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Comments Posted By Mr. Hoodoo

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Huffington Post Goes NSA on Its Members

We’ve heard over and over, of course, on HP, here, and everywhere else about wanting to avoid the “trolls”, who,from what I’ve gathered, are people, generally, with opposing views, particularly those with very heated, vehement, opposing views. SOMETIMES, the term “troll” is used for what I see are the true exemplars of such, those who simply are out to flame a given scene, forum, blog, etc. and purposely post inflammatory comments, often rude, crude and sometimes even threatening.

But over the nearly two decades I’ve been on the net, from my own observation, most times it seems people are referring as “trolls” those whom they have strong disagreement with, disagreements that sometimes get very…disagreeable. I don’t think of those folks as “trolls” myself. And, in fact, I’ve met many from my own “side” who act as “trolls”, purposely nitpicking at one even though we agree just because for some reason one has rubbed them the wrong way. I can easily think of at least five posters from HP I came across who were like that.

I’d go into these people’s post histories and read their posts to others and find they did similar to others with whom 90% of the time they agreed with. I’d see where they would “troll”, also, those with whom they had opposing views as well.

I rarely ever flagged anyone. But there were occasions when I’d flag someone, regardless of side, because they earned it. Not because they were of an opposing view. Not even because they might get very heated or even use some vitriol. But because they crossed a line that should be an obvious to all, such as saying they wished someone dead, and I saw a fair number from any side who’d post something along those lines or worse.

One of the things I did like about HP at its best a few years ago was the cross section of people who posted. I don’t care at all for echo chambers, so have zero interest in such venues. They don’t offer the stimulation of mind that a mix of views do. I don’t get anything from constant back-patting and handing out to each other ego-boosting blue ribbons. Those places might be good for coffee clatches, but as a stimulant to really get one’s creative juices going with regards the topics of the day or one’s concerns in daily life, to reaffirm or reconsider one’s views, they’re as dull as dish water.

THAT…is what I’ll miss about HP. That getting into the ring and duking it out a bit with others, being excited in defending one’s ideas and honor, which can’t be done in an echo chamber where everyone is constantly agreeing with one and offering exclamation points at the end of their salutations and or comments as a way of bolstering each other.

I don’t miss HP in the least as a “news”site as I never went there for the news. I went to read other people’s comments, whether I greed with them or not. The stories were, actually, incidental to me. They were merely the catalyst. I found that the best commentary, the best things to read on that site, were the thoughtful, passionate, witty, often snarky, sometimes sad, angry, or even just casual, thoughts of my fellow human beings.

I’ll miss the people, those with whom I found like-mindedness with, and many of the people who were miscategorized as trolls just because they had opposing views and sometimes defended their positions and beliefs as vigorously, often with heated words, as those on my own “side” would, who, ironically, myself included, would rarely ever realize that they were doing same themselves, as surely one’s own beliefs must be right and good so couldn’t be “trollish” even when defended with just the same passion, vigor, often heated verbiage, as those in opposition would defend theirs.

I’m not making a judgement on any place I’ve visited since leaving HP, this place included. But I am weary everywhere I go right now of the HP obsession that countless have. I don’t know how this place stacks up with regards having a “loyal opposition” that all good stimulating discussions and advancement in thinking, and anything for that matter, requires as I am posting very little anywhere and not being much interested in ex-pat echo chambers. But I’ll take a gander around here and see what’s what and maybe there’ll be some lively give and take rather than being a reach-around. I did post here years ago, but I couldn’t recall what my handle or password was then. Bit I recall I thought it was a nice place.

Too bad HP got greedy. It once had a great forum all around for people. But then, given what we all know, and some of us knew long ago, as I did, that the founders, specifically in conservative wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing Arianna Huffington and the late flame-throwing uber far-right Andrew Brietbart, were craven, duplicitous, cunning, opportunists who sought/seek money, influence and power, the tack HP as a site has gone, in partnership with, first, AOL, now with Facebook, surely came as no surprise. I cannot and will not allow myself to spend so much time, as I see in countless others, in gnashing their teeth, worrying, and, stunningly, melting down, actually crying (as some have admitted), over this and actually begging HP on their “Turning The Page” forum (publicly begging HP no less! How humiliating I should think) and via emails, Twitting nonsense, etc, to change its “evil ways”. Tsk, tsk. What a way to spend one’s precious days.

It’s just a website after all, folks. Not…real life. Go bake something. Go outside to play in the snow. Go meet real people in real life doing something real with each other, or just simply sit and let one’s thoughts go fallow and enjoy some peaceful, quiet, down time, as we used to do BEFORE the age of the internet.

To quote William Shatner’s exclamation years ago to the obsessive Trekkies, “get a life!”

» Posted By Mr. Hoodoo On December 17, 2013 @ 7:50 am

Morning, Ad Lib.

Mm, indeed. Between your first featured comment, my post, your reply, and of course all the others who’ve replied to you and engaged each other on here (and elsewhere outside of the HP forums), I cannot add any more as I think we’ve all said it (besides, I’m now beyond weary of beating this particular dead horse, but wanted to reply to you before I laid it to rest. I’m tired of wasting energy on HP). Except to reiterate…

…anyone who remains on board HP’s site, for what ever reason, no matter how well intentioned, yet complains is part of the problem, not the solution.

