OT: Time out and/or Duke it out thread

[Pugsy]

But someone always does respond.

Some people just like to play with trolls. I never could understand it myself but maybe it feels like what I feel when I call an asshole..an asshole..to his/her face. There's a bit of perverse pleasure there...I admit it.
And I am not opposed to doing it..I just don't want to hijack a thread to do it. That's my problem...the helping part of the thread gets totally overwhelmed by ugliness. I once counted in a 3 page thread how many of the posts were just ugly poking at each other...nearly 2/3 of them. Pretty sad.

What's bad is when we get 2 people fighting each other with their troll like comments in the same thread...they feed each other and don't need our help in feeding the trolls. That's when we need the 2 X 4 to get their attention to take the feeding frenzy somewhere else.

[avi123]

Why the administrators of this website, Johnny and Carolyn, stopped moderating this website?
If so they should pay someone to do the moderation. I know it from other websites that moderators with powers are a must. Take for example this discussion website which because of lousy moderation lost about 4,000 members who left and set up their own newer more successful discussion website.

This website had lousy moderation which caused about 4,000 members to leave:

http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSoc ... fault.aspx

This is the new very successful website which was formed by members leaving the above website:

https://www.bogleheads.org/

Still, it has a couple of moderators.

[Pugsy]

Why the administrators of this website, Johnny and Carolyn, stopped moderating this website?

They haven't stopped. They have just elected to not use a heavy hand when things get out of hand and expect us to act like adults and not need to be moderated in that fashion.

Don't kid yourself...they know what's going on here even if they don't make it well known.

[exiii]

Guilty. I occasionally like to poke trolls for sport.

Especially when they regularly attack new forum members with comments like, "if you had a brain in your head", or "had any sense", or if they regularly track other forum members to harass them EVERY time they comment.

I lurked for a while before I ever commented here. And before that, I've used countless forums/discussion boards and saw several destroyed by the ingrained, barnacled, self-appointed elite members who take pride in their post count and efficiency in chasing off the first-post newbies because they don't quite know the "etiquette" yet.

palerider is a dick, and he prides himself on that. I think everyone here knows that. If the moderators aren't willing to leash that shit, good luck to them.

BTW, private messaging doesn't work with these guys. All it does is fuels their rage and then they invariably take it out of context and post it to the public board in an attempt to shame the "concerned citizen". It's better just control your part of the conversation by owning it and keeping it out in the public or in a thread like this.

Or ignore them. I usually do actually. But sometimes punching back at a bully who doesn't expect it is exciting. I learned that in 4th grade.

[Lucyhere]

Hi Pugsy... I read your post twice before I responded and realized I was shaking my head both reads. It would be nice if the people who need to read your post the most actually see themselves in it. That's not going to happen. I remember the "crickets" thread and I don't think it lasted more than a week.

Some people enjoy belittling others, and sitting behind a computer screen makes it so easy to do. I apologize for being negative but I don't think this thread is going to make a bit of difference to the people who attack others for the joy they get out of it.

As was mentioned in another thread... Maya Angelou said when people show you who they are, believe them. It's the truth! Some people won't pay a bit of attention to this thread and will continue doing what they do best, which is to make others (especially new people) sorry they ever came here. I'd like to think I'm wrong, but sadly, I don't.

[carolyngoodman]

Howdy,

Johnny and I agree with Pugsy and her approach here.

You can read many past posts by Johnny. He reiterates that this forum bottom line should be to help people who come here for help. If you are not interested in helping, then stay out of those threads.

If you want to talk about non-cpap things, fine, create another OT thread, or come to this one. You are able to PM people as well.

We do not post often, however we watch the forum and often talk with veteran members.

- Carolyn

[Pugsy]

I apologize for being negative but I don't think this thread is going to make a bit of difference to the people who attack others for the joy they get out of it.

Do I think this thread is going to get someone to change their ways...not really.
The idea is for us to speak up in a constructive way to point out that some of the interchanges going on here would be best done somewhere else and not hijack a thread.
Will it stop it...probably not but this way newbies who come here and get caught up in the flame wars won't leave here thinking that we are all a bunch of bullies and instead see that there are some people here who don't appreciate that sort of conduct.

Maybe think of this as an example...you see a big bully on the school yard poking a skinny ass kid with glasses.
Now if you step in you might get a fist in the face or you might not...or you turn your back and walk away because you don't want to get involved and the skinny kid takes a beating.

I am tired of turning my back and ignoring unacceptable behavior.
This thread is my way of fighting the unacceptable behavior without stooping to low levels which really end up being another sort of bullying.
Will I get punched in the face too...probably but at least I won't go down without a fight.
Would this qualify as passive/aggressive?

Again..fight all you want..poke all you want..call whomever you want a stupid ass moron troll....but don't do it in a thread where someone has a problem....do it somewhere else. That's all I ask and if people are going to do it then I am going to tell them I don't like it. But I am telling them I don't like it in a sort of polite way and I am not saying
"you stupid ass bully".

Hell....start a thread and mark it OT and explain to the entire forum why you hate PR so much...I don't care...just don't do it in a helping thread and especially in a newbie thread. They haven't had a chance to learn about all the various personalities here.

[Lucyhere]

Hell....start a thread and mark it OT and explain to the entire forum why you hate PR so much...I don't care...just don't do it in a helping thread and especially in a newbie thread.

Hmmm... don't tempt me or a few others here.

[Pugsy]

Guilty. I occasionally like to poke trolls for sport.

