Direct Action. What'd you think?

[Undertoad]

Recently Undertoad expressed a negative attitude towards the 'Barak experience'. That surprised me since during that time, Undertoad remained quite neutral and detached from the procedings - and they did procede.

At the time I felt like if something was absolutely reprehensible it was my duty to let it play itself out. I think I still feel that way...

Barak also advertised himself as a black separatist. His motivation was obvious to me: EGO. He loved to hear himself talk and read himself type.

Ego is at the base of every troll: if a thread isn't about them, they find a way to make it about them. The easiest way to do that is to act childish, call people out, play games, spout a lot of nonsense.

His final concept was that he was baiting the suburban white boys. But he never realized that the Cellar was just as much urban, with representation of all sorts of people. There was a dude of color who showed up at one of the earliest get-togethers, but nobody gave it a second thought; like any good e-community, we're all just words on a screen. Our color, gender, etc. are obscured, and there's a real beauty in that.

Barak's refusal to understand what he was really dealing with was just as telling as anything else he did. He came at the system from the only direction he knew: racist game playing. It was easy for him; he had developed his own little cottage industry around it, with a book, a Montel appearance, etc.

At one point I deleted his account when he assumed that he could bait the system itself as hard as he baited its users: he threatened legal action against it. Like Colonel Qaddafi, direct action in the form of a smackdown was what he understood best. Once he understood that there was a limit to his little game, his stuff improved.

You had the best way to deal with trolls: just press them with rational, adult challenges about what they're saying. At that point, the thread is no longer about them, but about their subject; and since their real goal is empty gamesmanship, the thread becomes unfulfilling and they slink away. Pathetic.

[tw]

Originally posted by Undertoad
[Barak] came at the system from the only direction he knew: racist game playing. It was easy for him; he had developed his own little cottage industry around it, with a book, a Montel appearance, etc.

That was the part so entertaining. He would have accomplished nothing if so many local dweller had just let him twist and turn. Instead they had to get involved and 'bite the bait'.

Originally posted by Undertoad
At one point I deleted his account when he assumed that he could bait the system itself as hard as he baited its users: he threatened legal action against it

That's the part that so makes him no longer entertaining. Legal action? That is news to me. He escalated the game way too far.

He got on Montel? Montel came along well after the Cellar incident. Well, it demonstrates the quality of Montel, Sally Jessy, and Ophra (who so grossly distorted facts about mad cow disease). Sueing a non-profit, open membership, social BBS just because you don't like the free speech responses? That goes well beyond unacceptable; no longer entertaining. The word 'Barak' has suddenly taken on a new meaning.

[jaguar]

Since jet_silver seems to have given up/retreated i can now answer this without screwing myself =)

Don't defend Capitalism? My good sir, you've just correctly pointed out how it can build an entire country up out of nothing! In the long run, I don't think there is any question whatsoever that a free economy is incredibly beneficial for the people in it. That sort of idea could use some defending!

Yes and no, its a very, very slow process and still extremely exploitative. Capatilism is a terrible system until you find something better =) - a quote from one of my teachers, i guess we agree on that =)

The problems all come in the short run. Of course, in the long run, we're all dead, so our woes in the present are what interest us.

And that is the fundamental flaw with a liberal democrasy with a capatilist economy, it thinks but nature so fscking short term. As a result we've completely screwed countless ecosystems, destroyed farmland, driven species to extinction and the lsit goes on. When its everyone for his own the idea of don't shit where you sleep seems to go out the window. Politicians have little or no motivaiton to have through long term solutions for problems because they won't be around to reap the political benifits.

But the people demand that we attempt to control them, and so "economic stimulus packages" come about. The effect of which is roughly like farting in a tornado.

Tarfis are more the thing that comes to mind, one that that does stop 3rd world contries developing is the fact they cannot compete with local products in places liek the EU nad the US becasue of tarifs and trade agreements. Always shist me to here pollies talking about the wonders of a free market economy then instatin another laod of tarifs to protect local industries and win 10 votes.

Does anyone know any more about him? What his book is called, maybe? Who saw him on Montel? Dude. I bet he is Montel.

No, seriously though - just kinda curious. You guys sound like you know what was going on, but don't really say much. What was his book about? What numbers did he cook?