Ok.
There is a question as to whether or not open government actually serves any purpose whatsoever anymore. Let's test it. This is an idea that should pass, I suspect, as long as there is enough interest so that a quorum is achieved that is. And that is not a given, I'll give you that.

Anyway. We all know that some members of our little community delight in playing games with sock puppets. I'm not naming names but I suspect several and I'm sure others here have their own suspicions from time to time.

I say it's time to stand up and do something about them. Ban them. No matter who it is that is behind the mask.

Now. First of all, there are difficulties behind this. As it is possible that several people log in from the same ip address from a school or a home. So there should be some type of a mechanism for appeal. But, this appeal should be public so that people will be aware that there might be some suspicion of complicity between two users. That they may be one person behind two masks.

Another difficulty would be that there are ways to falsify one's ip address. And this would be impossible to deal with, I'm afraid. Anyone savvy enough to do this is just too savvy to be dealt with openly like this. So there will always remain the possibility of some sock puppet usage. However, I feel that most aren't willing or able to use an anonymizer site in this way. Another difficulty in ip addresses would be dial up users that change their ip address with each log on.

I imagine that there are other difficulties as well. However, most of them seem to fall on the side of leniency. Allowing puppets to slip through the cracks and not the other direction, persecuting innocent people unjustly.

There will always remain the threat of sock puppets and we'll just have to live with it, however some kind of rule against their use would cut down on the games that people play, I should think. I should hope.


I should add that perhaps there should be some type of abuse that would instigate banning. If people create a sock puppet but don't post with it or post sparingly, perhaps it can be overlooked. But, I suspect that the mechanics of enforcement will see to this without need of a specific clause about it. Moderators won't be (or shouldn't be) proactive about seeking sock puppets. They shouldn't just indiscriminately start scanning ip addresses in search of sock puppets. But they should follow hunches or user requests that arise from time to time about specific individuals.



So. What say you?

Yay or nay?
Let's get rid of them.


One last thing. Perhaps another avenue of discussion and perhaps a second vote would be punishment. A form of scarlet letter. Perhaps if a user is found to be wielding a sock puppet army then his/her name should be made public so that we can scorn him/her for the games that people play.


Oh. One last thing. When I say ban them. I don't mean ban them all. They should be allowed one user as their primary user. They just shouldn't be allowed all the pseudonyms.

My sock puppet got banned straight away... I think, wait a second.

Yep, Barry Turd is unable to log in :(

Even so, I voted no.

Don’t you have something better to occupy your time with?

Isn’t gendanken somewhere posting where you can casually drop in on?
You know what I hated, hallway monitors and teachers pets.

All kinds of finger pointers irk me.

Wanderer,

What?
Finger pointing? If anything it would seem that you're pointing the finger at yourself. I made a general statement. (I predict that you'll now say that your statement was general as well and that now I am finger pointing by this last statement. Wily bastard.)

I'd think that you'd be all for the idea seeing as how you seem to enjoy pointing fingers yourself about sock puppets. But. That's all part of the fun, isn't it? For you. Is that it?


Lou,


My sock puppet got banned straight away

Goofyfish has banned sock puppets before for the sole reason that they were sock puppets, but he's arbitrary about it. A rule on the matter would be better than arbitrary action or inaction.

What annoys you about sock puppets anyways? You never tried it?

An interesting question and one that I've pondered for a while.

In the novel Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, the hero's siblings, Peter and Valentine, create alter egos so that they could become politically active while still in their childhood. They had each had a main alter ego, Locke and Demosthenes, but they also created various other 'sock puppets' in order to create what would basically be threads (this was written in 85 when the internet was only a wet spot in DARPA's underwear) which were manipulated by planned responses from the various pseudonyms. If a real person entered the conversation, they would either ignore them altogether or they would give them a stock response prepared beforehand for one of their alter egos, slightly modified to fit the exact response.

Peter and Valentine did this for a purpose. To take over the world. And they succeeded. I suppose one could say that for such purposes that this manipulation might actually be worthwhile. I still find it distasteful as it is inherently dishonest. But at least a purposeful deception has some mitigating factors.

But. The sock puppets that play in here are not purposeful in such a way. They are generally disruptive and are only for 'fun'. If you want to be disruptive then be a man about it and use your main identity while doing so.

I hate liars. And sock puppets are the epitome of liars.

Oh. And I want to add a clause to my proposal. It has been suggested by the good Dr. Lou in another thread that I've made this thread in response to Wanderer's creation of 'alter ego'. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In actuality, it was John Smith who provoked this action. He of the many commas (instead of apostrophes).

The truth is that I don't have a problem with his creation of alter ego because he was open about it. There is no deception in the matter. I still find it stupid but it's not what I'm speaking against with this thread.

So. I'd add a clause that states the only sock puppets to be banned are those which are not openly identified as another member.

Goofyfish has banned sock puppets before for the sole reason that they were sock puppets, but he's arbitrary about it...

