Problematic Thread Titles? by BYTEMITE

Here are two examples.

"Right Wing Says Thousands Expected At ‘Ex-Gay Lobby Day On Capitol Hill;’ Less Than Ten Arrived" ~ Niki

"Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to be fired by years end, liberals plan big party" ~ Whozits

According to the issue discussed in the first thread, both sides appear to be bothered whenever the other side stereotypes them.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 10:46 AM

Another few I'm assuming are problematic.

Instead Of Focusing On Things That Matter, Senate Republicans Forcing Vote On 20 Week Abortion Ban ~Niki

Implication here is that something that some of our right wing members on board are concerned about doesn't matter.

Questions that conservatives can't/refuse to answer ~1kiki

Implication and generalization that conservatives (on the board) are not being honest or are unable to answer for whatever reasons.

Scientist invents machine so Libtard Democrats can eat fly maggots for dinner ~ Pirate News

Why Libtard Democrats should not own guns ~ Pirate News

I'm assuming left wing posters don't like to be called "libtards."

PIRATENEWS infests Squirrels with plague to kill all hippies. ~ oldenglanddry

Direct response and parody of PN's posts.

Liberal media loses it's greatest whore at age 92 ~ whozits

Problems here are PROBABLY obvious.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 10:48 AM

I also note that I'm interested in investigating the possibility that some reactions may be keyed in to combinations of specific title topics and usernames.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 12:00 PM

WHOZIT

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
I also note that I'm interested in investigating the possibility that some reactions may be keyed in to combinations of specific title topics and usernames.

So all titles should be to the point and bland? So you wouldn't click a post with the titles like;

Obama gets his dick caught in his fly *Photos*

Biden forgets his own name

Keith Olbermann's remains found in Fresno crack house

Chris Matthews admit's that he's a dick

NIKI2 posts a thread that isn't a big steaming pile of shit

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 12:07 PM

Nah, this is investigative.

I'm more trying to compile threads that get a reaction and why, to better understand things that might bother or trigger people.

Other people might also find the information useful.

However... Yes, I actually do tend to avoid thread titles about specific politicians on either side or any thread title with the word "democrats" "republicans" "liberals" "conservatives" "right wing" or "left wing" in it. Because I mostly figure they'll become a flame war by the phenomena I've described.

I went into the thread where Niki and Geezer were talking mostly because I was intrigued by the subject enough to overlook the prominent "right wing" mention in the title.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 12:27 PM

Additional side note: would like thread titles posted here to be real threads from this board?

Nothing made up, or pulled from a different forum/web-site.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 1:17 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Byte, the only reaction this thread has gotten thus far should show you where it will go. People DELIBERATELY put up titles to provoke one another...that's the way the game is played. Honey, everyone here knows what provokes the "other side" perfectly well.

The one you cited to me was also a title I quoted, tho' it was from a different article than the one I ended up posting. I tend to start with one article if I think it's worth quoting, then often end up following links to other articles which I decide are better written, etc., and edit to delete the original quote and quote from the second article instead. I rarely put up anything that I haven't read from several sources, which is why I often quote several different articles, so sometimes I screw up. I will be more careful in making sure the title matches the material I put up in the END, in future.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 1:36 PM

Well... In the very least it'll be informative for me. I think there's nuances on both sides that I'm missing out on, so it'll help if I investigate and look more carefully at what exactly it is that people are posting.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 1:40 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

I take back my advice; if it does something for YOU, then that's absolutely sufficient validity. Just didn't want you to get your hopes up. ;o)

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 1:48 PM

WHOZIT

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Well... In the very least it'll be informative for me. I think there's nuances on both sides that I'm missing out on, so it'll help if I investigate and look more carefully at what exactly it is that people are posting.

Alec Baldwin punches Goofy at Disneyland, blames it on allergies

Would you click that?

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 3:29 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Byte, I don't mean to threadjack, but I didn't want to put this up as a specific, separate thread and it pertains to your investigating, and you did say "there's nuances on both sides that I'm missing out on, so it'll help if I investigate and look more carefully at what exactly it is that people are posting."

So here's one I took the time to research, maybe it'll help you understand. In another thread Rap has said he doesn't always respond to anything I put up, which is accurate...tho' if I were to go back and check every thread I ever put up about global warming, I'd bet dollars to donuts he's firs, usually pretty quicklyt.

