An old story
Many years ago i used to post on a Tolkien forum. I joined when it was small, but as the films were announced it grew and grew like Alice into a very large community. I was shy, read more than I post - as I still do today on LJ and various other forums I've frequented - but I made some good friends there, had some laughs and inexplicably picked up some enemies too.
There was a woman who posted there. She was intelligent, articulate and amusing. She hailed from New Jersey and claimed a rather affluent lifestyle and background. She was one of these forum members who accumulate a following like worker bees around their queen. She could be kind and generous but she could also be a nasty piece of work.
As time progressed and various sub-forum migrations occurred her posting became more erratic and and temperamental. She was eventually found to be indulging in some rather Machiavellian string-pulling and gossip behind the scenes. She seemed to become more and more deranged and more and more inclined to recruit brainless mugs to do her work for her (I'm afraid I fell foul of her scheming at a very horrible low time of my life, and still feel uncomfortable if I revisit that old forum as she spread such a tissue of lies). Eventually she was banned from the original forum and flounced off in a grade A strop.
Of course she returned, indulging in a stream of alter-egos under which she vehemently denied her identity. I became a dab hand at spotting her, as I could pick out her grammar and writing style a mile off. It's remarkably difficult to hide your identity that way, as we all have our little language quirks that are very recognisable.
This type of sock-puppet behaviour is ok now and then for a giggle, if it's purely transparent and humourous. But when it's done in a sly way it's underhand, deceitful and pathetic. Anyone with a shred of intelligence can spot a fake a mile-off. I'm afraid I have no tolerance for it. That woman I was referring to really put the boot into me when I was further down than I have ever been in my life and since then I've had not one iota of time or sympathy for people behaving in such a childish, stupid and sleekit manner. Yet people insist in attempting these stupid masquerades. Quite sad.
PS - Sorry Helen, you know the old story inside out - but some community behaviour has brought it to my mind
PPS - Not filtered or friends locked. This is a public post.
There was a woman who posted there. She was intelligent, articulate and amusing. She hailed from New Jersey and claimed a rather affluent lifestyle and background. She was one of these forum members who accumulate a following like worker bees around their queen. She could be kind and generous but she could also be a nasty piece of work.
As time progressed and various sub-forum migrations occurred her posting became more erratic and and temperamental. She was eventually found to be indulging in some rather Machiavellian string-pulling and gossip behind the scenes. She seemed to become more and more deranged and more and more inclined to recruit brainless mugs to do her work for her (I'm afraid I fell foul of her scheming at a very horrible low time of my life, and still feel uncomfortable if I revisit that old forum as she spread such a tissue of lies). Eventually she was banned from the original forum and flounced off in a grade A strop.
Of course she returned, indulging in a stream of alter-egos under which she vehemently denied her identity. I became a dab hand at spotting her, as I could pick out her grammar and writing style a mile off. It's remarkably difficult to hide your identity that way, as we all have our little language quirks that are very recognisable.
This type of sock-puppet behaviour is ok now and then for a giggle, if it's purely transparent and humourous. But when it's done in a sly way it's underhand, deceitful and pathetic. Anyone with a shred of intelligence can spot a fake a mile-off. I'm afraid I have no tolerance for it. That woman I was referring to really put the boot into me when I was further down than I have ever been in my life and since then I've had not one iota of time or sympathy for people behaving in such a childish, stupid and sleekit manner. Yet people insist in attempting these stupid masquerades. Quite sad.
PS - Sorry Helen, you know the old story inside out - but some community behaviour has brought it to my mind
PPS - Not filtered or friends locked. This is a public post.