Not really... I had to be able to know unquestionably that it was a sock puppet. Porf has since decided that he has no issues with sock puppets, so I have not pursued it unless it was a problem member using a sock puppet to get around a banning.

Obviously, but for the record, I personally don't care for SPs either.

:m: Peace.

What is a sock puppet? having multiple usernames?

What is a sock puppet? having multiple usernames?

Yes.

lol.... wasn't there already a thread about this before?

I realize that I might confuse you, Invert Nexus. I know you think I'm really Wanderer, but I'm not. I'm just a guy named Bob. There's one in every forum.

Besides, sock puppets are quite harmless. The ability to play Devil's advocate is a crucial philosophical skill. Arguing against them might even be more educational and fun than arguing against the real thing.

(even in the case that a person argues against himself).

I hate liars. And sock puppets are the epitome of liars.

In the world where your senses lie to you constantly, in the world where you rely on lies of perception for survival, what is the value of truth and how do you plan to deal with billions of "truths" that walk this planet? Do not hate liars and quit the Christian self-hate.

Puppets conceal my presence and allow me to show different faces I posess.

Allow me to calm you, no puppet on this forum planned to take over the world or this forum by such means :p I've been told there was a sock puppet controlled by several members. That must have been fun.

Also, I agree with Bob.

Bob,

Meh. I don't know if you're a puppet or not. I have my suspicions, but they waver. If you are, at least you're an intelligent one. Unlike some others that I've seen. Now, if you'd made a habit of posting threads such as your fleshy brain organ thread it'd be another story.

It's kinda funny that Wanderer is also highly suspicious of you. All his "...Bob"'s. Bring a smile to my face each time.

I suppose that sock puppets are harmless. But I find them distasteful.

Meh. I don't know if you're a puppet or not. I have my suspicions, but they waver. If you are, at least you're an intelligent one. Unlike some others that I've seen. Now, if you'd made a habit of posting threads such as your fleshy brain organ thread it'd be another story.

That was a heaping dose of sarcasm and irony, not sock-puppetry.

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=42684


It's kinda funny that Wanderer is also highly suspicious of you. All his "...Bob"'s. Bring a smile to my face each time.

I'm quite sure there's a smile on his face when he writes it. Maybe a sardonic, twisted smile, but a smile nonetheless.


I suppose that sock puppets are harmless. But I find them distasteful.

Sock puppets might be tasteful or not, depending on the puppet. I would agree with you that if a single user had a hundred puppets it might clog up the forum, but that's unrealistic. It takes too much time.

Plexus,

Hmm.
Plexus. Rhymes with Nexus.
Should have called yourself covert_plexus. Or am I being paranoid?
Paranoid, I'm sure. You registered a month ago.


In the world where your senses lie to you constantly, in the world where you rely on lies of perception for survival, what is the value of truth and how do you plan to deal with billions of "truths" that walk this planet?

This is true. Certainly. We can never be sure of any perception. We see through the mirror darkly. And we can hardly expect the world to play 'fair' and always maintain an honesty in tune with my sensibilities.

The problem is, of course, one of distaste. I don't like such frivolous deception. It serves no greater purpose. Nothing but fun and games. As I said, I'd be more ok with the idea if the purpose of the puppet was to take over the world. At least that would have some mitigating value. You know?


Do not hate liars and quit the Christian self-hate.

One. I'm not christian and never have been.
Two. I don't hate myself. This is not an issue of self-hate. (Interesting interpretation though.)
Three. Hate is perhaps a bit too strong of a word. It implies a more... compulsive emotion than that which is actually present. Distaste describes it best. I find it... dirty (which is another poor choice of words. Leads also to thoughts of Christian repression.)
Hmm.

Bob does make a good point on devil's advocate, but...
Ok. Here's the thing.
Knowledge.
I am in love with knowledge.
Some have a will to power. I have a will to knowledge. I'm not going to get into a semantical discussion on knowledge vs. wisdom here, but suffice it to say that what I'm talking about is a combination of knowing and understanding. Ok?
So. Knowledge is served by honesty. Through not hiding things. Through open and blunt discussion. It is from this that my distaste for the deception comes from.

However, there is another aspect to the pursuit of knowledge. The pursuit itself. And in this the deception can actually be a useful tool in that it provides both a whetstone upon which to sharpen the ability to discern patterns. It keeps one sharp and on edge.

So. There is a sense of discord between the extremes of this primal pair.
And I'm unsure which to satisfy.

You see. No matter if this rule passes or not, there will still be methods available for sock puppets to manifest. What this would be doing is making it more difficult for them.
So. By extension of the second argument of my discord, this rule would make the sock puppets more effective. It would whet them upon the stone of adversity, so to speak.

Hmm.


Puppets conceal my presence and allow me to show different faces I posess.

And who is the face behind the mask? I wonder...

Anyway. I have multiple aspects to my personality as well. But I am content to display them all in underneath a single user name. In this way my username becomes effectively... me. I don't split myself and limit myself. Making of myself a two-dimensional 'character'.