Thanks for your reply. And again.Thanks for your very direct bullseye hit in your featured post.

» Posted By Mr. Hoodoo On December 15, 2013 @ 6:34 am

Thanks. Yeah,I’d joined back around late ’06 under a different handle. Then I noted the trickling in of a newer format on just an article here and there as well as a step up in the moderation shortly before AOl bought HP and bailed. The first time. And stayed away for some while.

About five or six months later there was something in the news I wanted to check on and I thought I’d see if HP had anything on it, which they did, though I couldn’t tell ya now what the story was about. So I zipped over there and saw a few comments by some cons I thought demanded some refutation so re-signed up as Hoodoo and hung in there up to this past week.

Don’t miss it at all. How could I miss a Big Brother outfit like that?

» Posted By Mr. Hoodoo On December 14, 2013 @ 6:08 pm

I had to do quite a few cycles through myself. I did get a notice saying the account was closed finally. But I’m still not completely certain of that, given HP’s outright deception.

We’ll see, ‘eh, RF.

» Posted By Mr. Hoodoo On December 14, 2013 @ 5:55 pm

A most excellent post Ad Lib. Thanks for filling the bigger picture out a bit more.

I’m gonna try to make this post my one and only BIG “say” on what’s occurred over at the despicable Huffquirer as I really am weary of kicking a dead horse around as it was only a newsertainment aggregate site and all we did was post there. Not like it was actually important, although many are acting as if it was.

I have to shake my head at how many who complained, and are STILL complaining there and elsewhere, of HPAOL’s ever-increasing draconian rules are STILL with them or have caved and did the FB2HP jig, either via a legit or fake one, still providing clicks and revenue for the HPAOL overlords. So don’t see that as a victory for The Loyal Opposition, as doing so aids and abets HPAOL to “stand their ground” via continued clicks/hits/accounts.

When, in August, they instituted the new FB2HP decree they said, as we all know, that established users would be “grandfathered over” and not be required to “verify” through Facebook their accounts with HP because there was some protest at the time in which some canceled their accounts.

I was too busy back then to really pay attention to what was going on, only catching the “older users will be grandfathered in” statement and putting it out of my mind from then on. But during this period they began to flood their articles with the new format and by the time last week came along I was ALREADY on the verge of canceling my account as posting was no longer enjoyable or a productive use of time, given the, at best, 50/50 chance of seeing a post show up, and then not for some hours or even days

However, as regards that first wave of folks who left in August apparently HPAOL cajoled them, “begged” them, to come back. And now, as we can see on their “Turning The Page On Anonymity” page ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-mcdonald/end-of-anonymity_b_4418630.html ) many have caved. Just so they can…post.

I suppose many, and have read some say, that they remain because they think that they possess some kind of “People Power” and will win the day, so have gone ahead and done the FB2HP hoop jumping in some form or other. Some simply tucking tail between legs and acquiescing, giving over their Facebook pages or making one, and giving over their phone numbers (again, just to…post!). Or making “stealth” accounts thinking they’re rebelling and getting one over HPAOL and FB.

I’m not sure providing more clicks is gonna work. I think because like all multi-national corPirates who have their octopus arms stretched across the globe and no longer need worry about a given segment rebelling as they have millions more taking up the slack in other areas of the planet, those new international HP sites in this case, that they can now afford to allow the American/North America one go fallow for a spell without looking back.

That’s my take on it and why I finally came to the conclusion the right thing to do was to bail completely and not offer any revenue clicks whatsoever. Those who choose to remain are caving in, no matter how desperately they think otherwise. The now-joined-forces HPAOLFB is too big now to have to worry about a few thousands who will, and are (as was done on the “Why Conversations?” page, which I took my turn at voicing my displeasure on but finally realized it was a losing deal) posting post after post griping away and trying to organize “petitions” and pleas, etc.

But I would suggest it’s a work in futility. They’re a multinational outfit now and don’t rely solely on the relative few in the American/NA market anymore.

Going back in “stealth” mode and continuing to post one’s hand-wringing, teeth-gnashing, tears and cries for understanding isn’t going to do a damn thing. But, for those who choose to do so, knock yourselves out. But don’t say I and others didn’t warn ya.

This whole thing reminds men of the “fool me once, shame on you” saying. And I don’t about about others, but I won’t become a party to the latter part of that saying.

It’s just a website, folks. Since our world’s gone onto the net and turned the net into our real lives we’ve forgotten what real life is, the life humanity lived BEFORE the net, when things were far better in many ways.

It’s just one goddamn website out of countless. I mean, people have already found myriad other websites to have their say on. So why keep buggering about the odious Arianna Huffington’s and AOL’s site?

Let it go. Move on. The more people cancel their accounts and forget about it and fewer show up there making new ones, the more genuine impact People have against that kind of corPirate monster.

Treat it like the arrogant, narcissistic, egomaniacal Kanye West, because that IS what Arianna, HP, Mark Zuckerberg, FB and AOL are acting like. Ignore him. And…them.

» Posted By Mr. Hoodoo On December 14, 2013 @ 4:02 pm