Is Countertrolling a Troll The Answer

[hbelkins]

I've had those vibes for a while but for a different reason. I'm not allowed to say what the reason is, however.

I've seen a number of people make similar statements. Frankly, this makes no sense to me.

There aren't national security secrets or legally enforceable nondisclosure agreements at play here. Nothing is keeping you from sharing your insight. Why even announce that you have it if you aren't willing to share it?

"Ha ha ha, I've got a secret and I'm not telling!" is the vibe this gives off.

[Scott5114]

In this case, the reasons would be:
1) Divulging the reason you knew MMM was sockpuppeting, in a place where he could read it, would just mean he'd know how to avoid tipping us off next time.
2) Perhaps the reason Max doesn't want to say anything is because he thinks it could be interpreted as unkind or insulting.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think that was 1 quote came from originally?  I definitely would have been less nice about the situation considering the chaos caused by MMM.

[webny99]

I think that was 1 quote came from originally?  I definitely would have been less nice about the situation considering the chaos caused by MMM.

The line that HB quoted actually came from jmacswimmer, but your quote tags didn't post correctly, so it looked like it was from you.

[JoePCool14]

In this case, the reasons would be:
1) Divulging the reason you knew MMM was sockpuppeting, in a place where he could read it, would just mean he'd know how to avoid tipping us off next time.

Hence my proposal for creating a new private board.

[jeffandnicole]

In this case, the reasons would be:
1) Divulging the reason you knew MMM was sockpuppeting, in a place where he could read it, would just mean he'd know how to avoid tipping us off next time.

Is that a bad thing though?  If he wants to come back as a different, improved person, no one will be the wiser; he will be welcomed, and we will all move on our merry ways. 

If he wanted to post well thought out, insightful posts for several months, then suddenly be an ass, that's on him.

[Scott5114]

Is that a bad thing though?  If he wants to come back as a different, improved person, no one will be the wiser; he will be welcomed, and we will all move on our merry ways. 

If he wants to be a different, improved person, there's no need to ban him.
If he wants to be an ass next time around, it would be nice if we didn't teach him how to cover his tracks. Then, at least, he's more likely to fuck up and get caught faster.

[roadman65]

I wonder if he came up with many of those far out stories to throw us off the track.  And the fact some of them he would tell and we caught him lying as he would say later on that he is against what he previously was for.

Maybe those were the lies. As when we lie and tell stories about ourselves we forget later on what we said and when in a heated argument the real truth or alternative version comes out.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I once managed to troll a troll elsewhere by using a fictional sign posted here .

I'm surprised MMM wasn't discovered to be a sock puppet and banned earlier.

[1995hoo]

I think that was 1 quote came from originally?  I definitely would have been less nice about the situation considering the chaos caused by MMM.

The line that HB quoted actually came from jmacswimmer, but your quote tags didn't post correctly, so it looked like it was from you.

It was actually from me. The quotation is messed up as pasted further up the thread. Here's a link to the original, from a now-locked thread:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32429.msg2786516#msg2786516

The reason I said "I'm not allowed to say" was that the moderators had deleted at least one, if not more, of my posts in another thread commenting about the sort of thing that had been making me suspect something was up. Based on that, I concluded (reasonably, in my view) that it was not something we were allowed to say. It was not an issue of the "moderator protection" phenomenon some of us have observed as to NE2 and kernals12, however.

[hbelkins]

I think that was 1 quote came from originally?  I definitely would have been less nice about the situation considering the chaos caused by MMM.

The line that HB quoted actually came from jmacswimmer, but your quote tags didn't post correctly, so it looked like it was from you.

It was actually from me. The quotation is messed up as pasted further up the thread. Here's a link to the original, from a now-locked thread:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32429.msg2786516#msg2786516

The reason I said "I'm not allowed to say" was that the moderators had deleted at least one, if not more, of my posts in another thread commenting about the sort of thing that had been making me suspect something was up. Based on that, I concluded (reasonably, in my view) that it was not something we were allowed to say. It was not an issue of the "moderator protection" phenomenon some of us have observed as to NE2 and kernals12, however.

I remembered you being another person who'd said that you weren't allowed to disclose something.

In the case of this one, I try to trim quotes so as to prevent long gray boxes before coming to original content or a reply. I mess them up sometimes, and I apologize for that.

[hotdogPi]

So yeah, the topics I was totally trolling about were:

Star Trek/Sexual Stuff
Atomic Clock Scams/Physics
Helicopter Grapple Hook Ideas
Local route 37 mph speed limit
Speed camera suggestions
Giant Fans to assist drivers on curves
NYC not being on the East Coast
Physics/Relativity comments
I-90 being bootleg/Cargo Plane routes
Car/Boat combination type vehicles
Obsessing over mild curves in roads

And the Serious ones were:

Comments Against Child Abuse
Climate Change Comments
Most of my Fictional Highway Plans
Enhanced Road Test Requirements

[1995hoo]

I think that was 1 quote came from originally?  I definitely would have been less nice about the situation considering the chaos caused by MMM.

The line that HB quoted actually came from jmacswimmer, but your quote tags didn't post correctly, so it looked like it was from you.