Popeye said it best when he said, "I am what I am and that's all what I am."


Allow me to calm you, no puppet on this forum planned to take over the world or this forum by such means

Don't be so sure about that...
Well. I guess I'm not a puppet.
(Kidding. I don't want the world. I just want to understand it.)


I've been told there was a sock puppet controlled by several members. That must have been fun.

A will to fun?


Also, I agree with Bob.

Of course you do...
...Bob.


Bob,


That was a heaping dose of sarcasm and irony, not sock-puppetry.

It's called an ass-penny. Asshole.
(I hated you for it because you ridiculed my favorite subject.)


It takes too much time.

It's the people with too much time on their hands that worry me.

Plexus,
Hmm.
Plexus. Rhymes with Nexus.
Should have called yourself covert_plexus. Or am I being paranoid?
Paranoid, I'm sure. You registered a month ago.

lol! Yes, I suspect Plexus. He has only three posts... and he is intelligent, and posted here immediately which is weird for a new poster.


So. Knowledge is served by honesty. Through not hiding things. Through open and blunt discussion. It is from this that my distaste for the deception comes from.

That's not always true. Knowledge can often be a mere illusion if you enter into a discussion with a preconceived idea of what you're looking for. Scientists have wasted their lives testing particles that didn't exist. The embrace of mystery, is key to truth. A revealing, an 'unconcealing', seeing a form coming out of darkness.


Anyway. I have multiple aspects to my personality as well. But I am content to display them all in underneath a single user name. In this way my username becomes effectively... me. I don't split myself and limit myself. Making of myself a two-dimensional 'character'.

Ah, yes. But does it matter if nobody reads into 'you' in depth more than they would that two-dimensional character?

Anyone with a personality to them eventually gets discovered. Those who don't, it doesn't matter one shit.


Of course you do...
...Bob.

lol!


It's called an ass-penny. Asshole.
(I hated you for it because you ridiculed my favorite subject.)


Only because I care, Nexus. Only because I care.

The situation with members using multiple aliases is truly shameful and disgusting.

I, personally, believe it’s a product of minds that lack the personality to be themselves and so resort to alternative methods of hiding who they are or can’t be.

Truly abhorrent behaviour. All of them should be banned.

In particular goofyfish should be banned, because we all know it’s really invert_nexus behind that alias.

They both share that ‘masked collaborator’ psychology and the large mouth of the class nerd stuck on rules and authority, we all remember from school.

Shame on you.

In particular goofyfish should be banned, because we all know it’s really invert_nexus behind that alias.

Curses. I've been found out.
But. At least you have the good sense to realize that the main persona is invert and not the fish.

By the way, why did you lose your title of Wanderer's Shadow? Because I made the statement that only puppets that don't openly display their connection to another username should be banned?
You wily bastard.

Seriously. You haven't acknowledged this, but this thread has nothing to do with you. Lou was wrong.

By the way, your 'class nerd' and school obsession is interesting. You mentioned this earlier with hall monitors and such.
You are a thirty something year old man aren't you? Are you really still caught up in grade school poliitics?


...Bob,


lol! Yes, I suspect Plexus. He has only three posts... and he is intelligent, and posted here immediately which is weird for a new poster.

I more than suspect it. Plexus has pretty much confessed to being a puppet. The only question is who is it?


Knowledge can often be a mere illusion if you enter into a discussion with a preconceived idea of what you're looking for. Scientists have wasted their lives testing particles that didn't exist. The embrace of mystery, is key to truth. A revealing, an 'unconcealing', seeing a form coming out of darkness.

And I said as much when I dealt with the dual aspects. Not only the knowledge (remember, don't get bogged in semantics, I'm talking of a mix of understanding and knowledge) but also the pursuit of knowledge.

A tired old platitude states that if you give a man a fish he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. (If there's a body of water stocked with fish nearby, that is.)

The same goes for knowledge and is one of the things that is sadly lacking in our educational system.
The most important knowledge is the knowledge how to learn.

Not only the knowledge but the desire. The hunger. The need.


Ah, yes. But does it matter if nobody reads into 'you' in depth more than they would that two-dimensional character?

No. It doesn't matter. I'm not here for them.

I think Plexus is Invert_Nexus.

Its the perfect plan. Make a thread about sock puppets and then illustrate why there is a need to ban them by having one yourself.

And while he's at it, add an extra vote to the poll.

Actually if you think about it the word Plexus, meaning a network or some kind, is very close to the meaning of nexus. Nexus refers to the central connection of a network.

Is an plexus just an inverted nexus? Maybe. Or maybe just a nexus.

I'm on to you, Invert.

The next sockpuppet wil be 'sexus'.


(henry miller, nexus, plexus and sexus)

And next, will be Invert_Sexus.

*chuckle*

sorry, couldn't resist.

invert_nexus

By the way, why did you lose your title of Wanderer's Shadow? Because I made the statement that only puppets that don't openly display their connection to another username should be banned?
You wily bastard.Don’t even associate me with that faggot.
Have you seen what people are saying about him over in the ‘It all started with a farm..’ thread?
Looooooooooser!!!!!


