On receiving anonymous comments.

[davywavy]

Well, I’ve been getting anonymous hatemail on LJ again. I periodically consider turning on IP logging, but you know I’m so fascinated by the endless variety of humanity that I never get around to it – after all, anonymous illiterates wouldn’t post to me if I did turn it on, and they’re just as interesting as anybody else. I suppose I regard anonymous posters in the same light as the HG Wells’ Martians regarded general humanity: ”… watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than theirs; …they were being scrutinised and studied, perhaps as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water….”
Oh, if you’re wondering what I’m referring to, it’s here.

I often wonder why people don’t put their names to what they write. I mean, it’s not like they say any worse to me than ukmonty or puddingcat or rosamicula do on a daily basis, and they’re brave enough to put their comments to my face, so why not others? I mean, these faceless posters - do their mothers know how they’re spending their evenings? Maybe they do…

The scene: A squalid terraced house, filled with chintz, chipboard furniture and a flight of plaster ducks up one wall. The air is filled with the scent of rancid chip-fat, week old socks, and Regal King Size. Ian (Internet Anonymous Numpty) has come home with big news for his parents)
Ian: “Mam, mam! I’ve something to tell you. I made my first abusive anonymous internet post today!”
Mother: “Did you son? Oh, son. We’re so proud. Your father and me always hoped you’d grow up to do something like that. (Shouts) Did you hear that Gerald?”
Father (Appears at the top of the stairs. He’s a fat, balding little man with a moustache, dressed in a string vest) “What is it Mabel? I was telling someone in Arizona that they’re a Suxxor LusR from an unidentifiable mail client.”
Mother: “It’s our Ian He called someone names anonymously on the internet today.”
Father: (Comes downstairs. It may be seen that he’s flushed and sweating, and his palms are sticky) “Son. I’m right proud of you. Ever since great uncle Egbert used Marconis telegraph to tell someone in New York they were a prat more than a hundred years ago, random, anonymous abuse has been a proud tradition in our family. I’m glad you’re carrying it on. I hope one day you’ll have a son of your own…”
Mother: “He’ll have to get a girlfriend first.”
Father: “Plenty of time for that, Mabel. Why, we didn’t start courting until I was forty-three and mother let me out of the house unaccompanied for the first time.”

I suppose this is what happens in the home lives of these people. I’m glad I was raised with different expectations of success, is all I’m saying.

Comments

So...

[applez.livejournal.com]

Quite a pet peeve of yours then?

Re: So...

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Peeve? Not really. I find it funny than anything else.

[inskauldrak.livejournal.com]

The thing is, that set of anonymous posts really doesn't seem to hit the spot.

After all, they crudely try to 'imply' they know stuff about you in the hope you'll say "no, that was when me and xxx was 15 and she's lost a lot of weight since then" or similar nonsense.

If they'd done their research, they'd have known that bait wouldn't have been taken... unless of course they're stupid... ah.... yes ; )

*grin* I bet you're just ttying to make a leet-stalker an LJ fashion accessory and have dozens lined up on your agency's books! : )

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

If I've got someone posting stuff like that, I count it as a tick in the 'win' box - they hate me enough to post abuse, but they're too scared of me to sign it. Score!

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Nice :/

I see that, not only are they too cowardly to sign their name, they're too cowardly to insult these weighty women of yours to their faces. At least, I assume they are; who knows what [name deleted] has been receiving recently?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

There have been weighty women? I'm not sure I ever noticed - and definitely not recently :)

Here's a thought....

[arralethe.livejournal.com]

Disable anonymous posting on your LJ as a matter of course. I'm not Nerdy enough to do IP tracing but my general belief is, if you're not strong enough to put your name to what you say, then the opinion isn't worth the virtual space it's written in - at least put your name to it so we can all laugh at you :)

Re: Here's a thought....

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Oh, but I have people like Grim and my sister who occasionally pop up to give me their 2p worth. Not all my readers have LJ accounts.

Re: Here's a thought....

[arralethe.livejournal.com]

well, these days it's not hard to get an LJ account - you can just sign up for one rather than have to have a code from a mate with LJ. You could nudge them and say that they don't have to publish in their LJ, but it will deter the witless masses from failing to entertain us all.

Re: Here's a thought....

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

But I *like* the witless masses. they entertain me, like those strange creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.

[cygny.livejournal.com]

Hm, never had an anonymous poster call me names before, I guess this does say something about the content of my posts :P
Although I'm not sure what that one you referred to was going on about, I somehow just got lost more than anything else. But I do hope that Ian will stick up for himself after this post about him :D

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

You just need to be more arrogant and insufferable. It alienates people ever so quickly.

[cygny.livejournal.com]

How does one become arrogant and insufferable? How did you? :)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Years of practise.

[arralethe.livejournal.com]

Don't believe him, it's hereditary.

[(Anonymous)]

U R0XX0R

Next time some1 flamez me im gonna show him thiz so he nows he is a nolife LAMR

hey la my boyfriend's back

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Bless. Pat pat pat.

Re: hey la my boyfriend's back

[arralethe.livejournal.com]

a) Stop listening to Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits.
b) See, it's the Krankies.

Re: hey la my boyfriend's back

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you just demonstrated you know it too :)

[ex-boog351.livejournal.com]

Do you care enough to have a suspected identity for this person?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

No, not really. I keep them for their amusement value.

[(Anonymous)]

well I can explain the very first anon comment you got - the 'oi ozzy' one. That was me, and it was anonymous because i do not possess an LJ and I do not know you or ozzy at all. It was simply a reaction to what I perceived as a weightist statement!

The anon comments that followed WERE NOT me.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh yes they were.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Netiquette generally requires some sort of identification on posts, for two main reasons:

1) The vast majority of people of anonymous posts are posted in spite and so the recipients tend to see all anonymous posts as being threatening and intimidating. Fortunately I don't, but you run the risk of having that effect if you post anonymously. Which puts the onus upon you: who are you?

2) People don't feel any need to be polite to anonymous posteers for the above reasons. If you're posting in genuinecomments, do you want people being randomly rude to you?

And as for Ozzy being weightist - like I say, he was referring to a specific anecdote of mine, which I'm happy to share with anyone who shows their face.

[(Anonymous)]

I'll happily tell you my name, but you'll still be none the wiser as to who I am, so what's the point in telling you? I got the impression from what you were saying that I should get a Livejournal to stop people randomly being rude to me. But how would acquiring a Livejournal be 'showing my face?' I could still enter a load of bogus shite as my user info and be just as anonymous as I'm being here. I'd argue that if people have public journals that ALLOW anon comments, they shouldn't be surprised when they get them and they should.. y'know, judge each by what they say?

I'm James, will you tell me the anecdote now?