Nonetheless, out of the two most recent pages of threads, 27 that I put up (yeah, I've been bored the last couple of days, and a good third of them sink from lack of interest, which is fine with me), Rap responded first 8 times and second or within the first three respondents 3 more. That's approximately 1/3 of the time.

But notice HOW he responds:

On rape in the military (thread initially about campus rape): "Where's the Commander OF Chief in all this ?"

On Russia's anti-gay law: "What once use to be the Left wing utopia..."

On the Alaskans being displaced: "Scare tactics ... Yawn" (And you remember the rest of what he had to say on that)

On San Diego Mayor's sexual harrassment: "Did Obama call ONE of the women..."

On news US manufacturing has improved: "1.7% growth. Worst President ever."

On Sea Level rising faster: "Just the planet being the planet."

On N.C. cutting early voting hours and requiring ID: "Simple, smart thing to do. Anyone who thinks this is a problem is lying."

On Obamacare working: "It's a job killer and it's hurting PEOPLE and FAMILIES. We're not " workers ", you communist pig."

Do you see a pattern here? No "discussion", no contributions of substance, just denial and/or snark, with the addition of ostensibly calling me a liar and flatly calling me a "communist pig".

Mal4 called this to your attention in another thread with " he always ALWAYS does his best to get things off the rails of the OP and into partisan bickering." Not always, but the pattern is easy to spot after a certain amount of time, and I've come to believe it's quite deliberate. She's also right in that " That is far more the cause of the problems in RWED than thread titles", and it's frequently the cause of threadjacking into sniping. The options are to ignore him (which is difficult when so consistently provoked), refute him (which gives him reason to do it again) or mock/snark at him. It's a tactic Jong and zit and wulf are fond of, as well.

If you really wanted to investigate, you could glance at the threads I respond to, and how I respond initially, and I think you wouldn't find anything like the same pattern. I more often ignore the obviously-partisan threads because I know where they're going, and I try to offer SOMETHING to the discussion. Rap, not so much, if at all.

That might help explain to you also why you calling me out frustrates me to the extent it does.

Rap is quick to note how he was pleasant in the "Mouse" thread. I accepted long ago that Rap and I have some sort of "understanding", that on issues of animals, and sometimes science, astronomy, etc., we can converse quite pleasantly. That has no bearing whatsoever on the rest of what I've said.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 3:53 PM

MY thread: "Is this the most embarrassing interview Fox has ever done?" pretty inflammatory, but it's a direct quote of the title of the source story.

Conversely, my John McCain thread was intended to be snarky and provoking, but the header was deliberately bland.

kiki: are you a libertarian or a wannabe?

Most anything PN posts, of course.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 5:12 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

I note that the last thread I originated was titled "Suit challenging Va. gay marriage ban to be filed".

So far it has had 27 views but no responses.

Could it be that no one cares?

Or did I not insult enough people?

"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 5:55 PM

Quote:
Byte, I don't mean to threadjack, but I didn't want to put this up as a specific, separate thread and it pertains to your investigating, and you did say "there's nuances on both sides that I'm missing out on, so it'll help if I investigate and look more carefully at what exactly it is that people are posting."

That's okay. I threadjack all the time.

I see that "On Russia's anti-gay law: "What once use to be the Left wing utopia..." "On N.C. cutting early voting hours and requiring ID: "Simple, smart thing to do. Anyone who thinks this is a problem is lying." and On Obamacare working: "It's a job killer and it's hurting PEOPLE and FAMILIES. We're not " workers ", you communist pig." are all insults, either personal or generalized towards left-wing board members.

I did call out the left wing utopia thing, though I haven't seen the other two yet. I've been focusing on thread titles for this investigation.

But a lot of AURaptor's other comments are not insults. They're anti-left and anti-Obama opinions, and do have some elements of a knee-jerk reaction as opposed to carefully constructed arguments. But I wouldn't really categorize them with other stuff I've seen on the board.

Also the point of the thread isn't really about proving that one side is worse than another, because I don't think such a conclusion either way would help anyone. Both sides already think they know the answer to this one and I can't exactly constitute a popular consensus by myself.

However, I appreciate that you found a use for my thread and that you're trying to support the investigative process.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 6:04 PM

Quote:

I note that the last thread I originated was titled "Suit challenging Va. gay marriage ban to be filed".

So far it has had 27 views but no responses.