By the way, your 'class nerd' and school obsession is interesting. You mentioned this earlier with hall monitors and such.
You are a thirty something year old man aren't you? Are you really still caught up in grade school poliitics?I’ve overcome those days, dude.
When Timmy, stole my baseball-cards and told Bobby that I eat my snot, I did get angry but I forgot about that.

It did hurt me when Suzy told the class that I pissed my pants, but that bitch is fat now, so fuck her.

Maybe it still hurts that my nickname in school was fat-ass –I know creative right- and I was always picked last when we played dodge-ball, but I’m not brooding over it nor am I fantasizing about burning my old school down.
I’m better ever since the therapy and the two year stint in the psych-ward did me some good.

I still have rage against little girls and boys still make me lose control over my bladder, but nothing I can’t remedy with adult-diapers and little orange pills.

invert_nexus
Don’t even associate me with that faggot.
Have you seen what people are saying about him over in the ‘It all started with a farm..’ thread?
Looooooooooser!!!!!


Yeah, this guy is cool. He's not a fag like Wanderer.

At the present moment I can't access my profile so I am relying on this sock puppet to post.

I have forgotten the password to my sockpuppet. :(

Plexus may very well be a puppet. Look at this from the picture thread:

Oh not again! We've discussed numerous times what that symbol means. Just because you're angry it doesn't mean you may act ignorant. He's gone to sleep anyways.

Has he been here long enough to say that? It seems like the Nazi threads are old, and he only joined 2 months ago.

what is a sock puppet, well i know what a sock puppet is although, how do they register, are they like chucky sokc puppets?

what a pethetic and meaningless thread. This isn't open government at all. It's a crappy meaningless discussion at best. I have about ten different sock puppets. I have multiple IP's. catch me if you can, ban me, wateva, i don't care. You can't stop the problem.

That last post seems like a post by coolskillz

It seems also that Nexus is making fun of us all by engaging in a 'discussion' with his many sock puppets.

I hate the idea of people having mutiple nicknames, but really can't see the harm in it. The end is certainly not worth the resources needed to acheive it.

Hey, I wouldnt mind sock puppets so much if I knew who they were. So, tell us all who you are.

(not that I am sure of getting the truth out of anyone)

What's wrong with puppets anyway? I don't see any convincing arguments.


lol! Yes, I suspect Plexus. He has only three posts... and he is intelligent, and posted here immediately which is weird for a new poster.
I posted here immediately after I registered. I don't see how that's weird.

What's wrong with puppets anyway? I don't see any convincing arguments.


I posted here immediately after I registered. I don't see how that's weird.
Dude, this is not your first post. What Bob means is that this particular topic (the one you're currently reading) is a wierd choice for someone's first post, unless of course they have some strange predisposition towards forum-sockpuppets.

Dude, this is not your first post. What Bob means is that this particular topic (the one you're currently reading) is a wierd choice for someone's first post, unless of course they have some strange predisposition towards forum-sockpuppets.
You have a point.

I still don't see how sock puppets are bad.

I repeat. I have no sock puppets. None. I truly find them distasteful hence this thread.

As to good arguments against them. Well, that's the problem exactly. I've no good arguments against them other than distaste. I dislike people joining discussions for amusement rather than a spirit of discovery. I feel that sock puppets demonstrate that amusement-seeking attitude that I find distasteful. But, to ban them would be a form of weakness. To ban them would be asking for an evening of the playing field, so to speak. I need no such advantage in my discussions. In fact, it doesn't matter if a sock puppet takes part in a discussion as long as it takes the discussion seriously.

There can be situations in which sock puppets can be dishonest. One can use sock puppets to 'back up' erroneous information and to lend credence to an argument which has no merit. But, one shouldn't fall prey to such a fallacy. It doesn't matter if a large number of people believe something erroneously. It's still erroneous.

(Erroneous. Reminds me of a rhyme from a drinking game... "Moses supposes his toeses are roses but Moses supposes erroneously, because nobody's toeses are posies of roses as Moses supposes his toeses to be...")

Anyway.
Doesn't matter the polls closed long ago.

And. As to Plexus. It admitted elsewhere (I forget exactly where... somewhere where Wanderer was throwing up his big shit fit about leaving... SpuriousMonkey's MIA thread, I believe it was). That it was a sock puppet. And the way it speaks in here basically admits it as well. The only question is who. And. I find myself utterly disinterested.

I still have a distaste for sock puppets and any user exposed as a sock puppet is sure to fall into my disinterest zone.

repeat. I have no sock puppets. None. I truly find them distasteful hence this thread.

And the argyle one you hide in your pillowcase, you know, the one I've christened Sog, short for soggy.

What about him?
*weak grin?*

Sog?
Oh. But he never plays in the forums, does he?
Oh no.
He's in the pillowcase for a reason, and damn your nicknames....

