Aloha, or as they say in the old country, Hello!

[P3nT4gR4m]

I think you're thinking we're saying something we're not saying.

If people get dogpiled on so quickly for even the slightest hint of pinealism/outlandishness/whatever, it's almost a guarantee you're gonna hit the monkey reflex and they're never going to have a chance to realize the potential error of their ways, they're never going to be inclined to look around and absorb the culture of the site, they're never going to see that they can sometimes grow out of their own idiocy.

So if what you want PD to be is a clique of smug people who know they're better than the average schmuck, then by all means everyone should continue to dogpile on the noobs when their first or second post doesn't meet with our approval. On the other hand, if what you want PD to be is a community where people can come learn and grow and hopefully become bipeds (or better bipeds) then it might make sense to give them a little more time before firing up the usual welcome wagon. Nobody's suggesting MAKING A RULE or any of that nonsense, but seriously, it costs you NOTHING to say "hey, this is what we're about and we're not particularly interested in word salad/outlandishness/whatever but maybe you should go read this or this or this or join in this discussion" instead of "OH FUCKING CHRIST ANOTHER ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES I BET YOU'RE THAT GODDAMN POPTART GUY HUH?"

I really don't see why this is such a difficult and unsavory concept for people.

I take back what I said (pretty sure this aint he first time either) You're right but the next time I'm faced with a tl/dr of dumbfuckery I'll probably forget this ever happened and throw some abuse their way again. Forgive me - I have no fucking control over how much of a cunt I am, sometimes

On the plus side, at least online I have a chance to think before I post - you should see me IRL

[Placid Dingo]

It's probably worth noting too that the whole POINT of Poptarts trolling method was to imitate a culture of paranoia.

[Triple Zero]

I think you're thinking we're saying something we're not saying.

If people get dogpiled on so quickly for even the slightest hint of pinealism/outlandishness/whatever, it's almost a guarantee you're gonna hit the monkey reflex and they're never going to have a chance to realize the potential error of their ways, they're never going to be inclined to look around and absorb the culture of the site, they're never going to see that they can sometimes grow out of their own idiocy.

So if what you want PD to be is a clique of smug people who know they're better than the average schmuck, then by all means everyone should continue to dogpile on the noobs when their first or second post doesn't meet with our approval. On the other hand, if what you want PD to be is a community where people can come learn and grow and hopefully become bipeds (or better bipeds) then it might make sense to give them a little more time before firing up the usual welcome wagon. Nobody's suggesting MAKING A RULE or any of that nonsense, but seriously, it costs you NOTHING to say "hey, this is what we're about and we're not particularly interested in word salad/outlandishness/whatever but maybe you should go read this or this or this or join in this discussion" instead of "OH FUCKING CHRIST ANOTHER ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES I BET YOU'RE THAT GODDAMN POPTART GUY HUH?"

I really don't see why this is such a difficult and unsavory concept for people.

I was kind of surprised now to read ITT some people defending that we supposedly have HAZING RITUALS for n00bs now.

Maybe they're a bit confused about what the two words "hazing" and "ritual" exactly signify when put together.

I can tell you what it's not: A "hazing ritual" is not poking at a n00bs buttons to see if they got any other modes of behaviour except for the displayed stock n00b behaviours that we see every time. It's also not turning up the poking to 11 when the n00b appears uncapable of this. Doing that is fine, it's what we've always done on PD, it rewards people for showing original thought and not being douchebags.

What a hazing ritual is, the way it's generally understood, and something I will always argue vehemently against: An inescapable period of unpleasantness and inferiority that everybody who wants to join a certain group has to go through, no exceptions, in order to strengthen group cohesion, "you're one of us, we've all been through it"*.

Which is not what we do at PD. I was never hazed here. How tough you had it when you joined is directly proportional to how much of an idiot you were. No hard feelings if you got better, but don't try to paint yourself in a better light by saying "we've all been through it" because we haven't and we shouldn't and there's no reason.

For example, take AKK. During his famous first wave of idiocy, he kept proclaiming all the shit he got was just a hazing ritual and that he needed to stick through it, it was just a matter of time. And everybody was NO WE ARE SHITTING ON YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE AN IDIOT. WE WILL KEEP THIS UP UNTIL YOU QUIT BEING AN IDIOT (AND PROBABLY SOME SHORT TIME THEREAFTER BECAUSE OF MONKEY INERTIA).

There's a difference. One is a hazing ritual, the other makes sense.

That said, I haven't seen this particular n00b display any redeeming qualities, so have at it. I'm just taking (A LOT OF) issue with the "it's a hazing ritual" defence. No, you will do it because they're an idiot, not because they are new. Did I just tell you what to do? Oops. I really meant it.




* Conversely, those who haven't been "through it" will never really be considered full members of the group until they go through the hazing ritual. Cialdini has a nice chapter in Influence: Science & Practice on this phenomenon, because of it, it turns out to be absolutely impossible to separate college fraternities from their hazing rituals (something which campuses would like to achieve because people get killed etc), they will always continue the hazing in secret, unless you manage to disband the entire structure and kill it (which is also quite hard, but not as impossible) -- this shit is in my top 5 worst monkey behaviour algorithms, though a few steps below the Kitty Genovese subroutine.

[Triple Zero]

I have a date with my "scroll button".

also,

[AFK]

I dare say that AKK even had folks trying to sort of give him counsel and help him consider just giving u p the internet fight and trying to join so me of the discussions.  In the end, he clearly was more interested in the chaos then discussing chaos.

[Freeky]

I have a date with my "scroll button".

How did this take so long? 

also,

BAHAHAHAHA!