It was actually from me. The quotation is messed up as pasted further up the thread. Here's a link to the original, from a now-locked thread:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32429.msg2786516#msg2786516

The reason I said "I'm not allowed to say" was that the moderators had deleted at least one, if not more, of my posts in another thread commenting about the sort of thing that had been making me suspect something was up. Based on that, I concluded (reasonably, in my view) that it was not something we were allowed to say. It was not an issue of the "moderator protection" phenomenon some of us have observed as to NE2 and kernals12, however.

I remembered you being another person who'd said that you weren't allowed to disclose something.

In the case of this one, I try to trim quotes so as to prevent long gray boxes before coming to original content or a reply. I mess them up sometimes, and I apologize for that.

It was Max Rockatansky who mixed it up, not you, and he understandably didn't use quote boxes for that material because it comes from a locked thread. No worries either way, though.

[Rothman]

If we got all mixed up on 3/11, that would have been perfect.

[roadman65]

I think we are all in a state of shock. We thought this kid was just ridiculous and to hear he was someone else who trolled here before adds a new light on his identity.

We all we annoyed, sure, by this troll. Yet it got our attention and to some it amused us his rebuttals he would give when we either responded sarcastically or critically to his insane ideas. So we now are going through a slight adjustment period to get back to normal.

[Max Rockatansky]

See, I don't know if MMM was trolling or really didn't have full a perspective on how/why his actions might piss everyone off.  The timing was kind of interesting given MMM was just ramping up as Lord Carhorn was being given the boot.

[JayhawkCO]

If we got all mixed up on 3/11, that would have been perfect.

But I don't know what to do. Next thing I turn around...

[jeffandnicole]

There was a few occasions I tried to call him out.  Obviously it was my own opinion, but people were just way too caught up in his words to sit back and think...could he really be trolling us?

Once was...
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32635.msg2802707#msg2802707
Specifically: "There really isn't anything that MMM says that I don't think he's exaggerating one way or another."

I also questioned him here:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=33014.msg2825170#msg2825170
Who says MMM is 23?  Him, and only him.  He could be 17 and ticked he can't rent a hotel room for his upcoming prom.

Sadly, I think others more so silently questioned *me* as to my accusation.

I also never knew what to make of the Category 5 Hurricane comment I lobbed at him.  After his many comments regarding the speed limit being prime numbers, he never once responded to my statement that a Category 5 minimum wind speed is...a prime number.  The only response he gave was questioning why it was such an odd speed when the other category levels are more standard level changes (at 5s or 0s).  I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't pounce on such an opportunity to talk about prime numbers when such a significant one exists in the weather world.

[JayhawkCO]

Guys, I'm pretty sure we can let this die. He was a turd. He's gone now. Let's get on with our bickering about things that aren't punk kids with nothing better to do.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yeah, but I'm kind of okay with kicking dirt on his forum tombstone here for awhile.  You reap what you sow when act like a fool. 

[SectorZ]

Yeah, but I'm kind of okay with kicking dirt on his forum tombstone here for awhile.  You reap what you sow when act like a fool.

I've probably gotten my share of dirt kicking out of my system. This thread is his public eulogy, a eulogy I guarantee he is reading. We'll all get it out of our system soon.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yeah, but I'm kind of okay with kicking dirt on his forum tombstone here for awhile.  You reap what you sow when act like a fool.

I've probably gotten my share of dirt kicking out of my system. This thread is his public eulogy, a eulogy I guarantee he is reading. We'll all get it out of our system soon.

Usually this kind of thing runs its course in due time.  I'd be lying if I didn't say I got some enjoyment out of the downfall of Flat Illinois and Lord Carhorn. 

[Roadgeekteen]

So yeah, the topics I was totally trolling about were:

Star Trek/Sexual Stuff
Atomic Clock Scams/Physics
Helicopter Grapple Hook Ideas
Local route 37 mph speed limit
Speed camera suggestions
Giant Fans to assist drivers on curves
NYC not being on the East Coast
Physics/Relativity comments
I-90 being bootleg/Cargo Plane routes
Car/Boat combination type vehicles
Obsessing over mild curves in roads

And the Serious ones were:

Comments Against Child Abuse
Climate Change Comments
Most of my Fictional Highway Plans
Enhanced Road Test Requirements

1, how did you get this quote? Was this posted on the forum?

[Scott5114]

I think we are all in a state of shock. We thought this kid was just ridiculous and to hear he was someone else who trolled here before adds a new light on his identity.

Eh, I'm not. I even accidentally posted a reply to him once addressing him as "Mike" without thinking about it, before realizing what I did and going back to edit it out. I should have listened to whatever part of my brain made me do that, I guess.

[Roadgeekteen]

I think we are all in a state of shock. We thought this kid was just ridiculous and to hear he was someone else who trolled here before adds a new light on his identity.

Eh, I'm not. I even accidentally posted a reply to him once addressing him as "Mike" without thinking about it, before realizing what I did and going back to edit it out. I should have listened to whatever part of my brain made me do that, I guess.

I'm certainly shook. Wasn't on the forum when Mike was here, and I was actually talking to MMM like he was a real person just with crazy ideas, trying to take him seriously and help him understand. Now I know that he's just a troll.