This reminds me...
Wonder if I could find a pic?
Damn. Can't.
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie has a sock puppet scene. Mr. HooHa or something like that. Been awhile.

Cheech and Chong ruled when I was in my Haight-Ashbury Leary-Ginsberg phase.

Now they're just stupid and broke enough to post on forums.
Like Gendanken.

But anyway, on topic.
I've never gotten why they bother you so.
Sock puppets only bother when they target you specifically, and when they target you specifically, like a Japanese, awake a sleeping giant.
Then you want to get nasty and start smashing things.

Could you imagine Chong posting on the forums?
Cheech is a bitch and I'd just have to kick his ass. Grrr. (Fucking narc.)

Anyway.
Did you know that there were two versions of the Next Movie?
Do you remember the theme? It was the one where Cousin Red came to town from the sticks, right? And Chong had to entertain him? (Ain't that a peach?!)
Well. Red had this huge duffle bag full of weed and Chong worshipped him because of it.
Well, there's another version of the movie where it's a duffle bag full of diamonds. And in this second version, when they get abducted by aliens at the end, they show the aliens. These sexy alien babes who liked diamonds.

Weird.

One thing I learned from that movie in particular? It's always funnier when you throw chickens in.
Always.


As to the topic.
Why do they bother me?

Because they hint at amusement seekers. Game playing. Bored fools trying to amuse themselves.
I just don't like the idea of people playing with things in their boredom that I take seriously. You know? I don't post here to kill time... well. Not always... I post to learn. And to work things out.

And. This thread was started when I was targeted specifically. I forget his name. John Smith? He gave off the signs though. You know what I mean.

Anyway, yeah. I quickly came to the conclusion that they're not as bad as all that.
I still don't like it though.

Have you ever had a sock puppet, Gendanken?
And I don't mean Mrs. Hooha.

Yeah, there's a couple of "john smiths" around. One or both tried to screw with me, but I just clicked the "add user to Ignore List" and now all I get is this:

http://www.sciforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4182&stc=1

But, as you can see he/she is still around.

invert

I've no good arguments against them other than distaste.

you do however, have some good arguments for the continued existence of the puppeteers
the distaste can be managed by...growing up

I dislike people joining discussions for amusement rather than a spirit of discovery. I feel that sock puppets demonstrate that amusement-seeking attitude that I find distasteful.

some examples of a spirit of discovery......

"Could you imagine Chong posting on the forums?
Cheech is a bitch and I'd just have to kick his ass. Grrr. (Fucking narc.)

Anyway.
Did you know that there were two versions of the Next Movie?.........."

"Reminds me of a rhyme from a drinking game... "Moses supposes his toeses are roses but Moses supposes erroneously, because nobody's toeses are posies of roses as Moses supposes his toeses to be...")"

hahaha (amusement....do not hate, do not hate,do n.....,)

I still have a distaste for sock puppets and any user exposed as a sock puppet is sure to fall into my disinterest zone.

liar

Anyway. I have multiple aspects to my personality as well. But I am content to display them all in underneath a single user name. In this way my username becomes effectively... me. I don't split myself and limit myself. Making of myself a two-dimensional 'character'.

you are confused. multi dimensional > good. one dimensional > bad

rather than ask..who are you?
i'd ask...who are you NOW?

clumsy but more in line with the spirit of discovery......

so!
poor lil invert with his petty bigotry and social ineptitude
lets weep
ja?

whats a sock puppett?

Funny how this thread keeps being brought back.

Gustav,


hahaha (amusement....do not hate, do not hate,do n.....,)

Yes. But. One must consider the thread in question. This is not really a thread on deep issues. And it's also a thread that is far past it's prime. The poll is long closed and the matter is closed.

Anyway, there is a huge difference between one who occasionally posts in the spirit of amusement as opposed to being purely devoted to the spirit of discovery and someone who devotes their entire 'character' to playing games. I have no issues with people that occasionally wish to joke around and post frivolously and/or jovially. It's with those who devote their enitre existence to such things that I take issue with.


you are confused. multi dimensional > good. one dimensional > bad

Yeah.
Your reading skills are poor. However, I'll forgive you as I can see a touch of ambiguity in my statement.
What I said was that people who split themselves into a variety of personas, each exploring a particular facet of that person, becomes one-dimensional. And I was actually being nice by granting them an extra dimension. But, even two dimensional creatures are a far cry from a real person.

You probably liked Jackie Paper though, didn't you?


i'd ask...who are you NOW?

Simple. I'll reiterate what I said earlier in this thread: "I am what I am and that's all what I am."

Was your question a sly way of asking me if I'm playing with puppets? I'm not.


poor lil invert with his petty bigotry and social ineptitude

Bigotry? Por que? Because I don't like foolish games?
Social ineptitude? Hardly an issue.

And. As to growing up. I have already conceded, quite early on in fact, that distaste is not so great a reason for my proposal.

So.
Boo.
Who?


Edit:
Ah. I know what happened. You meant to call me a hypocrite but called me a bigot instead.
Funny.