Could it be that no one cares?

Or did I not insult enough people?

More that it's not controversial enough. Most of the people who are around on the board right now would agree with the suit. And agree with you about the civil rights/ freedoms/ constitutionality aspects. And are even excited about the possibilities represented by this suit.

I read it and really didn't have much to say. The thread said it all and I couldn't really add anything.

I'm sorry though. It always kinda sucks when you post a thread and it feels like it gets ignored. It really wasn't, if that helps.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 6:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by whozit:
Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Well... In the very least it'll be informative for me. I think there's nuances on both sides that I'm missing out on, so it'll help if I investigate and look more carefully at what exactly it is that people are posting.

Alec Baldwin punches Goofy at Disneyland, blames it on allergies

Would you click that?

Ehm, maybe? I'm not actually very interested in celebrities either. I kinda put them in the same group as politicians - far away people who I don't know who have no impact on me and I have no influence with them.

Except Firefly cast and crew but you know how that is. I have a personal investment in the show that transcends the distance.

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Thursday, August 1, 2013 6:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
MY thread: "Is this the most embarrassing interview Fox has ever done?" pretty inflammatory, but it's a direct quote of the title of the source story.

Conversely, my John McCain thread was intended to be snarky and provoking, but the header was deliberately bland.

kiki: are you a libertarian or a wannabe?

Most anything PN posts, of course.

I actually am not sure that your Fox interview thread qualifies... None of the right-wing board members really posted in a negative way on that one, despite the attack on Fox News.

But that's just how I see it, it's possible there was a reaction in the form of comments about msnbc made on that thread. But it still doesn't seem to me like it's personal on either side or particularly provocative. However, I'm trying to learn so if someone does find it provocative I would be interested in hearing about it.

I did not notice your John McCain thread.

1kiki's thread might be provocative because it was posted by 1kiki. I'm not sure if it had been posted by AuRaptor or Jongstraw that anyone on the right would have reacted.

On the other hand, I've avoided posting on Sig's "what is libertarianism" thread because I felt like it was a trap - perhaps a similar principle is at work here.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 2:27 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

My intent was not to "prove" one side was "worse" than the other, at this point, aside from a few specific posters, I don't think either "side" is demonstrably worse than the other. You said you wanted to better understand, so I was pointing out a pattern which, in my opinion, contributes considerably to threads becoming rancorous. And it's not about "insults". It's about posting in such a way as to be provocative, to get a rise out of people, rather than actually engaging in communication. That is all I was trying to point out, as you seemed to be interested in understanding the dynamics.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 5:09 AM

Hmm. Okay, I'll take this into consideration.

Part of this investigation is about the way both sides react to certain arrangements of words... And how people react to that reaction... And how that might contribute to tensions. So it's a valid observation.

I still am not sure I'm prepared to expand this beyond thread titles because if we go into threads I'd end up having to post every line from every thread it seems like.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 5:34 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

I certainly don't think you should expand it...I don't think you should even bother with this thread. You're investigating doesn't need to go beyond your own edification, mine doesn't (for myself) and it's still quite informative for me. Making it public, in my view, will only have it end up just like the previous threads on conduct here...sniping back and forth until it eventually disappears, and nothing will change.

Give your previous attempts, Byte, can you tell me what result you expect your efforts to have on anyone else? Rhetorical question, that; given previous efforts have never changed anything, what do you get out of it, is what I wonder.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 6:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
use it was posted by 1kiki. I'm not sure if it had been posted by AuRaptor or Jongstraw that anyone on the right would have reacted.

On the other hand, I've avoided posting on Sig's "what is libertarianism" thread because I felt like it was a trap - perhaps a similar principle is at work here.

I thought kiki's thread title was inflammatory because it was a direct shot at them . " Are YOU.... a wannabe? " Thought that'd bring 'em out in droves.
On the other hand, Sig's libertarianism thread has brought out good, polite discussion, and it seems to me, a good deal of exchange of ideas and opinions, without a lot of anger. at least yet.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 9:00 AM

just came across whozit's thread, "it happened in Fresno."

Sounds like a really bad B-list, horror movie

"IT HAPPENED...

in...

(wait for it...)

FRESNO!!!"

See the total destruction!
Watch the Alien Invaders menace the people!
View the carnage!
Witness the awesome response!
Featuring a cast of thousands of Hollywood's greatest,
incredible special effects, and an unlimited budget.

