FUN WITH TROLLS
If people call you bitchy, you probably just are
This remarkably inane comment was in response to a post where I dared to blame men for the twisted world they have constructed. So there we have it. Women who speak out are shrill, hysterical, bitchy, lying, navel-gazing fruitcakes. Men are not bitchy when they comment on the world they live in. No. They are angry. They are speaking their mind. They are saying it like it is.
So, I have some questions for you. When women speak up and talk about their experiences, what would be so bad about listening for a change ? What is so hard about thinking about what they are saying? How about NOT jumping in with your words of wisdom like "feminism is outdated" or "you have an inferiority complex" or "men have it just a bad" or "get over yourself" (whatever the hell that means)? How about trying to understand what is being said? Or asking questions? Or finding out more?
That was the serious bit. Now for the fun. I wrote some new guidelines…
SHOULD YOU COMMENT ON THIS BLOG?
If you think that sexism/racism/homophobia is over, do not comment.
If you have ten or less standard responses to sexism/racism/homophobia, do not comment.
If you cannot see anything beyond the colour of my skin or my gender. do not comment.
If you are going to call me by some demeaning endearment like cupcake, baby or darling, do not comment.
If you feel so threatened by me that you need to become a big-mouthed bully, do not comment.
If you feel compelled to write the same comment on many different blogs, do not comment.
If you have read 5% of what I actually wrote and made up the rest, do not comment.
If you get a kick out of putting people down, do not comment.
If you are going to go away and write a feeble, insulting post about me and then try and advertise it here, do not comment.
If you disagree with what I say but cannot cope with people responding, do not comment.
Got any more anti-troll guidelines ? I feel better now. End of troll fest.
UPDATE: Laurelin in the Rain has her own rules of engagement which I agree with completely. Lots of similar issues as here and a wicked sense of humour. Biting Beaver gets the award for the most concise sentence ever written about commenting on blogs: "If you are NOT guilty of the things I post about then I'm NOT fucking talking to you." Thanks Laurelin, you reminded that I had read "Da Rules" before but forgot where I'd read them!
ANOTHER UPDATE
BondBloke has also written a comments policy inspired by the debate here.
Reader Comments
Great post, Diva! I wrote my own ‘Rules of Engagement’, and it does actually seem to put off the trolls a little.
Agree with Laurelin a great post, just lays it on the line. Btw, men can be shrill, bitchy navel staring fruit-cakes as well you know!
Excellent post!
Another thing I’d like to point out is that oftentimes fellas like to get caught in the ‘logic game’. You know, that place where they assume that a woman’s argument is based upon emotion and theirs, somehow, is based upon cold, hard facts?
It’s bullshit. Look closely and you’ll see that the arguments that they’re coming up with are ALSO based on emotion (i.e. “I like porn, therefore it’s good” or, “I’m a ‘nice’ guy, therefore everything I do is also nice) they have a stake in it one way or another so don’t let ‘em fool you when they throw that ‘emotional’ card out there.
Not sure why I needed to get that out of my system but *shrug* there ya go *grin*.
The House Rules rule here. Nice work.
I think your resident troll made the “men can be bitchy” case pretty well all by himself. And the logic game is a crack-up: my conservative friends tell me that conservatism is the logical way of looking at the world, and that liberalism is based on emotions.
Look where “logic” has gotten us…
hey dd!!
i’ve been following your posts around this, and am glad to see your comments policy–it’s excellent!!
i am at a loss on what to do about my comment moderation–so you have given me some really great ideas!!~bfp
I agree. The problem is that if these guidelines are followed, you’ll end up with quite a few ‘0 Comments’ posts.
I am, of course, joking. It’s just that so few people can make a comment while, for instance, observing just the following two of your guidelines:
If you have read 5% of what I actually wrote and made up the rest, do not comment.
If you get a kick out of putting people down, do not comment.
But do continue posting. Maybe now visitors will have an incentive to read your stuff without rushing to comment…
See what I mean Diva, David proves my point without me having to say another word!
Hi Diva,
One of the best and most efficient COMMENT RULES I’ve seen were on http://www.blurbomat.com/
“Comments that are off subject will be deleted. Comments that suck will be deleted. Don’t suck.” (This message is shown directly above the message box).
Sweet and simple.
Personally, I think offensive comments should be deleted. It’s a matter of common courtesy. A commentator who uses insults instead of rational arguments violates not only the owner of the blog, the other commentators but the entire meaning of the blogosphere in general. Freedom of speech means using your mind, rational statements and keeping within the guidelines of “netiquette”.
Ummm… I’m having a slow-brain day… WHICH point did I prove?
I wasn’t sure about that one either BondBloke. Were you refering to David (or Matt perhaps?) I pondered it until now thinking I was the one having a no brain day! Put us out of our misery.
Oops I think I might have misread something - apologies - head down behind the parapet and hope it all goesw away…
Don’t worry, BondBloke. I think we have all done the same at some point. I am relieved to see that I haven’t completely lost the plot.
Excellent comment policy!
the reason men call you bitchy is because as a woman your always complaining about any topic, nothing and no one supplies an answer to any of your ridiculous questions,..purely because you will never accept any answer but your own.
You are a closet man hiding in woman’s body, hurling your bile & phobia at US.
Men are not angry at you, you are angry at yourself for being trapped.
You blame US for your predicament. You blame US for everything.
It should be GOD on the recieving end of your rants and anger,…. NOT US
Excuse me ? Where the hell do you get all this from?
Being a citizen of America and the human race, all people are equal. We all bleed the same color, we all have ideas, we all have personalities in which some disagree with.
We are all bitchy… but why “bitch” refers to a FEMALE dog is beyond me. If I remember correctly, women weren’t considered equal in the U.S. recently (referring to less than 200 years). Some areas of the world still don’t seem to understand the concept we are all of the same kind.
Man and Women are a lock and a key. Why bother have a lock with no key, or a key without a lock??