Down, down with sock-puppets.

I prefer the real kind.

This trend towards multiple aliases is truly getting out of hand.
It blemishes this Forum’s fame as a place for introspection and quiet contemplation amongst well-read, fascinating and intelligent peers.

Next thing we’ll have to change the “Intelligent Community” to “Sock-Puppet Neighborhood”.

The only way to rectify this situation is to start expelling the dead weight.

Let’s start by banning Satyr.
He sucks.

Let’s start by banning Satyr.
He sucks.
From what I remember, there have been people that have been banned simply because they said they should be or asked to be. I doubt this would happen to you, but I would be careful about starting any threads on that topic :p

Let’s start by banning Satyr.
He sucks.

You can PM a moderator, or start a thread in the members section with the request to be banned.
This is the surest way to get banned.

You can also start a thread with the request to ban someone else, which will result in a 30-day ban for you.

invert

Yes. But. One must consider the thread in question. This is not really a thread on deep issues.

your point? i think you lie tho. your comfort zone seems to be important to you
ie: everything has to be...just so!

Anyway, there is a huge difference between one who occasionally posts in the spirit of amusement as opposed to being purely devoted to the spirit of discovery and someone who devotes their entire 'character' to playing games. I have no issues with people that occasionally wish to joke around and post frivolously and/or jovially. It's with those who devote their enitre existence to such things that I take issue with.

more confusion. your issue seems to be with certain types of posters rather than with sock puppets. you also seem to be unaware that you are signed on here with the following info....fake name, a nonsensical description and a join date

i hold that invert_nexus is a sock puppet created by you to camouflage and conceal your real identity
so ahh.. wanna post your contact info? what is your real name?

Yeah.
Your reading skills are poor. However, I'll forgive you as I can see a touch of ambiguity in my statement.

sweet. i guess you needed that eh?

What I said was that people who split themselves into a variety of personas, each exploring a particular facet of that person, becomes one-dimensional. And I was actually being nice by granting them an extra dimension. But, even two dimensional creatures are a far cry from a real person.

vert creating bogus scenarios to justify crap

You probably liked Jackie Paper though, didn't you?

do explain
(dear god, the ditty sucked. hopefully you will amuse)

Simple. I'll reiterate what I said earlier in this thread: "I am what I am and that's all what I am."

i do not buy it. the reiteration might, if viewed from a logical standpoint, be fairly accurate. however.....i simply do not see that. think evolution and change. besides, it sounds totally moronic. it says absolutely nothing

*Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am:......

*I am what I am and I'm a horrible liar. I can't do it. I'm just very candid. (Pamela Anderson)

Was your question a sly way of asking me if I'm playing with puppets? I'm not.

no it was not. it would take a creative and fanciful interpretation of the topic post to conclude that you yourself dabble in puppetry

Bigotry? Por que? Because I don't like foolish games?

the issue is puppetry and not your beef with fools. and yes, they are not synonymous

Social ineptitude? Hardly an issue.

perhaps but i prefer to think otherwise

And. As to growing up. I have already conceded, quite early on in fact, that distaste is not so great a reason for my proposal.

and yet you went thru the motions. i find that rather alarming. however, this is a bbs.... no real pain or repercussions.

So.
Boo.
Who?

gendy, is that you?

Edit:
Ah. I know what happened. You meant to call me a hypocrite but called me a bigot instead.
Funny.

the level of confidence you placed in your analysis is misplaced.
hypocritical would be if you maintain a sock puppet
bigoted would be if you rail against em

what is it you do here??

ps: a neuron just fired. it said vert is a religious nut. upon closer examination, it seems too harsh but........

Gustav,


your point?

My point is simplicity itself. This thread is a thread that doesn't fit into the realm of threads in which one should maintain a straight and to the point attitude. For a couple of reasons:
1.) This is a thread on procedure rather than 'deep issues'. However, it certainly has the potential to bring in deeper subjects, but such was not my original intent.
2.) The purpose of this thread is long out of date. The poll was open for a month. And that month is long since gone. Therefore, let the chickens fly. (Because it's always funny when you throw a chicken in.)

(And even if it were. I don't really have a problem, like I've said, with people that occasionally post jovially and frivolously. It's those who always post this way that bother me.)


ie: everything has to be...just so!

Oh? How so?


your issue seems to be with certain types of posters rather than with sock puppets.

Sort of. With the type of person that likes to create an endless portfolio of sock puppets to stir up fun and/or amusement.
(You of course, have a different reason for what you do. And I don't blame you...)


you also seem to be unaware that you are signed on here with the following info....fake name, a nonsensical description and a join date

Fake name? No. A username. It's quite real.
Nonsensical description? What's so nonsensical about it?
Join date? You're saying that I somehow managed to fake my join date? Ok, senor. Whatever you say.


i hold that invert_nexus is a sock puppet created by you to camouflage and conceal your real identity

You're right. I'm really Spookz. I hope GoofyFish doesn't read this...


so ahh.. wanna post your contact info? what is your real name?

