It's like he's mocking everyone on purpose. I was surprised that he didn't get more of a negative reaction from you guys when he first began posting. I was waiting for someone to tell him off. It's not even necesarilly the content of what he says so much as the presentation and tone of it. You guys have more class...much more. This guy comes off as a demented pervert getting off on making people squirm.

It's a hard call, because half of me was going, This child is just new, and eventually he will catch up, and then he will look at his old posts and die of shame; and the other half was going, If he were saying anti-Firefly things with exactly the fevor and tone he uses for pro-Firefly slogans, we'd have called him a troll.

My halves have united. He may be deliberately antagonistic; or he may just be stupid. But whichever he is, he is it *too much* for him to be a valuable, or even tolerable, member of this board.

That is my vote.

t edit

And

Thanks, Denise, for phrasing that so well.

wrod.

Thanks for chipping in, Denise. It's good to get a different perspective on this.

I think the "do not feed" works for folks like averagejoe. Less so for someone who might actually participate in a conversation for a second or two.

I think you're probably right ita, but I still think it should be the first line of (non-)attack.

Oh, not arguing. Just explaining. They are two very different troll mindsets, but it's hard to tell which is which off the top.

Yep. Absolutely.

No problem. I just hate to see you guys over here agonizing over trying to be fair to everybody, when if he put even half that effort into monitoring his own behavior, there wouldn't be a problem. Some people just don't "get it" because they simply don't want to. No amount of words, explanations or warnings from any of you, logical though they may be, can fix that. You guys run a great board. If he doesn't want to acclimate himself to become a part of it...*shrugs*...the hell with him.

Thanks, Denise - well said.

Also well said...

Please have respect for our there-when-you-got-there mores. If you offend them without having intended to, we will tell you, politely, as we do and did; then, your path is (I feel) to absolutely take a polite, apologetic tone. If you feel you were warned too hastily, or within a double standard, you absolutely may argue with us; but your basic tone *must* be a polite one. This is our sandbox. You are the newbie. Argue; but you must be brilliant to make us change our minds about something we've already had sixty thousand posts in the Bureaucracy thread about; but, then again, it is possible. Be polite and brilliant. Certainly. Surprise us.

This could almost go in the FAQ. And Kristen's point is also valuable. His lack of responsiveness to being told he was offensive is telling. It's a good Red Flag for all of us to keep in mind when we're looking at these situations.

I just hate to see you guys over here agonizing over trying to be fair to everybody, when if he put even half that effort into monitoring his own behavior, there wouldn't be a problem.

Ah, this isn't agonizing. You should've seen it before we set this board up. That was a lengthy discussion. Actually, I think these are good test cases for us to learn how to patrol our beat. We do prefer to err on the side of inclusiveness - that's always been a strong community value.

The Constitutional argument about the managing of just this kind of situation went on and on and on ... ::sigh:: It was good we did it, though. I'm very glad we have a process in place.

It's funny. Generally I get very, well, stressed in an internet dispute. I know from experience that logic and courtesy won't win the day, and that I'm going to walk away upset and dissatisfied. Sometimes I lose sleep going over what I should have said and how could they say that?

But I'm not upset here, today. I'm quite calm, not bothered about the poster's presence or the board response. Because I feel supported by the community and the board, and I'm secure in the knowledge that we have the tools to effect a change if necessary. It's quite liberating.

Rock on, Buffistas. Every day this community surprises me a little more, and in a good way.