George M. Middius
August 23rd 03, 04:37 PM
It's happened too, too many times. What has, you ask?
I'm referring to the indiscriminate label of "sockpuppet" that the
'borg brain trust of Krooger & Ko. loves to toss about without the
tiniest flicker of comprehension. I suppose one shouldn't expect
any better from a creature like Krooger, though, what with the
recent spate of preposterous accusations against any and all. It's
pretty obvious by now that Mr. **** is shaking in his ****ty
little boots about the possibility he'll be sued for slander.
Anyway, to return to the issue of nomenclature, here's my
contribution to the betterment of the 'borg existence. Fill out
this little questionnaire, thou geniuses of the Hive, that we
Normals may deign to understand your peculiarities a little better
henceforth.
Q: Is there any requirement that individuals sign their Usenet
posts with their own names?
A: Normals say No. In general, the nastier the newsgroup, the more
it seems reasonable to cloak one's true identity if one is going
to engage in personalities rather than substantial discussion.
Q: If a poster uses a "screen name" (i.e. a fictitious handle) to
post to one or more Usenet groups, does that make him:
a liar?
A: Normals say No. Doing so makes the poster no more nor
less than prudent.
a coward?
A: Normals again say No. More prudent, if anything.
Q: What is an alias?
A. Normals say it's a screen name and nothing more. Examples are
Fear3000 and s888wheel. An alias is a means of preserving
anonymity. Whether posters use such handles constructively is an
entirely separate question.
Q: What is a sockpuppet?
A: Normals say it's a fake posting identity created not simply to
mask the poster's identity but for the express purpose of
contributing to off-topic hostilities. Examples are
, pyjamarama, and tony loban. An essential
attribute of such a handle is that the operator of the sockpuppet
also posts to the same newsgroups using at least one other name.
If one cannot prove that a posting handle is BOTH phoney AND a
creation of a specific poster, then calling it a "sockpuppet" is
mere bluster. An example of a ***PROVEN*** sockpuppet is the "Hal
Keitel" name used by "Bill Watkins" (the latter itself being a
suspected alias for Booby Wumpkins).
OK, 'borgs. That's the way it is. You can still have your pitty
party(TM), but be advised we're all laughing at your stupidity.
I'm referring to the indiscriminate label of "sockpuppet" that the
'borg brain trust of Krooger & Ko. loves to toss about without the
tiniest flicker of comprehension. I suppose one shouldn't expect
any better from a creature like Krooger, though, what with the
recent spate of preposterous accusations against any and all. It's
pretty obvious by now that Mr. **** is shaking in his ****ty
little boots about the possibility he'll be sued for slander.
Anyway, to return to the issue of nomenclature, here's my
contribution to the betterment of the 'borg existence. Fill out
this little questionnaire, thou geniuses of the Hive, that we
Normals may deign to understand your peculiarities a little better
henceforth.
Q: Is there any requirement that individuals sign their Usenet
posts with their own names?
A: Normals say No. In general, the nastier the newsgroup, the more
it seems reasonable to cloak one's true identity if one is going
to engage in personalities rather than substantial discussion.
Q: If a poster uses a "screen name" (i.e. a fictitious handle) to
post to one or more Usenet groups, does that make him:
a liar?
A: Normals say No. Doing so makes the poster no more nor
less than prudent.
a coward?
A: Normals again say No. More prudent, if anything.
Q: What is an alias?
A. Normals say it's a screen name and nothing more. Examples are
Fear3000 and s888wheel. An alias is a means of preserving
anonymity. Whether posters use such handles constructively is an
entirely separate question.
Q: What is a sockpuppet?
A: Normals say it's a fake posting identity created not simply to
mask the poster's identity but for the express purpose of
contributing to off-topic hostilities. Examples are
, pyjamarama, and tony loban. An essential
attribute of such a handle is that the operator of the sockpuppet
also posts to the same newsgroups using at least one other name.
If one cannot prove that a posting handle is BOTH phoney AND a
creation of a specific poster, then calling it a "sockpuppet" is
mere bluster. An example of a ***PROVEN*** sockpuppet is the "Hal
Keitel" name used by "Bill Watkins" (the latter itself being a
suspected alias for Booby Wumpkins).
OK, 'borgs. That's the way it is. You can still have your pitty
party(TM), but be advised we're all laughing at your stupidity.