Yeah..I noticed. Future such pokes may earn you a link to this thread.

palerider is a dick, and he prides himself on that. I think everyone here knows that. If the moderators aren't willing to leash that shit, good luck to them.

Ahh...but if PR is a dick does that make it okay for you to be a dick too or try to be a bigger dick?

You think so and so is a dick or a bully...and you are certainly within your rights to think that....so that makes it okay for you to hijack a helping thread and essentially become a dick and bully yourself?

My problem is the derailing of the threads and what it does to newbies who haven't learned yet about the various personalities here at this forum or learned how to take some of the comments.

It doesn't take 3 to 8 "you are an ass" posts to prove someone is an ass...newsflash....we already know they are an ass or acting like one. So we have 2 pages of posts and half of them are "you are an ass" "no , you are a bigger ass" "no you are a stupid ass"...etc. How is that helpful to anyone except show us there are 2 asses?

Take the poking somewhere else besides a helping thread...that's all I ask. Think about the image you are leaving in the mind of someone new.
Politely disagree and move on and if you must continue to try to be a bigger dick...do it somewhere else besides a thread what was originally a helping thread...I don't care where...come here and duke it out... meet it public and beat the shit out of each other for all I care.

I get private messages all the time from newbies who are afraid to post on the forum because of the flame wars and ugliness and sadly...sometimes the way newbies are talked to. That should never, ever happen.

[Okie bipap]

First of all, thank you Pugsy for starting this thread. When I first started looking at the forum, I almost left within the first month. I was truly afraid to post anything in fear of being jumped on as a dumb newbee that should know better. Believe me, when you are just starting on this journey, you literally have no idea what is going on. All you know is you must now sleep with a foreign body stuck to your face, and you are tied to a machine at your bedside. The only thing that kept me here was I realized there is a lot of good information here if you are willing to ignore the childish BS and name calling. Fortunately, after 20 years in the military, I have developed a thick skin. I may occasionally try to inject a little humor, but try to do it in such as manner as to not offend. I'm only 18 months into my journey and still learning.

[Pugsy]

Hmmm... don't tempt me or a few others here.

Hey...maybe that's a good idea...have a "OT: Whose a bigger dick/asshole/jackass/PITA" thread.
There's a couple I would put on that list.
Hell...really piss Goofproof off and make it a poll ...that would really frost his you know what. Why he hates polls so much is beyond my comprehension.

BUT...all joking aside...I don't need someone else to tell me something I already know or believe to be the case.
I certainly don't need to read it multiple times in the same thread because someone wanted to get the last dig in and I totally can't find any actually helpful responses in a helping thread swallowed up with flame wars.


To EVERYONE:

If you have a problem with someone...be an adult even if you don't think they are.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Julie]

Just wondering when someone's going to do something about CKeith... any Cpap related help (going either direction) is long lost and I think he's scaring away newbies... someone needs to do something because I really doubt he's going to pay attention to this thread.

[exiii]

Pugsy, I appreciate this thread, you're intent, and you're willingness to chastise me for my actions - I take your comments to heart. I'm new here, so here's a brief introduction of me, and we can let time be the judge of it's accuracy:

1) I will never talk down to a first-time poster or someone asking a legitimate or hypothetical question. I value knowledge-sharing, and helping those who want to learn - even if the question seems ridiculous or too basic for veteran members to warrant worthy.

2) Before I jump into an argument, if I can, I normally try to offer some insight to the legitimate conversation. By the time I jump in with fists raised, the thread has already derailed, and the newbie already has the gist of what's allowed here.

3) But it's not just the excitement of the fight, it's the sense of justice and protecting others. I suffer from vigilantism - maybe it's a disorder. It manifested itself in 3rd grade when I put a 6th grade bully on the ground because he and his friend were trying to take the bikes of two of my friends. He didn't expect that - nor did I!

4) I am not a bully. I don't attack the weak. I'm more than fair in my judgments of other's behaviors and intent, and I'll naturally go straight for the biggest guy causing the shit.

So my question is this: As I've read here, it seems that PR and his like have been a problem for much longer than I've been posting, registered, or even lurking here; and boo is rarely said to him. It was pretty clear to me as a newbie that bullying was allowed, and thus, encouraged among him and other wannabe bad-asses. So now, it's obvious that me standing up to him as a new member at least helped create a conversation about this activity. Could this possibly be a good conversation to have?

[Pugsy]

Just wondering when someone's going to do something about CKeith..

I hear you and I am for tar and feathers if I can find him. I will supply the tar and feathers.

I sent a note to Carolyn voicing my concerns and my opinions and in all my time here that is the first time I have ever done that about a forum member.
I gave her my vote...maybe other votes about our feelings. His sole goal is to be a disruptive force here and actually bragged about it...
Also..watch out...I am pretty sure he has an alter ego screen ID.

So my question is this: As I've read here, it seems that PR and his like have been a problem for much longer than I've been posting, registered, or even lurking here; and boo is rarely said to him. It was pretty clear to me as a newbie that bullying was allowed, and thus, encouraged among him and other wannabe bad-asses. So now, it's obvious that me standing up to him as a new member at least helped create a conversation about this activity. Could this possibly be a good conversation to have?

Can I respond a bit later and in depth to your thoughts? I am a bit short on time at the moment and you bring up some good points.

[exiii]

Can I respond a bit later and in depth to your thoughts? I am a bit short on time at the moment and you bring up some good points.

Assuming that I won't be kicked off this un-moderated forum anytime soon.