active if a little flamage gets them so upset (not directed at you Zodiak - this is a general ob) That's part & parcel of political activism.

If a faceless person I'll never meet calls me anything online it's hardly going to make a dint in the collection of abuse, spit, creepy things sent through the post and physical threats I've had since becoming an activist.

[Zodiak]

53. You are right about your entire post, of course.

A little snark is the norm around here, and I am full-aware of that.

But lately it has gotten completely over-the-top on the level of the last primary. That level of divisiveness, while healthy during the primary, is a real drag on this site in other times.

And my post has nothing to do at all with people's opinions. I certainly can distinguish someone who disagrees with me from someone who intentionally tries to be as snarky as possible for no more reason than to bully the other poster. Most of my observations come from reading, not interacting. What little interaction I have done has gotten me called names from both sides of the aisle, mistaking me for someone who disagrees with them politically. That is my own anecdotal experience.

Too much bomb-throwing lately.

[NashVegas]

50. I Have, Actually

Some years ago, before there was a confidentially agreement to sign, I think. No matter.

[yowzayowzayowza]

54. There was a time, back in the day, when...

ad hominem attacks against demz weren't allowed. Methinks we may need to consider returning to such a rule. Dissent all ya want, but no name calling.

[FlyingSquirrel]

60. Wonder if they can see how many people are ignoring a particular person.

That'd be a good indication that there's a problem.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SidDithers]

39. +1...nt

Sid

[Regret My New Name]

33. I ignore everyone who has a different opinion than me on anything...

It's just how I roll. I didn't like your usage of the word "circumcision", so I'm ignoring you...

~toodles ;)

[Bushknew]

34. You just won a cupcake.

[Regret My New Name]

36. Are you trying to make me fat?

IGNORED!

[TexasObserver]

35. Beware of Ignore button imitators.

Nicely done!

I agree 100%. I don't even give bad thread starters a second chance, unless I just want to see them get tombstoned in the near future. I can't read all the threads, so why read the ones of people whose opinions I know I don't care about?

[Snazzy]

46. lol @ "i.e. circumcision" hot-button

Maybe with web 3.0 we can get a Tivo-like learning function and automagically ignore, uh, painful topics.

[Raine]

48. I love ignore

it was life saver during the primaries. :thumbsup:

[omega minimo]

51. Well done, Bicoastal, clever and very well done.

:yourock:

[BlueDogMizzou]

56. Thanks, I needed a good chuckle

[WillyT]

58. That's A Classic !!! - K & R !!!

:applause::rofl::applause:

:yourock:

:hi:

[rhett o rick]

61. I agree. But I think I think that there are those that love to be . I personally don't use the

ignore button much. It is easy enough to just ignore the posts trying to start a fight. Yesterday I politely mentioned that I was disappointed in Pres Obama's apparent decision not to investigate bush/cheney war crimes. I was called a hate spewer. Some one not at all interested in discussion but only starting a fight. Ignore.