"I couldn't stay in my seat."-- Roger Ebert

"Better than Snakes on a Plane."-- Nathan Fillion

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Friday, August 2, 2013 9:06 AM

Snakes on a Plane was disappointing. I was really expecting more spoof but it stopped being funny about a quarter of the way through and only started again like a half hour from the ending. And the horror tropes in the middle were cliches.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 9:16 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
On the other hand, I've avoided posting on Sig's "what is libertarianism" thread because I felt like it was a trap - perhaps a similar principle is at work here.

Well, hey! C'mon down!

I'm just really really interested in understanding how libertarians respond to things like monopolies, extreme imbalances in economic power, the rare person who likes to amass power and sees it as a game, etc. Yanno, understand what libertarians suggest under various circumstances. Read "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" ... got the T-shirt and mug... but thinking that some libertarians here aren't Ayn Randists. And I think that we're just getting into some extremely interesting points, so now might be a good time to jump in.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 9:40 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Anyway BYTE: the problem isn't with the thread titles, the problem is that some people post because they DON'T want a conversation. And that's OK in my book: I get a lot of info just reading the titles. And I don't even have to listen to FauxNews to catch up on my right-wing talking points! So I appreciate the posters here who put up stuff without-or with- provocative titles.

What I don't appreciate are people who spam the board with endless streams of trivia.

Anyway, for all of those who post interesting news, with or without provocative titles: THANK YOU. (You too Geezer. I read but don't often reply due to limited time, but appreciate the catch-up.)

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Friday, August 2, 2013 10:19 AM

Quote:
What I don't appreciate are people who spam the board with endless streams of trivia.

Hmmm. I think I will interpret this as a hint that I should find more science articles to post in addition to my board relations side projects.

Actually and Frem sent me an scientific article recently that I thought had some very valid points, so I think I'll start with that (giving credit where it's due of course).

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Friday, August 2, 2013 10:48 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Byte- sorry, not hinting in your direction, certainly. Aimed more at Jongsstraw, who (fortunately) seems to have gotten past his "I'm gonna fill up the board whether or not I have anything to post" motivation .

Science, by all means! Or anything else you're interested in! Sorry again.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 12:12 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Okay, NewOld, if I didn't have a button on my thermos that I have to click to drink, we'd be even for keyboards (see? I got smart a long time ago and gave up cups!). That was a good 'un! :o)

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Friday, August 2, 2013 12:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
On the other hand, I've avoided posting on Sig's "what is libertarianism" thread because I felt like it was a trap - perhaps a similar principle is at work here.
Well, hey! C'mon down!

I'm just really really interested in understanding how libertarians respond to things like monopolies, extreme imbalances in economic power, the rare person who likes to amass power and sees it as a game, etc. Yanno, understand what libertarians suggest under various circumstances. Read "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" ... got the T-shirt and mug... but thinking that some libertarians here aren't Ayn Randists. And I think that we're just getting into some extremely interesting points, so now might be a good time to jump in.

Trap is maybe not what I meant - more like "I'm almost certain I'm going to throw another tantrum if I even try to participate."

It is yet another aspect of this very investigation I am conducting, where in knee jerk reactions are prompted by thread titles.

I get defensive about my insane and possibly unworkable ideological preferences. And yet I embrace them fully.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 5:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Okay, NewOld, if I didn't have a button on my thermos that I have to click to drink, we'd be even for keyboards (see? I got smart a long time ago and gave up cups!). That was a good 'un! :o)

Yeah, I'm thinking about going off to Iowa to study and improve my writing skills. Might use this for my audition piece.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 10:45 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

kiki: are you a libertarian or a wannabe?

Neither ...

Just want to point out that was my actual topic, following a train of thought that ended up with observing a LOT of self-contradictions from the people who claim to be libertarian - Geezer siding against people who wanted to keep McDonald's out of their neighborhood and lining up on the side of both big business and big government at the same time as a pristine example.

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Friday, August 2, 2013 10:48 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"Aimed more at Jongsstraw, who (fortunately) seems to have gotten past his "I'm gonna fill up the board whether or not I have anything to post" motivation ."

I'd bet good money the minute Niki starts posting news clippings again Jongsie with go off the deep end again. So, naw, I don't think he's past it.

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Saturday, August 3, 2013 7:24 AM