I am Spartacus!


vert creating bogus scenarios to justify crap

Uh. No. I was replying to Plexus who admitted to being a sock puppet and using these sock puppets to display different facets of its character. I said that these facets were two-dimension beings rather than a fully-fleshed person because they are only aspects of a person rather than the real thing.


do explain

Nothing too technical. Merely a visual analogy. Jackie Paper has only two dimensions...
(And the ditty sucked because it had only one... Well, two if you count the fact that it was really about getting stoned but masqueraded as a children's tune...)


i do not buy it. the reiteration might, if viewed from a logical standpoint, be fairly accurate. however.....i simply do not see that. think evolution and change. besides, it sounds totally moronic. it says absolutely nothing

It says everything. I am what I am. Not by the grace of god. And not because I'm a horrible liar (although I am). But just because.
What's so difficult about it. Just because I am what I am doesn't meant that I wasn't what I was or that I won't be what I will be. It doesn't imply stasis.
(And, by the way, this statement will probably get me in some slight trouble in a conversation I'm having elsewhere. It comes close to the concept of Zen which I deny as a legitimate philosophy. It all comes down to baggage though. Zen has too much bullshit added to it. It's not clean. And this is my problem with it. Anyway. That's another conversation.)


the issue is puppetry and not your beef with fools. and yes, they are not synonymous

By definition, they are. At least by my definition. Sock puppetry is a foolish game. This doesn't mean that those who play such games are idiots. Just fools.


perhaps but i prefer to think otherwise

C´est la vie.


gendy, is that you?

Sniff sniff.
Are you a blood hound?
What's under the sheet?


the level of confidence you placed in your analysis is misplaced.
hypocritical would be if you maintain a sock puppet
bigoted would be if you rail against em

Hypocritical: "some examples of a spirit of discovery......"
Really. Do I have to do everything for you?

Anyway. Bigot:

One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
So. I guess my 'group' would be the group of non-puppetmasters? And I am intolerant to those who differ from my group by having puppets?
I'd call this a weak analogy. But if you want to go with it, go with it.


ps: a neuron just fired. it said vert is a religious nut. upon closer examination, it seems too harsh but........

What a strange neuron you have there. It must get you into a miniscule amount of trouble. Miniscule because a single brain cell doesn't carry one very far, does it?

Invert_nexus does have a puppet: his anima. Please excuse him, like those with the multiple personality disorder, he will not acknowledge that he has one; unless he undergoes treatment, of course.

Plexus,

Tricky little persona, you are.
I still wonder who it is that animates you.

As to the anima. Well, there are various labels for the inner beasties, aren't there? Anima is one. Animus is another. Interpretive mechanism. Id. Ego. Superego. Unconscious. Subconscious. The list goes on and on.

I don't deny these aspects exist. But, they exist within me. And they are all expressed through a single personality. It is this that makes a personality complete rather than paper.

Like you, Little Plexus Paper.

I like sock puppets. what's wrong with them anyway?

who do they harm?

the answer. No-one.

They can harm a debate by a seeming majority decision.
You can get a buttload of sock puppets in a thread agreeing to some inanity and overwhelm an argument.
You can plan out a series of statements, retorts, and etc that lead a thread down a desired path to manipulate people to hold one sentiment or another.

So you should have no problem accepting that I am your anima. Let us shake hands!

Oh ho!
Should have known you'd pull that one.
Stupid me.

Well. If you're claiming to be my anima, then that limits the scope of who you are really. Assuming that you're telling at least part of the truth.

Here. I'll give you something else to shake. Hold your hand lower.

And. As to growing up. I have already conceded, quite early on in fact, that distaste is not so great a reason for my proposal.

and yet you went thru the motions. you allowed the poll to continue.
lets imagine another scenario

you hate gays. you start a ban poll. concede that your prejudices against gays is not sufficent grounds for a ban. yet the poll continues and is made law.

gays are history
all because of a megalomaniacal mutt who could not figure out the consequences of his frivolous ban proposals based on false premises

why did you not call for an end to the poll and nullify results?

(And the ditty sucked because it had only one... Well, two if you count the fact that it was really about getting stoned but masqueraded as a children's tune...)

what a crackpot you are. go peddle this crap in the pseudo science forums.

It is what its writers have always claimed (http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.htm) it to be: a song about the innocence of childhood lost.

The strength of sock-puppets rests in the effect they have on the human psyche of creating a popular sentiment, even if it is artificial.
Morons - of which this forum has an abundance of – are easily swayed by numbers or by multiple attacks, giving the impression of isolation and exclusion to the assaulted.

In my case they leave me indifferent.
Mainly because I’ve created an army of aliases to support my feeble psyche and to create the illusion of popularity.

I leave it up to you to figure out which of me are parts of me and which are not.
All I can do is promise to admit to the facts.

I am not only a sock-puppet, but I am a sock-puppet’s sock-puppet.

ugabuga is J.B

Sock puppets utterly destroy the meaning of a ban. On other forums, evading a ban by using a sockpuppet is sensible known as "Ban evasion", and the offenders are permabanned, even if they were evading a week ban.

http://khayman.osnn.net/threadpics/banstick_lg.jpg

A good old mass b7 solves all forum problems

Time to crack down on ban evasion using sock puppets, I think.

May we inquire what the policy is on sock puppets of people who do not have a temporary ban?

Personally, I'm not in favour of sock puppets of any kind. However, there's no specific policy on this. As far as I know, the moderators have never discussed it.

sock puppets should not be allowed

they give a person more than one vote in polls for one reason

invert gave a good reason too
and that is they can tip a debate in favor of the sock puppets

they give a person more than one vote in polls for one reason
Are these polls anything more than idle entertainment?

Are these polls anything more than idle entertainment?

Are you MAD??? The future of humanity is at stake and only the polls can decide it!!

Oh right :p then I guess we can't allow sock puppet paths to vote.

...I mean, sock puppets. Without the paths. Sock. Puppets. Yep.

Path isn't a proper sock puppet is he? Because the original has been destroyed?

I didn't know he was originally ... but since it's part of his name, I have to make fun of it.

uhmm...i meant he used to be path...but path isn't used anymore.

:o

Unintentionally left path at my old workplace (it was at a time when I wasn't posting much) have asked many times to get the password sent to my new email to no avail. It seems we are bound to the email we register with.

Does that mean we can George Bush because Dick Cheney has his arm up GWB's arse and is moving his lips for him? :p

howdy is happehs sock puppet

Or, perhaps Happeh is really Howdy's sock puppet and really they're both actually Socks.

Remember - he owns us all y'know.

Up with those socks. I like socks. They are especially good when you have feet. You know, those things with toes?

Yes, well, anyway, I hate it when the heel gets worn through. They always take me by surprise. What a bunch of assholes, eh?

i meant he used to be path...but path isn't used anymore.

:o

The path got overgrown with honey locusts. They are prickly, if you don't watch it. That is nature. I'm sure you know something about that, don't you Monkey Brain?

Maybe i would understand your post if I spoke hobbit.

we'll have to put up with him till buddha gets back

What does Buddha coming and leaving have to do with anything. You think he's going to be stretching my ____ when he reappears? How do you know I have a _____?

I like popcorns. Popcorniness is the newfangled.

Personally, I'm not in favour of sock puppets of any kind. However, there's no specific policy on this. As far as I know, the moderators have never discussed it.

I think I have noted a sockpuppeteer at work who uses a different 'sock' for different forums. I can see the value of this in the manner that this individual seems to use them. It saves his extreme views in one thread clouding viewers opinions of his other views in other threads. I can see the value of this. It does deter trolls too. Myself though I think it's friendlier if we can stand by our views regardless as at the end of the day we are still annonymous posters so why worry about puppets?

I think we should have game to identify socks and their masters and if not against the rules mods can tell us if we are correct or not? This in itself may deter the use of them?

I think I have noted a sockpuppeteer at work who uses a different 'sock' for different forums. I can see the value of this in the manner that this individual seems to use them. It saves his extreme views in one thread clouding viewers opinions of his other views in other threads. I can see the value of this. It does deter trolls too. Myself though I think it's friendlier if we can stand by our views regardless as at the end of the day we are still annonymous posters so why worry about puppets?

I think we should have game to identify socks and their masters and if not against the rules mods can tell us if we are correct or not? This in itself may deter the use of them?


first guess

puppett grifiths (the roaring one) = devilsreject

no no no no no

i am not mr griffiths

no no no no no

i am not mr griffiths

hehe, Goofy or James would you mind confirming this please?

But you see now devil the error of your sock puppetting ways, who are your real puppets then?

well actually i started out as the sock puppet of jax0509 but i liked this name better so i stuckwith this, i couldnt care if jax was banned

Why would anyone feel the need to create a sock puppet? Is it because one might be afraid of one's views being too outrageous. Surely not a problem here if some of the posting are taken at face value. A forum such as this allows anyone to be something they are or are not if they so wish. Or to express views which contradict previous ones. So out all ye sock puppets let your views be known. Let battle, or negotiation, commence....

I think you have a problem if you are ashamed by your own views.

well again i say why sock puppet at all
don't underestimate how many people are shamed by their own views
ask any shrink

im not ashamed with my views, heck look at some of my posts using thedevils... they are pretty offensive but again i dont care

well good for you

guess who ToR

guess who ToR

Griffiths

bitch

O my God Foley Might Be Cloining Him Self, What A Disgusting Thought, (puking sound just sick)

bitch

Griffiths

Stop that. Devils is absolutely not griffiths.

Stop that. Devils is absolutely not griffiths.

prove it

you are devil, nah you're too clever to be devil

cancer is too good a death for you ToR

you are also the same person who said that elliah was buddah, you are one paranoid bitch ToR

are you hiding something

ToR you got a mod to prove yet you still wont quit CMON WOMAN are your brains in your orbs at the moment